very dark nights. "The little gal's lamp," the Malachi sailors called
it, and they learned to look for it as a guide, though its reflective
power was not enough to make it serviceable in a fog, which was the
chief danger of all.

There was no fog, however, when she opened her eyes on Christmas
morning, but a bright sun, just rising, which was a sort of Christmas
present in itself. She made haste to dress, for she heard papa moving
in his room, and she wished to get down first, but he was as quick as
she, and they finally met at the stair-top, and went down together.

When he saw the stockings, he looked surprised and vexed.

"Dear me! did you hang up your stocking, Eyebright?" he asked, in a
depressed tone. "I quite forgot it was Christmas. You'll have no
presents, my child, I'm afraid."

"Never mind, papa, I don't care; I don't want any thing," said
Eyebright.

She spoke bravely, but there was a lump in her throat, and she could
hardly keep from tears. It seemed so strange and dreadful not to have
any thing at all in her stocking,--not one single thing! She had not
thought much about the matter, but with childish faith had taken it
for granted that she must have something--some sort of a present, and
for a moment the disappointment was hard to bear.

Papa looked very much troubled, especially when he spied his own
stocking and perceived that his little daughter had remembered him
while he had forgotten her. He spent the morning rummaging his desk
and the trunks upstairs, as if in search of something, and after
dinner announced that he was going to the village to get the mail. The
mails came into Scrapplehead twice a week, but he seldom had any
letters, and Eyebright never, so, as a general thing, they were not
very particular about calling regularly at the post-office.

Eyebright wanted to go, too, but the day was so cold that papa thought
she would better not. She wrapped him in every warm thing she could
find, and drew the fur-gloves over his fingers with great
satisfaction.

"They will keep you quite warm, won't they?" she said. "Your fingers
would almost freeze without them, wouldn't they? You like them, don't
you, papa?"

"Very much," said Mr. Bright, giving her a good-by kiss.

Then he stepped into the boat and took the oars, while she wrapped her
arms in her shawl and watched him row away. Her breath froze on the
air like a cloud of white steam. She felt her ears tingle, and
presently ran back to t