," answered Debby, swallowing her sobs.

"_Walk_, then!" replied Harry Williams, snapping his whip. "I guess you
got a switch in your stocking this morning!"

Laughing thoughtlessly, the party rattled past her, leaving her crying
harder than before. But a walk full of dread comes to an end some time,
and Debby soon found herself at the entrance to the Fair.

Slipping in behind a group of men, she stood confused by the light and
noise.

It was a grand and exciting scene to the little country maiden, this
long, low room, trimmed with evergreens and flags, and illuminated by
all the lamps in the neighborhood.

A table extended across each of three sides of the room. One, used for a
supper-table, was filled with people eating and drinking noisily; on
another was displayed the handiwork of the sewing society for the past
year; and the third, which appeared the most attractive, was laden with
cake, confectionery, and ice-cream.

Debby rubbed her swollen eyes, and was gazing about her in admiring
astonishment, when her neighbor, Annie Williams, shouted "Merry
Christmas" in her ear.

"Oh! Thank you," replied the startled Debby.

"Come and take off your things," suggested Annie. "You may put them with
mine behind the apron and necktie end of the table. Mother tends that,
you know."

Annie tucked the wraps carefully away, and then drew Debby through the
crowd over to the stove, screened off in the corner behind the
supper-table, where the good aunties of the village were heating their
faces and spotting their Sunday dresses while cooking oysters and making
coffee for the benefit of the church. But these ladies looked so annoyed
by seeing the girls stand around the stove that Debby hurried away.
Possibly they thought that the church would not be benefited by Debby's
warming her fingers and toes.

Elbowing their way back, with arms clasped around each other's waist,
they encountered and stepped on the toes of a big German boy, who
convulsed them by pointing down at them with both forefingers,
exclaiming: "See the two craz-z-z-y! See the two craz-z-z-y!" And
Debby's laugh was as light-hearted as if she could buy everything in the
room, and her mother had nineteen silk dresses.

"Now come and get some ice-cream," urged Annie, as they were pushed
toward it. "I have had three saucers, and think it is lovely. I ought to
be a judge, don't you think so?"

"Not now," said Debby, hastily. "I want to look at the needle-books y