fe, leaving the children in the care of their
faithful Sally, who had accompanied them in the character of nurse,
called on Ishmael and brought him his trunk of wearing apparel.

The judge, in his hearty, old-fashioned, thoughtless hospitality, would
have had Reuben and his family come and stop at his own house. But
Reuben Gray, with all his simplicity, had the good sense firmly to
decline this invitation and keep to his tavern.

"For you know, Hannah, my dear," he said to his wife, when they found
themselves again, at the Plow, "we would bother the family more'n the
judge reckoned on. What could they do with us? Where could they put us?
As to axing of us in the drawing room or sitting of us down in the
dining room, with all his fine, fashionable friends, that wasn't to be
thought on! And as to you being put into the kitchen, along of the
servants, that I wouldn't allow! Now the judge, he didn't think of all
these things: but I did; and I was right to decline the invitation,
don't you think so?"

"Of course you were, Reuben, and if you hadn't declined it, I would, and
that I tell you," answered Mrs. Gray.

"And so, Hannah, my dear, we will just keep our Christmas where we are!
We won't deprive Ishmael of his grand Christmas dinner with his grand
friends; but we will ax him to come over and go to the playhouse with us
and see the play, and then we'll all come back and have a nice supper
all on us together. We'll have a roast turkey and mince pie and egg-nog
and apple toddy, my dear, and make a night of it, once in a way! What do
you think?"

"I think that will be all very well, Reuben, so that you don't take too
much of that same egg-nog and apple toddy," replied Mrs. Gray.

"Now, Hannah, did you ever know me to do such a thing?" inquired Reuben,
with an injured air.

"No, Reuben, I never did. But I think that a man that even so much as
touches spiritable likkers is never safe until he is in his grave," said
Mrs. Gray solemnly.

"Where he can never get no more," sighed Reuben; and as he had to attend
the market to sell his turkeys that night, he left Hannah and went to
put his horses to the wagon.

So fine a trade did Reuben drive with his fat turkeys that he came home
at ten with an empty wagon and full pocketbook, and told Hannah that she
might have a new black silk "gownd," and Sally should have a red calico
"un," and as for the children, they should have an outfit from head to
foot.

Christmas morning da