han any other man I ever had seen, but when, two
hours later, he stamped into the kitchen he was so much handsomer than
usual, that I knew from the flush on his cheek and the light in his
eye, that the Princess had been kind, and by the package in his hand,
that she had made him a present. He really had two, a beautiful book
and a necktie. I wondered to my soul if she gave him that, so she
could fix it! I didn't believe she had begun on his ties at that time;
but of course when he loved her as he did, he wished she would.

It was the very jolliest Christmas we ever had, but the day seemed
long. When night came we were in a precious bustle. The wagon bed on
bobs, filled with hay and covers, drawn by Ned and Jo, was brought up
for the family, and the sleigh made spick-and-span and drawn by
Laddie's thoroughbred, stood beside it. Laddie had filled the kitchen
oven with bricks and hung up a comfort at four o'clock to keep the
Princess warm.

Because he had to drive out of the way to bring her, Laddie wanted to
start early; and when he came down dressed in his college clothes, and
looking the manliest of men, some of the folks thought it funny to see
him carefully rake his hot bricks from the oven, and pin them in an old
red breakfast shawl. I thought it was fine, and I whispered to mother:
"Do you suppose that if Laddie ever marries the Princess he will be
good to her as he is to you?"

Mother nodded with tear-dimmed eyes, but Shelley said: "I'll wager a
strong young girl like the Princess will laugh at you for babying over
her."

"Why?" inquired Laddie. "It is a long drive and a bitter night, and if
you fancy the Princess will laugh at anything I do, when I am doing the
best I know for her comfort, you are mistaken. At least, that is the
impression she gave me this morning."

I saw the swift glance mother shot at father, and father laid down his
paper and said, while he pretended his glasses needed polishing: "Now
there is the right sort of a girl for you. No foolishness about her,
when she has every chance. Hurrah for the Princess!"

It was easy to see that she wasn't going to have nearly so hard a time
changing father's opinion as she would mother's. It was not nearly a
year yet, and here he was changed already. Laddie said good-bye to
mother--he never forgot--gathered up his comfort and bricks, and
started for Pryors' downright happy. We went to the schoolhouse a
little later, all of us scoured, c