with the many waste papers that were scattered about.

CHAPTER XIII

HIDE AND SEEK

All the time Patty was dressing she wondered about that letter; and
when Mona, ready for dinner, stopped at her door, Patty drew her into
the room.

"Mona," she said, "did you get a Christmas card from Mr. Farnsworth?"

"Yes," said Mona, "in a big blue envelope. Daisy had one, too. Didn't
you get one?"

"No; Jim said there was one for me, but it got lost somehow. Thrown in
the fire, I shouldn't wonder."

"Well, don't mind," said Mona, cheerfully. "You can have mine. It
isn't very pretty, and Daisy's isn't either, but I suppose they're the
best Bill could find out there in Arizona. Do you want it now, Patty?"

"I don't want it at all, Mona. What would I want with your card, or
Daisy's either? But if Little Billee sent one to me, I'd like to have
it, that's all."

"Of course you would; but truly, they don't amount to much."

"Jim must have been mistaken about there being one for me," said
Patty, and then the two girls went downstairs.

The Christmas dinner was practically a repetition of the feast of the
night before; but as Adele said, how could that be helped if people
would have two Christmas celebrations on successive days?

There were four extra guests, who proved to be merry and jolly young
people, and after dinner Hal declared that his reign as Lord of
Misrule was not yet over.

"Don't let's do any more stunts like we had last night," said Mona.
"They wear me out. Let's play easy games, like blindman's buff, or
something."

"Or Copenhagen," said Hal, but Patty frowned at him.

"We're too grown-up for such things," she declared, with dignity.
"What do you say to a nice, dignified game of hide and seek?"

"All over the house!" cried Roger. "May we, Mrs. Kenerley?"

"The house is yours," said Adele. "I reserve no portion of it. From
cellar to attic, from drawing-room to kitchen, hide where you will and
seek where you like,--if you'll only promise not to wake the baby.
She's taking her afternoon nap."

"She doesn't seem to mind noise," said Roger. "We do make an awful
racket, you know."

"Oh, no, I don't mean that," said Adele. "I've trained her not to
mind noise. But I mean if your hiding and seeking takes you into the
nursery quarters, do go softly."

"Of course we will," said Philip. "I'm specially devoted to that baby,
and I'll see that her nap isn't disturbed, even if I have to stand
sentry at her