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Page 41
FOOTNOTES:
[1: See "The Story of Dago" for an account of Phil's and
Stuart's childhood.]
Mary, who had watched with keen interest the unwrapping of the dozens of
beautiful wedding gifts at The Locusts, took a peculiar pleasure in
looking around for them now, and recognizing them among the handsome
furnishings of the different rooms. Heretofore the Locusts had been her
ideal of all that a home should be, but this far surpassed anything she
had ever seen in luxurious fittings.
As the girls followed their hostess over the house, with admiring
exclamations for each room, Mary thought with inward amusement of the
cold shivers she had had, as she stood with the bridal party between the
Rose-gate and the flower crowned altar, listening to the solemn vow: "I,
Eugenia,--take thee, Stuart--for better, for worse--" There had been no
worse. It was all better, infinitely better, and the shivers had been
entirely unnecessary.
Stuart came in presently, from a long round of professional visits. The
young doctor had nearly as large a practise as his father, and had been
riding all afternoon. Mary caught a glimpse of his meeting with Eugenia,
in the hall, and when he came in, cordial as a boy in his welcome, and
by numberless little courtesies showing himself the most considerate of
hosts and husbands, she thought again, "This is one time it was
_certainly_ all 'for better.'"
[Illustration: "SHE WAS A FASCINATING LITTLE CREATURE, ALL SMILES AND
DIMPLES."]
"Where is 'Pat's Pill'?" he asked, looking around for Phil. "That is
Patricia's name for him, as near as she can say it. Wouldn't you know
that she was a doctor's daughter, by giving her doting uncle a pill
for a name?"
Phil and Mr. Forbes came in together. To Betty, one of the pleasantest
parts of her visit was this meeting with the "Cousin Carl," who had
added such vistas of delight to her life by taking her to Europe the
year she was threatened with blindness. His hair was grayer now than
then, and the years had added a few lines to his kind face, but he was
not nearly so grave. He smiled oftener, and she noticed with
satisfaction his evident pride in Eugenia since she had blossomed into
such a happy, enthusiastic housewife, and his devotion to little
Patricia, when she was brought in for awhile just after dinner.
She was a fascinating little creature, all smiles and dimples and
coquettish shrugs, and she held royal court the few moments she was
allowed to monopolize the attention of the company. It was her second
Christmas eve, and she had been brought down for the first public
ceremony of hanging her stocking in the great chimney corner. Even after
she was carried away it was plain to be seen how the interest of the
house centred around her. There was a tender glow in Eugenia's eyes
every time she looked at the tiny white stocking hanging from the holly
wreathed mantel. And it was also plain to be seen that the little
stocking gave a deeper meaning to the words carved underneath, to every
one gathered around the fire: "East or West, Home is best." When the
trimming of the great tree in the library began, it was found that each
member of the household had bought her enough toys to stock a
show-window.
"There is really too much for one kid," said Phil gravely, surveying his
own lavish contributions. "What can she do with them when it is all
over?"
Eugenia glanced from the long row of dolls she was counting, to the
assortment of stuffed animals and toys already weighting the
tinsel-decked branches. "She shall keep them only a day. I have made up
my mind that she shall not grow up to be the selfish child that I was
before Betty came along with her Tusitala story and her Road of the
Loving Heart. She is to begin to build one now, even before she is old
enough to understand. This is her first Christmas tree. To-morrow she
shall choose one gift from each person's assortment of offerings.
To-morrow night the tree and all the rest of the presents are to be
turned over to the little orphans of St. Boniface Refuge."
"Daddy's name for her is Blessing,'" explained Stuart. "So you see
she is in a fair way to be trained up to fit it."
Since the tree was for children only, no gifts for the older people
appeared among its branches, but in the night some silent-footed Kriss
Kringle made his stealthy rounds, and left a gay little red and white
stocking by every bedside. Mary discovered hers early in the morning,
after the maid had been in to turn on the heat in the radiator, and
close the windows. She wondered how it could have been placed there
without her knowledge, for the slightest motion set the tiny bells on
heel and toe a-jingling. She touched it several times just to start the
silvery tinkle, then sitting up in bed emptied its treasures out on the
counterpane. It was filled with bon-bons and many inexpensive trifles,
but down in the toe was a little gold thimble, from Patricia.
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