Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-12-22

Uncle Hiram wink at Aunt Ellen, and he knew
there was fun of some kind that he had not
thought of.
Grandmother Vrooman had been so busy
with all those children from the moment they
came into the house that she had almost lost
her anxiety but it came back to her now, all
Of a sudden.
"Sakes alive Jane" she said to Mrs. Har-
dy, "every last one of ems got to be in bed
before we can do a thing with the stockings" ="
Biiah heard her, for he was Just beyond the
dining room door, with cruller in each hand,
and it made him shiver all over.
Il wish was in the 'sylum. No, | don't
either; but l kind o. wish was"
Bijah was a very small boy, aud he lad not
seen much of the world, but his ideas were
almost ns clear as those OF tho other children
and Grandmother Vrooman for the next if
teen minutes. The way the Simpson and
Hopkins families got mixed up, with Liph and
Sue Hardy to help them, was something won
derful. Old Bush wandered from room to
room after them, waggng his tail and whin-
ing.
Mother" exclaimed Mrs, Hardy, the bed
you made on the floor in the storeroom !"
just the thing for him. All the rest 60 in
pairs I'll put that poor little dear right in
there"
So she did, and not one of her own grand
children was tucked in warmer than was BIZ
iah He did not kick the bedclothes of next
minute, and he was the only child in the
house of whom that could be said. Grand
father Vrooman paid q visit of inspection all
around from room to room, and Bush went
with him. 1t took him good while. When
he came to the store-room and looked in, Bi-
jahs tired eyes we're already closed as tight
as were the fingers of the little hand on the
coverlet which was still grasping cruller
He was fast asleep, but Grandfather Nroo
man was not and yet, when Bush looked up
at him, the old mans eyes were shut too, and
there was q stir in his thick white beard as if
his lips were moving.
Things got pretty still after a while, and
then there began steady procession in and
out of the dark room which was not dark.
Boxes went in, and bundles and these were
opened and united, and their contents spread
out and looked at and distributed. 1t was no
wonder Grandfather Vrooman's big sleigh had
been SO full, or the one Pat had driven, when
they brought the Hopkins and Simpson fami-
lies from the north and south railway stations.
Grandfather himself went away out to the
barn once for something he said he had hid
den there, and while he was gone Aunt Ellen
Simpson and Uncle Hiram slipped a package
into the grain bag, and grandmother handed
Uncle Hiram another to slip in on top of it,
ana uncle JOnn Hardy ana Uncle Martln mop
kins each handed him another, and the bag
was almost half full, but you could not see it
from the outside and then they all winked
at each other when grandfather came in with
back load of sleds. Grandmother may have
thought she knew what they were winking
about, but she didn't for Uncle Hiram whis-
pered to Aunt Ellen
I'm glad it's big stocking. One'll do for
both of en-"
1t was late when they all went to bed, and
there was SO much fire in the fireplace they
were half afraid to leave it, but Grandfather
Vrooman said it was of no use to try to cover
it up, and the room would be warm in the
morning.
When they got up stairs the children must
all have been asleep for there was not sound
in any room; and the older people went to
bed on tiptoe, and tried hard to not so much
as whisper on the stairs.