The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-12-24


and there are small towers and queer
gables about it.
On the left side, as you drive up to the
house through the long avenue of trees,
is broad, square window. 1t is out of
this window that Tito is looking and he
sees queer shapes. The moonlight is
flooding the avenue of trees with its
light, and the great arms of the old pine
trees wave to and fro in the wind and
throw wild, restless shadows and make
Tito think that they must be sorry about
something.
81 know how you feel" says Tito to
himself, while his large eyes follow the
movements of the shadows as they
shift to and fro over the snow.
Tito might often feel lonelier than he
did were it not for his busy little brain
This is never idle Sleeping or wax
ing, it is full of fancies, and to anyone
who did not know him as we'll as Aunt
Alice and grandmamma he might seem
sometimes quite ''out of his head" as
people say.
He would talk into the air in the
most excited way, scold or smile at
things and people no one else could see.
But what had he tucked behind the cur
tain that keeps him so wide awake?
What has it to do with the night that
he does not go to bed, but keeps staring
out of the window2 Now he takes it
up for the hundredth time and holds it
close to his eyes. Then he draws his
first finger carefully over its surface. He
turns it over and, more than all, he
looks again and again at one of its cor
ners. 1t seems to be large envelope,
with something in it.
THAT must be right" he murmured;
'they said, over and over again, that l
must no. put stamp on it, but that l
should make six blue marks one way
and six red marks crossing them the
other way-six blue marks one way, six
red marks the other-blue-w
-red-blue-red-way-" and Tito
rolled softly over on his back among
the cushions. So sooner had he done
SO than twelve rollicking little men as
tall as ones hand lit softly in row Just
on the outside of the very window.
Such dancel Back and forth and
sideways they went with hands joined,
kicking up their tiny red heels and
bringing them down again hard, yet
with no noise at ALL Now they point
row of small fingers at Tito, then they
laugh and dance harder and wilder than
before.
Suddenly, as though they all thought
it time for business. they stopped dane
ing end began peering in at Tito. But
something was wanting. They spied
the letter. This was a signal for another
dance and after the dance they all gath
cred in bunch and began to talk in the
busiest way. They seemed 10 be max
ing up their minds which was the best
way to do something. Presently one
little fellow began climbing the frames
OF the small square panes of glass. He
ran up like little two-legged spider
dressed in mems clothes. The next time
his fellows saw him he was looking out
at them through the window from the
inside. That seemed to give them all
great joy and each put his finger along
side of his nose and looked very wise.
Five [ Their little men now climbed up
the window and joined Chippy-that
was the name of the first one and three
got on one side OF the envelope, three
IN the other, and they bore it safely up
to the broken pane at the top of the
window, which Chippy had first found
as an entrance.
Here they had to stop. The envelope
was too large to push through. They
all descended again to the window seat
and laid the letter down, while they
wiped their foreheads with the tiny,
loose sleeves of their coats.
Chipp5 got up and walked all around
the envelope two or three times; then he
began to talk briskily to his companions
with his fingers. Together they pushed
the envelope to the floor, then showed
it against the W Il, where 1T could go no
farther. The six now placed themselves
along the edge nearest to them and be-
gan rolling it until the package seemed
small enough to pass through the hole in
the window. None of them will ever
forget that steep journey which took
them over all those slippery glass panes.
enclosed by what seemed little wooden
fences to the boys; and the road was
all the more difficult because the burden
must be held in one position lest it
should unroll.
Every Christmas eve, from twelve
o'clock midnight until twelve o'clock
Christmas night, these little men could
talk in human speech. All the rest of
the year, however, they used their own
language, which was talked with their
fingers. Chlppy did not like this very
much. He. had rather it would have
been just the other way. He often
wanted to scold when his hands were
too busy to give him the chance. 10
night he could only bob his head, which
shook his long, red, pointed cap to and,
fro but everybody knew what he mc;.nt.
When they reached the porch, where
the other SIX little men were, the envel-
| one wns Laid down In the mid ct of than