A CHRISTMAS JAUNT 



clay oven is ready for the bread and the 

 bread is not quite ready for the oven. 

 Even with this on her mind, and the 

 senses of smell, taste, and touch alert to 

 determine the proper instant of trans- 

 ference, the goodwif e was most politely 

 interested in our wayfarings. She 

 pointed with pride to an enormous goose 

 hanging from the rafters in process of 

 being thawed out, and destined to take 

 the chief place on the board at the great 

 festival of the New Year. Without con- 

 sulting his wife as to the proposed jour- 

 ney, the husband began to make his 

 preparations; this was a man's affair 

 upon which a woman's opinion was 

 neither invited nor expected. No adieus 

 passed between the spouses though the 

 distance to be covered was not a short 

 one, and bad weather might easily delay 

 return until the following day. This 

 was quite in accord with the conventions 

 of these people, who, though affection- 



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