(Ehe (UJjrtstmas fousc & harden 
t 9 l - x 
k~a& te=2'S ?! ?§§S 
—how to scare away tears and all about mistletoe and Druids, 
and still another story about a fir tree which Roger opined re¬ 
spectfully was nothing like so good as Sister Madge’s story of 
the Cedar King who stood outside his window. 
“Very likely not!” admitted the doctor gravely. “I’ve nothing 
like the respect for Mr. Hans Andersen myself that I have for 
Sister Madge.” 
“I thought,” ventured Roger shyly, slipping his hand suddenly 
into the doctor’s, “that doctors only knew how to cure folks!’’ 
“Bless your heart, laddie,” exclaimed the doctor, considerably 
staggered, “they know too lit¬ 
tle of that, I fear. My con¬ 
science !” as the grandfather’s 
clock came into the conversa¬ 
tion with a throaty boom, “it’s 
half-past seven!” and from 
then on Roger noticed the doc¬ 
tor was uneasy, presently 
opining, with a prodigious 
“Hum !” that Aunt Ellen look¬ 
ed mighty pale and tired and 
that he for one calculated a 
little sleigh ride would brace 
her up for the party. This 
Aunt Ellen immediately flout¬ 
ed and the doctor was eventu¬ 
ally forced to pathetic and fre¬ 
quent reference to his own 
great need of air and compan¬ 
ionship. 
“Very well, my dear,” said 
Aunt Ellen mildly, striving 
politely to conceal her opinion 
of his mental health, “I’ll go, 
since you feel so strongly 
about it, but a sleigh ride in 
such a wind and such clothes 
when one is expecting party 
guests — ” but the relieved doc¬ 
tor was already bundling the 
brown-gold brocade into a 
fur-lined coat and furtively 
winking at Roger! Thus it 
was that even as the Doctor's 
sleigh flew merrily by the 
Deacon’s pond, far across the 
snowy fields to the north 
gleamed the lights of the 7.52 
rushing noisily into the vil¬ 
lage. 
Ill 
How it was that the old 
Doctor somehow lost his way 
on roads he had traveled since boyhood was a matter of exceeding 
mystery and annoyance to Aunt Ellen, but lose it he did. By the 
time he found it and jogged frantically back home, the old house 
was already aswarm with masked, mysterious guests and old 
Asher with a lantern was peering excitedly up the road. Holly- 
trimmed sleighs full of merry neighbors in disguise were dashing 
gaily up — and in the midst of all the excitement the Doctor 
miraculously discovered his own mask and Aunt Ellen's in the 
pocket of his great-coat. So hospitable Aunt Ellen, considerably 
perturbed that so many of her guests had arrived in her absence 
— an absence carefully planned by the Doctor—betook herself to 
the masquerade, and the Christmas party began with bandits and 
minstrels and jesters and all sorts of queer folk flitting gaily 
about the house. They paid gallant court to Roger in his great 
chair by the fire and presently began to present for his approval 
an impromptu Mummer’s play. 
And now the lights were all out and a masked and courtly old 
gentleman in satin breeches was standing in the bright firelight 
pouring brandy into a giant bowl of raisins; and now he was gal¬ 
lantly bowing to Roger himself who was plainly expected to 
assist with a lighted match. He did this with trembling fingers 
and eyes so big and black and eloquent that the Doctor cleared 
his throat, and as the leaping flames from the snapdragon bowl 
flashed weirdly over the bi¬ 
zarre company in the shad¬ 
ows, Roger, eagerly watching 
them snatch the raisins from 
the fire, fell to trembling in an 
ecstasy of delight. Presently 
a slender arm in a crimson 
sleeve, whose wearer was 
never very far from Roger’s 
chair, slipped quietly about 
his shoulders and held him 
very tight. So, an endless 
round of merry Christmas 
games until, deep and mellow 
came at last the majestic 
boom of the grandfather's 
clock striking twelve and with 
it a hearty babel of Christmas 
greetings as the Doctor, smil¬ 
ing significantly down into 
Roger’s excited eyes, gave the 
signal to unmask. 
By the fire a mysterious lit¬ 
tle knot of guests had been 
silently gathering, and now as 
Aunt Ellen Leslie removed 
her mask, hand and mask 
halted in mid-air as if fixed by 
the stare of Medusa, and the 
face above the brown-gold 
brocade flamed crimson. For 
here in Puritan garb was 
John Leslie, Jr., and his ra¬ 
diant wife- — and Philip and 
Howard, smiling Quakers, 
and Anne and Margaret and 
Ellen with a trio of husbands, 
and beyond a laughing jester 
in cap and bells, whose dark, 
handsome face was a little too 
reckless and tired about the 
eyes, Roger thought, for a 
really happy Christmas guest 
—young Doctor Ralph. 
As Aunt Ellen’s startled eyes swept slowly from the smiling 
faces of her children to the proud and chuckling Doctor who had 
spent Heaven knows how many dollars in telegraphed commands 
— she laughed a little and cried a little and then mingled the two 
so queerly that she needs must wipe her eyes and catch at Roger's 
chair for support, whereupon a kindly little hand slipped suddenly 
into hers and Roger looked up and smiled serenely. 
“Don't cry, Aunt Ellen!” he begged shyly. “I knew all about 
it too and the Doctor — he did it all!” 
“And merry fits he gave us all by telegram, too, mother!” ex¬ 
claimed Philip with a grin. 
“Moreover,” broke in John, patting his mother’s shoulder, 
(Continued on page 401) 
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