"Come down and see what's in your stocking, Han!" shouted Jim.
Margaret sprang out of bed and put on the little girl's warm woollen wrapper and let her go down. She ran eagerly to her mother's room, and her father made believe asleep that she might wake him up. She wanted to wish some one Merry Christmas the first of all.
Two wax candles were burning in the back room and the fire was crackling. There were stockings and stockings, and hers were such little mites that some one had hung a white bag on the brass nail that held the feather-duster, and marked it "For Hanny." And a box lay in a chair.
There was a cruller man with eyes, nose, and mouth. There were candies galore, the clarified ones, red and yellow, idealized animals of all kinds. There was an elegant silver paper cornucopia tied with blue ribbons. There was a box of beautiful pop-corn that had turned itself inside out. Ribbon for her hair, a paint-box, a case of Faber pencils, handkerchiefs, a lovely new pink merino dress, a muff that purported to be ermine, a pair of beautiful blue knit slippers tied with ribbons. These didn't come from Santa Claus, for they had on a card--"With best love and a Merry Christmas, from Dolly." That was Dolly Beekman. Hanny laid them up against her face and kissed them, they were so soft and beautiful.
She drew a long breath before she opened the box. Of course it couldn't be a real live kitty. John and Steve were coming in at the door.
"Merry Christmas!" she shouted with the boys They were not so very far ahead of her.
Steve caught her under the arms and held her almost up to the ceiling, it seemed. She was so little and light.
She paid the ten kisses, and would have given twice the number.
"I'm trying to guess what is in the box." She looked perplexed and a crease came between her eyes.
"Yes, Joe sent it. Santa Claus had given his all out, and Joe had to skirmish around sharp to get one."
"Is it alive?" she asked timidly, her eyes growing larger with something that was almost fright.
"Oh, Steve!" said Margaret, in an upbraiding tone. "Boys, you're enough to frighten one."
Steve untied the string and took off the cover. Hanny had tight hold of her sister's hand. Steve lifted some tissue paper and tilted up the box. There lay a lovely wax doll with golden hair, a smiling mouth that just betrayed some little teeth, eyes that would open and shut. She was dressed in light-blue silk and beautiful lace. Though her mother had said she was too big to have a doll, Joe knew better.