"It was a business deal. No thanks needed," he replied.
Lydia nodded and trudged off. The boy stood for a moment looking at the little figure, then he started after her.
"Lydia, I'll get that load of pines for you."
She tossed a vivid smile over her shoulder. "You will not. It's a business deal."
And Billy turned back reluctantly toward the barn.
In an hour Lydia was panting up the steps into the kitchen. Lizzie's joy was even more extreme than Lydia's. She thawed the ducks out and dressed them, after dinner, with the two children standing so close as at times seriously to impede progress.
"I'm lucky," said Lydia. "There isn't anybody luckier than I am or has better things happen to 'em than I do. I'd rather be me than a water baby."
"Baby not a water baby. Baby a duck," commented Patience, her hands full of bright feathers.
"Baby is a duck," laughed Lydia. "Won't Daddy be glad!"
Amos was glad. Plodding sadly home, he was greeted by three glowing faces in the open door as soon as his foot sounded on the porch. The base burner in the living-room was clear and glowing. The dining-room was fragrant with pine. He was not allowed to take off his overcoat, but was towed to the kitchen where the two birds, trussed and stuffed for the baking, were set forth on the table.
"I got 'em!" shouted Lydia. "I got 'em off Billy Norton for a load of pine. Christmas present for you, Daddy, from yours truly, Lydia!" She seized the baby's hands and the two did a dance round Amos, shouting, "Christmas present! Christmas present!" at the top of their lungs.
"Well! Well!" exclaimed Amos. "Isn't that fine! If Levine comes out to-morrow we can ask him to dinner, after all. Can't we, Lizzie?"
"You bet we can!" said Lizzie. "And look at this. I was going to keep it for a surprise. I made it by your wife's recipe."
She held an open Mason jar under Amos' nose.
"Mince meat!" he exclaimed. "Why, Lizzie, where'd you get the makings?"
"Oh, a bit here and a bit there for the last two months. Ain't it grand?" offering a smell to each of the children, who sniffed ecstatically.
When the baby was safely asleep, Lydia appeared with two stockings which she hung on chair backs by the stove in the living-room.
"I'm putting them up to hold the candy," she explained to her father, suggestively.