"christmas isn't half as much fun after you don't believe in santa claus." peggy heaved a mighty sigh as she worked her needle in and out of the handkerchief she was hemstitching. "how old were you, keineth, when you found there wasn't a santa claus?"
keineth did not answer for a moment. her shining eyes had a far-away look. she did not know what to say to make peggy understand that, as far back as she could remember, the beloved santa and the christmas spirit and her daddy had always seemed to be one and the same person. always on christmas morning her father had come to her bed, helped her hurry on her slippers and robe and had carried her on his back down the long stairway to the shadowy library where, on a table close to the fireplace, a-twinkle with tiny candles and bright with tinsel, they would find the tree he had trimmed. she could not bear to speak of it instead she told peggy of the way she and her father always spent christmas eve; how he would take her to a funny little restaurant where they would eat roast pig and little christmas cakes and then go to the stores and wander along looking into the gaily-trimmed windows.
"you see there are ever and ever so many children near our home that never have any christmas, and we used to wait for some to come and look into the window. then daddy'd invite them to go inside and pick out a toy. they'd be frightened at first, as if they couldn't believe it, but after they'd see daddy smile they'd look so happy and talk so fast. daddy always told them to pick out what they'd always wanted and never had, and the boys most always took engines and the girls wanted dolls--dolls with eyes that'd shut and open. daddy and i used to think that was more fun than getting presents ourselves."
mrs. lee had listened with much interest. her face, as she bent it over her needle-work, was serious.
"if i told you girlies of a family i ran across the other day, would you like to help make their christmas a little merrier?" they begged her to tell them.
though mrs. lee never lacked time for the many demands of her family and friends, she was a woman who went about among the poor a great deal. not like aunt josephine, who was the president of several charitable societies and sent her yellow car about the poorer parts of new york that kingston might bestow for her deserving aid in places where she herself could not go--mrs. lee worked quietly, going herself into the homes of the sick and needy and carrying with her, besides warm clothing and food, the comfort and cheer that she gave to her own dear ones. no one could know just how much she did, because she rarely spoke of it.
"these people live in a tenement down near the river. the father was crippled in an explosion several years ago and the mother has to work to support her family. there are seven children--the oldest is fifteen. what do you think they do at christmas--and they love christmas just the way you do! they take turns having presents! and one of them has been very, very ill this fall, so tim, whose turn it really is this year, is going to give up his christmas for mary. isn't that fine in tim? think of waiting for your turn out of seven and then giving it up."
peggy threw down her work. "oh, mother, can't we make up a jolly basket for them all like we did for the finnegans two years ago? and put in something extra for tim because he's so--so fine?"
"that's just what i wanted you to say," and mrs. lee smiled at her little girl. "make out a list of what you want to put in the basket and then when you get your christmas money you can go shopping."
"oh, what fun it will be to take the basket there! how old are the children, mother?"
peggy brought pencils and paper. the work was laid aside and the children commenced to make the list of things for the basket. alice and billy were consulted and agreed eagerly to their plans, billy deciding that he would take the money he had been saving for a new tool set and with it buy a moving-picture machine for tim.
keineth had dreaded christmas coming without her daddy. but there was so much to do and think about that she had no time to be unhappy. there was much shopping to do and the stores were so exciting. mrs. lee had given her the same amount of spending money that peggy had received and she and peggy went together to purchase the things for the basket, besides other mysterious packages to be hidden away until christmas morning. then one evening there was a family council to decide just what they would do on christmas.
"we always do this," whispered peggy to keineth as they sat close together, "and then we always do just what alice wants us to do, 'cause she's the baby."
and alice begged them all to hang up their stockings and to have a tree, if it was just a teeny, weeny one!
"we'll do it," mr. lee agreed, as if there had been a moment's doubt of it.
"i suppose we'll go on hanging up our stockings after we're doddering old grandparents," mrs. lee had laughed, though there was a suspicion of tears in her eyes.
"mother and daddy just spend all their time making everything jolly for us children," peggy said afterwards. the children were sitting around the table, their school-books before them. "i just wish we could do something that'd be an awful nice surprise for them." she stared thoughtfully at the blank paper before her on which a map ought to be.
"let's do something on christmas that they won't know about," suggested alice.
"what?" put in billy.
"janet clark's cousins have charades christmas night."
"oh, charades are stupid!" billy hated guessing.
peggy's pencil was going around in tiny circles. she was thinking very hard. suddenly she sprang to her feet.
"i know! ken, let's write a play!"
"a play!" cried the others.
"yes. i've got it all in my head, now. barb will help us when she comes home. you know mother is going to invite aunt cora and uncle tom jenkins and the pennys over for dinner christmas night; we'll surprise them with the play. marian and ted and the penny girls can be in it! oh, i've always wanted to act! won't it be fun!"
peggy's enthusiasm won instant support from the others. because peggy and keineth had recently attended a matinee performance of "the midsummer night's dream," sitting in a box and wearing the new pink dresses, billy and alice conceded that they knew more about plays and must manage this. there were hours and hours then spent behind locked doors and mrs. lee could hear shrieks of laughter with peggy's voice rising sternly above it. now and then she caught glimpses of flying figures draped in pink and white, but because it was christmas-time and the air full of mystery, she pretended to hear and see nothing.
barbara returned four days before christmas, very much of a young lady. though her manner toward the younger children was at first a little patronizing, after a few hours at home it quickly gave way to the old-time comradeship. as soon as she could peggy dragged her to her room and read to her the lines of the play which she and keineth had scribbled on countless sheets of paper. barbara promised to help. to guard the secret the last rehearsals were held at marian jenkins', under barbara's coaching; and billy and ted jenkins printed the programs on ted's printing press. "oh, it's going to be the best part of christmas," keineth cried delightedly.
but it was not quite the best, for on christmas morning, after the children had returned from taking their basket to tim and his family, keineth found a cablegram from her daddy, wishing her a merry, merry christmas!
somehow, after that, it seemed as if her joy was complete!
the gifts that the lee children had found in their stockings had been very simple; beside them the elaborate presents that had come in a box from aunt josephine seemed vulgar and showy, although barbara had cried out in delight at her bracelet. to keineth and peggy she had sent tiny wrist watches, circled with turquoise.
"much too lovely for children like you," had been mrs. lee's comment.
while mrs. lee was helping nora prepare the dinner the children put the finishing touches to their costumes and with much whispering arranged the stage for the play. the little tree around which the play must be acted had been put at one end of the long living-room; the door close to it on the right, leading into the hall, would serve as a stage entrance. the only property needed was a rock, and by covering it with a strip of gray awning, the piano stool would look very real.
at six o'clock aunt cora and uncle tom, marian and ted arrived; a little later all the pennys. eighteen sat down at the table that creaked with the good things mrs. lee and nora had prepared. everyone talked at once. keineth, looking down the length of the room, decked with the holly the children had fastened over doors and windows, thought that nowhere could christmas be merrier than right there at the lees! and what helped make the merriment was the comforting thought that tim and his family were eating a christmas dinner, too!
at eight o'clock peggy stole quietly to her mother.
"may we children go up to the playroom, mummy? it'd be more fun there," she whispered. mrs. lee nodded.
the playroom was really a part of the attic, partitioned off and lighted. here the children donned the cheesecloth costumes they had made. there was a great deal of laughter; peggy was giving orders to everyone at once! barbara sat on a trunk pinning wings to fairies' shoulders. and at the last moment marian brought out some real make-up stuff she had borrowed!
then billy, in a clown's robe made out of an old pair of night-drawers and a great deal of paper, went downstairs to give out the programs.
"oh, do i look like a real actress?" whispered peggy to keineth, wildly pulling at her tinsel crown.
"just beautiful!" keineth whispered back. "but oh, i'm so scared! i know i won't remember a single line!"
