Page:The New-Year's Bargain (1884).djvu/241

 tal tree bear so fine a present before? They embraced Fritz over and over again, Thekla promising between her kisses to be such a housewife,—so orderly, so busy! Sauer-kraut he should never be without, nor cabbage soup, nor any thing else that was nice. And just then something droll happened which Fritz did not see, but the children did. The door opened gently a little way, and through the crack appeared the head of December, nodding and winking above the fallen fir-bough, and beaming with smiles. He pointed to Fritz's back and then to the tree, with an "I told you so" air, noiselessly clapped his hands, and withdrew, just as Fritz shivered, and said, "Bless me, the wind has blown the door open!"

One week later a large ship weighed anchor in a port, and upon her deck stood our two children and their new brother. There was no one to see them go. All their few farewells had been spoken in the distant village and beside Grandfather's grave. But as the heavy cables swung and heaved, and the vessel, released from