120 GWENDOLINE.

of money wrapped in many papers: then nuts; next Christmas
candies, dogs, and monkeys, and roosters, all clear red or
yellow; then there was a gingerbread boy in each of the boys’
stockings, and a gingerbread girl in each of the girls’; next
came an orange, figs, and raisins; a candy cane was the last
thing, while scattered through the spaces were little gifts, each
marked with the name of him or her in whose stocking it was.

Gwendoline decided quite soon which was hers, though she
was somewhat divided between her desire for the things which
suited her babyhood and those for Theo, which were nearly as
attractive to her. She sucked vigorously at the end of her
candy cane, sitting in the fire-light in the most contended
manner, like a little kitten. As she sat there her eyes wan-
dered to the other side of the room. What did she see in the
dim, shadowy corner? The most beautiful doll. That was too
much for Gwendoline; down went the stocking, and she ran
over to where the beauty was sitting. Taking it in her sticky
fingers, unheeding the fact that there were other toys and gifts
upon the table and behind the curtain, she bore the doll back
to her place before the fire. “It is mine,” she said. “Of
course it is mine. Didn’t I ask Santa Claus to send me a
doll?” And she gazed at it with fond eyes, examining all the
details of the dolly’s costume.

Presently she heard a little noise, which somewhat scared
her: it was only the mice scampering about in the walls; but
she hastily filled the stockings again, getting the contents sadly