A Christmas At The Foot Of The Rockies.

preferred the hot biscuit . And Eveline and I bestowed the jar m the parlour after breakfast , with an amused look at each other . Then the boys came in very hungry , followed by our visitors , tho Colonel , to my joy , bringing the cream , and we all did justice to onr meal . Indeed , being a holiday , we took a whole honr at it , much

against onr usual fashion ; for , although strangers m a tar country , we meant to keep onr national feast-day . The Colonel , who was of an eminently practical turn of mind , had been heard , when the question was mooted , to murmur something about their being " no money in it , " but no one took any notice of his words , and the looks he received soon awed him into silence .

Then breakfast being at last finished , the mistress of the house rose nobly to the occasion , " I guess you'll all do now till supper , " she calmly remarked . "We'll have our turkey and pudding then . There'll he a lunch of coffee and cake middle day , no more . " We , " with a wave of her hand towards myself , " arc going to keep Christmas too . "

• ' You bet , " put in the Hoss concisely . We all tried as a matter of princip le to he as American as possible . " Two meals are enough for any non-working day , especially square pies like this . " There was not a single dissenting voice , and the table being cleared , and the dishes put away , one of the hoys kindly helping to wash up ,

whilst another dried them , wo all prepared to enjoy ourselves ^ The Hoss , and the greater part of the company went off for a long smoke in the parlour . Colonel , who didn't smoke , kept the kitchen stove warm , with the assistance of . an old volume of Shakespeare , and Eveline and 'I sunk into two rocking chairs , with a Seribiwr and

Harper . Dick who was suspected of a more than usual interest m the Christinas port , volunteered to ride into the "Rock . " as our little town was called , and fetch out the mail . Everybody applauded him in his undertaking , but no one else offered to bear him company , the attraction of tho warm rooms , and a whole day with nothing to do was too much for us all .

Wo were all surprised when noon struck and it was time tor lunch . Was it possible for any morning to pass so quickly . But it had done so , and there was Dick ; the coffee laid hardly been cleared when in he came , and oh joy of joys—the mail . One needs to be far away from one ' s " ain folk " to understand

wlnt letters really mean—how each little detail is read over and over again , and then talked over—to understand fully what an interest one can take in other people ' s relations . Eveline and 1 , idtliou » -h we knew something of each other before we met in the

( ireat West , had never met our respective relations , yet we took as much interest in the different sisters and brothers of the two households as if they were our dearest friends , and we had been in the liahit of meeting half-a-dozen times in the week at the very least .

After we had devoured our letters , and read out portions to each other , I am not sure that we two women were not ready to repeat the mystic ceremony of the morning ; but Dick , whoso face beamed with delight—lie evidently had not had his ride for nothing—struck in with :

" Say , you are going to have a surprise party to-night . " Eveline and I looked at each other , and then rose instinctively to our feet .

"A party , Dick ! " I cried in dismay . " How many f " " About thirty , I should guess , " said that provoking hoy , with a grin . " Old man Up ton gave me the first hint of it at the drug store , when I fetched the mail . "

"We shall never have enough to eat , Eveline , ion know we haked two days ago . " But Eveline looked perfectly calm . " \ V « « v . \ y as well bake -, v little more , biscuit , 1 suppose , and one of

you hoys can grind coffee till further notice . "Biscuit ! Coffee ! " I exclaimed . "Arc you mad , Eveline . Thirt y people odd coming , and you talk of biscuit and coffee !" " Make your mind easy , " she laughed . " It is a surprise parly ; they will bring their own suppers with them . All wo have to do is

A Christmas At The Foot Of The Rockies.

to keep big lires , have plenty of boiling water , and put a clean tablecloth on . " " And the cups and saucers , and plates and things , " I cried . " We have not half enough . " " They must drink out of the tin dippers , then , " was the calm

reply . "As for the knives and forks , they must , as the domestics say , ' provide themselves . '" " Oh , how I wish I had two or tlu-ce of them here , " I sighed . "You will to-morrow , " said Dick , mysteriously . " Why Y " wo both exclaimed .

" Because , " said Dick , slowly , and with what seemed to us unnecessary malice , " it ' s the Rock folk who are coming . And they are going to bring things for a candy pulling . Mysic Archer , whom I met at the depot , said she guessed we had no room big enough for dancing , and 1 said 1 guessed not . "

"How nice ! " I cried . "I have often read of cand y pulling in American books , and now 1 shall see the real thing . " "You will , " was the solemn reply from one of our party . " For the next two days we shall eat candy , smell candy , and , if I am not mistaken , sleep candy ; it pervades everything—ugh !"

" Don't , Boss , " was Eveline ' s response . For that energetic little woman , with the soul of a lion and the build of a mouse , had grasped the situation , and we all knew , from the tone of her voice , she was going in for the candy pulling heart and soul . " I shall pull candy myself . "

" Certainly , my dear , if you don ' t ask mo to eat it . afterwards . " "Never mind him , " and Eveline turned to me . "It ' s lovel y fun , dear . " And in a few moments our commanding officer had told each member of the party off , to make preparations for the evening ' s festivity .

" I he babies can all go to sleep on our bed , sard Eveline , as she replenished her bedroom stove . " Do they bring the babies ? " I asked . " Why what else should they do with them p " and Eveline looked at me in astonishment .

" Only I was wondering what the Boss meant b y saying we should ' sleep candy . ' I understand now . " But Eveline had not heard me , and was busy with her

arrangements . " We'll leave the door open between your room and the parlour , if you don ' t mind , dear—then . some of them can sit in there . '

"On the bed r 1 enquired , in what was meant as a sarcastic speech , but , to my surprise , Eveline took it quite quietly . " Yes—on the bed ! and the gentlemen can take off their things

upstairs , in Dick's room , you know . " Poor Dick , and poor me , wc shall indeed ' sleep candy , ' " I sig hed ; and then the fun of the whole proceeding took hold of me , and I threw myself heart and soul into the matter .

By five o ' clock all was in readiness for our visitors—we were prepared to he taken by surprise . And Eveline and I had a quiet cup of tea over the fire , congratulating ourselves upon it all . The turkey was in the oven , the biscuit baked , the cranberry sauce

made , and the plum-pudding had been boiling for hours . In this last 1 took the greatest interest—had I not made it myself , the lirst one 1 had ever made—and I watched it in its pot with the deepest anxiety .

" Enjoy your tea now , " said Eveline , " and be persuaded by me , and don't touch any that is offered you to-night . " " Why ? " " Because the Americans drink uncoloured Japan tea . Yon may like it , but I never came across an English person who did . " " What is it like Y " I asked . Eveline made a little grimace . " That you can find out for yourself , " she said . "But see , here

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