Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

and being hustled off in this high-handed manner. After they were gone, we took off all the presents, which we had arranged on the table (all wrapt of course) as usual, so as not to excite suspicion, and piled them in the front room. The we began to place the dishes on the table, taking the greatest care not to let the dishes strike each other, and so make a noise. Once Fred started to come down-stairs: but Frances became excited and cried:
“Here don’t let him come down – he musn’t come down!”
I tried to tell her to let him come down but we were all too excited to pay any attention to each other. While Fred hesitated, I told him to come down, and he did, to get a drink.
“He know about the dishes” I said to Frances.
“That’s right” she replied “I never thought. It’s a wonder we haven’t given it away before”
“Mama asked me” said Louise “but in the kitchen if we were going to have a tree for her. I hardly know what to say but I said no and asked her if she wanted one.”
“I wonder if she knows” I remarked
“No” said Jim “if she did she wouldn’t say anything about it.”
The dishes on the table, Joe + I hurried over to get the tree;