My little friends and I had a merry, happy time cutting out garments and making them up.
"The next Christmas and New Year's Day were spent in our sweet new home at the Oaks, which my papa had bought and furnished in the mean time.
"My Christmas gifts were beautiful; from papa books and a pearl necklace and bracelets--now the property of my daughter Rosie"-- smiling down at Rosie as she spoke--"and a ring to match from him who was afterward my beloved husband; also books from his mother and my Aunt Adelaide.

They were our guests at dinner that day.
"Between breakfast and dinner I had the pleasure of distributing gifts among the house servants and the negroes at the quarter; then a ride with papa; and the evening, till my early bedtime, was spent sitting on his knee." "But you are going to tell us about that New Year's, too, mamma, aren't you ?" asked Walter, as she paused in her narrative, sitting quietly with a pensive, far off look in her soft brown eyes.
"Yes," she said, rousing from her reverie, "I remember it was on the day after Christmas that papa asked me if I was going to make a New Year's present to each of my little friends.
"Of course I was delighted with the idea, especially as he allowed me great latitude in regard to the amount to be spent." "And did he take you to the stores and let yon choose the presents, Grandma Elsie ?" asked Lulu.

"That would be half the fun, I think." "My dear, indulgent father would have done so, had I been able to bear the fatigue," Grandma Elsie replied, "but at that time I was quite feeble from a severe illness.

He did not think me strong enough to visit the stores, but ordered goods sent out to the Oaks for me to select from, which gave me nearly as much enjoyment us I could have found in going to the city in search of them." "Did you find gifts to suit, mamma ?" queried Walter.

"And oh won't you tell us how many and what they were ?" "Beside the Roselands little people," replied his mother, "there were Lucy and Herbert Carrington, Carrie Howard, Isabel Carleton, Mary Leslie, and Flora Arnott to be remembered.
"For the last named, who was also the youngest, I selected a beautiful wax doll and a complete wardrobe of ready made clothes for it, all neatly packed in a tiny trunk.
"To Mary Leslie I gave a ring, and to each of the other girls a handsome bracelet; to Herbert, who was a great reader, a set of handsomely bound books.
"All these little friends of mine were spending the Christmas holidays at Pinegrove--the home of the Howards.
"Papa and I had been invited too, but had declined because of my feeble state.