he d pull me along in my Latin, but I've been lazy andhaven't done a thing. Let's go at it and start fair for New Year,"proposed Jack, who did not love study as the bright girl did, butwas ashamed to fall behind her in anything.
"All right. They ve been reviewing, so we can keep up when theybegin, if we work next week, while the rest have a holiday. Oh,dear, I do miss school dreadfully"; and Jill sighed for the old desk,every blot and notch of which was dear to her.
"There come our things, and pretty nice they look, too," said Jack;and his mother began to dress the tree, hanging up the gay horns,the gilded nuts, red and yellow apples and oranges, and festooninglong strings of pop-corn and scarlet cranberries from bough tobough, with the glittering necklaces hung where the light wouldshow their colors best.
"I never saw such a splendid tree before. I'm glad we could help,though we were ill. Is it all done now?" asked Jill, when the lastparcel was tied on and everybody stood back to admire the prettysight.
"One thing more. Hand me that box, Frank, and be very carefulthat you fasten this up firmly, Ralph," answered Mrs. Minot, as shetook from its wrappings the waxen figure of a little child. The rosylimbs were very life-like, so was the smiling face under the locksof shining hair. Both plump arms were outspread as if to scatterblessings over all, and downy wings seemed to flutter from thedimpled shoulders, making an angel of the baby.
