"And they were working for others, not for themselves," added their mother. "That greatly increased the charm."

Her husband smiled approvingly, as he rejoined, "You have said the best word, my dear."

The children looked in the fire thoughtfully. At last, Isabel broke the silence by saying, "When we went to bed last night, Ellen and I said we did n't know what was the reason we felt so little pleasure, when so many had tried to please us."

Their father rejoined, "The trouble is, you have so many handsome things that the charm of novelty is lost. A poor child would feel as rich as Crœsus with one of the many things you think so little of."

Isabel looked up eagerly and exclaimed, "Papa, that makes me think of something. We will agree with our uncles and aunts and cousins, not to exchange Christmas gifts next year. We will do something else."

"What can we do?" asked Ellen. "I should admire to do something different.

"We'll give dolls and picture-books and tops to the children in the Orphan Asylum," replied her sister.

"That is a very good thought," said their mother.

“And, papa, you said it made folks happy to do things themselves,” remarked Ellen. "So we'll make up the dolls and dress them ourselves; and we 'll knit comforters and mittens and hoods for the poor children; and we 'll make balls for the boys; and ever so many things. Won't we, Issy?"

"Where are you going to get money enough to buy the dolls' heads, and stuff to make the hoods and comforters of?" inquired Frank.

His sisters looked puzzled. Mr. and Mrs. Rich said nothing; for they wanted the children to work out their own plan and depend on their own resources. After a little reflection, Isabel said, "We could have a Fair. Not a public fair, mamma; but a sort of a pleasant party for our uncles and aunts and cousins and particular friends. We've got ever so many things laid up in our drawers, that we might sell as well as not.”

"O, but that would never do," rejoined Ellen; "for they were given to us, and we could n't sell people their own things. But if they will agree not to give us any presents next Christmas, we can buy worsted and dolls' heads with our money, instead of buying bracelets and vases for them; and they have so many they don't want them."

"That's true," answered Isabel; "and we could do without many of the things that we are buying every week."

Their father looked highly pleased, and said, "That will be another good thing, to have a generous motive for practising economy. I will buy ten dollars' worth of whatever things you make yourselves."

"And so will I," said their mother.'

"You might lend us the twenty dollars beforehand, and take your pay in the things we make," said Frank. "I will make some cups and balls for the girls, and some bats for the boys."

His father looked at him with a significant smile, and said, "One thing you

may be sure of, my son. The poor boys will be too glad of their wooden bats to complain because they are not gold ones."

"Please, father, don't remind me of that again,” replied Frank, coloring. "And please, father," said Isabel, "not to tell me I shall have nothing given me that costs so much as what I give away; for that was a mean little speech of mine, and I am ashamed of it."

"Very well; I won't allude to it again," rejoined their father.

Ellen, who always liked to apologize for any fault of her brother or sister, remarked, "If they had n't have said it, I suppose they would have thought it; and you and mamma say you like to have us speak right out before you whatever we think."

"That is true, my child," replied her mother. "We never want you to feel restrained before us. But I noticed that you made no complaint about your handsome work-box."

"That was not because I was any better than Issy," said the sincere little girl; "for I did think that I had two work-boxes, and I did wish it had been something else. I did n't say so, because I thought what Frank and Issy said made you and papa look sober."

"We do not blame any of you for your thoughts, or for speaking them openly before us," said Mrs. Rich; "though I cannot deny that Frank's and Issy's remarks seemed to me in a wrong and mean spirit. But your indifference to the presents you receive is not your fault; and certainly it is not the fault of the kind relatives and friends who take so much pains to please you. The trouble is, both with you and your cousins, that you have too many things to care very much about anything. I am glad you are going to try the experiment of giving without receiving."

It was a pleasure to the parents to see how the planning of things and the doing of things waked up the energies of their young folks. Almost every morning Isabel and Ellen would bound into the breakfast-room, with eager faces, saying, "Good morning, papa and mamma. We've got a new idea." The phrase became a family joke.

"Bless me!" exclaimed Mr. Rich, when they came jumping in as usual one morning. "What's coming on the carpet next? Some new idea I suppose. What a privilege it is to have a family so full of ideas!"

"Why, papa," replied Ellen, "you know Issy acts charades beautifully. Frank has written one, and she 's going to act it at the Fair, and charge the visitors five cents apiece. Perhaps we shall get as much as five dollars; and that would buy a good many dolls' heads or picture-books for the orphans." Another morning, Isabel was in great ecstasy over a plan Ellen had suggested. "O papa, it is such a bright idea!" exclaimed she. "We are going to have a Tableau of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. is going to be Europe, with some pearl beads on her neck and Frank's miniature ship beside her. We are going to paint little Cousin Joe yellowish brown, and dress him up like a Chinese Mandarin, and seat him on a tea-chest. That's for Asia, you know. We are going to paint little John reddish brown, with a coronet of feathers on his head; and Frank is

Petty Poo arms, and

going to make a bow and arrow for him. That's for America. You remember that bright-looking little black girl, Kitty Jones? We're going to ask her mother to lend her to us, and we 'll dress her up for Africa. Frank says she ought to be leaning on an elephant's tusk, but I don't know where we could get one."

"What's the child thinking of!" exclaimed Mr. Rich. "Why, you might as well give me a meeting-house steeple for a cane. What could such a little creature do with an elephant's tusk, five or six feet long; taller than I am?"

"Perhaps we can find a baby elephant's tusk," replied Isabel. "We shall have to charge, ten cents apiece for the Tableau, it will be so much trouble." The weeks passed on, bringing with them a succession of new projects. Many of them were nipped in the bud by adverse circumstances; but whether they ripened or not, they occupied the young brains of the children and gave their bodies healthy exercise. They were impatient for spring to come, that they might remove to their country-house in Dorchester. There they could pick up hen's feathers, and color them pink with cochineal, and blue with indigo, for ornamenting the dolls' hats. Sometimes the cockerel dropped a gaudy feather that needed no coloring, and great was their joy over the prize. Then they wanted autumn to come, that they might find moss-acorns; for mamma had given them some pieces of her brown silk dress, and promised to show them how to make little emery-balls, that would look like real acorns when they were fastened in the mossy cups. An unthought-of value was imparted to every scrap of pretty ribbon or calico, and to broken strings of beads that had long been rolling about. Even little Alice caught the prevailing spirit, and was every day bringing a doll's sash, or some other of her little treasures, saying, "Dis is for de orfins." The children of this wealthy family had never before experienced the great pleasure of turning everything to some good use; and the novelty was very delightful to them.

When relatives and friends heard the proposal not to exchange Christmas presents, they were very much surprised, and some were half disposed to be offended. The children soon reconciled them, however, by saying, "It is not because we are ungrateful for your presents, or unwilling to send presents to you. But we have thought of a new plan, and when you come to know about it, we hope you will like it." They of course perceived that something uncommonly engrossing was going forward, but could not find out exactly what; and this little air of mystery added a new charm to the enterprise. What with lessons in English and French, and music and dancing, and all their plans for the Fair, December came round again without the children's ever having had occasion to say, "I wish I knew what to do." The large drawing-room was arranged for their accommodation on the eventful evening. At one extremity, English ivy was trained round a large hoop to form a frame-work for the Tableau. When the screen was removed, and pearlwhite Alice, and yellowish-brown Joe, and reddish-brown John, and brownblack Kitty were seen grouped behind the ivy, they really made a very pretty picture. Little Joe looked very funny in his Chinese cap, with a peacock's feather in it, a little round button atop, and a long braid of hair tied on be

hind. Alice was charming in white muslin, with some small blue flowers and strings of pearl beads hanging among her flaxen curls. John had a coronet of turkey's feathers, and a short beaver-skin skirt, fastened round the waist with a gaudy belt of many-colored wampum. Bead-embroidered moccasons covered his feet. In one hand he carried a bow and arrow, trimmed with red and yellow ribbon, and in the other a stuffed squirrel, to represent the fur trade. Kitty Jones wore a short skirt of yellow merino. Her arms and feet were bare, with the exception of strips of gilt paper on wrists and ankles. On her head was a crown of gilt paper surmounted by an ostrichfeather. Frank had fashioned a piece of wood into the resemblance of a small tusk, and painted it suitably, that she might represent the trade of Africa in gold and ivory and ostrich-feathers. The little ones behaved very properly, till Alice spied out her white poodle snuffing round the room in search of her. Then she forgot all the instructions she had received, and called out, "Poody! Poody!" That was a very improper proceeding for Europe, with a ship by her side to represent the commerce of the world. And it made Asia laugh out loud; which was an unheard of want of dignity in a Mandarin upon a state occasion. America grinned rather too broadly for a sedate Indian chief. Africa was perfectly motionless in every muscle, and looked a little bit afraid; which Frank said was very natural, consider

ing Europe was so near with her ship, and still carrying on the slave-trade; a remark which his sisters and cousins thought quite witty. After the little ones were dismissed with kisses and candy, Frank came tottering in, bent half double, with a white wig on his head, an hour-glass in one hand and a scythe in the other. He was followed by Isabel, handsomely dressed in the newest mode. Afterward Ellen and her mother appeared, dressed just as women and little girls dressed forty years ago. "O how funny they look! Did you ever see such frights?" shouted the young folks. They all agreed that it was very easy to guess the first, and the second, and the whole of the charade that had been acted. When they had taken off their disguises, friends and relatives began to compliment them. Ellen, who was always ready to praise her sister, because she really thought her something uncommon, replied, "Isabel acted her part beautifully; flirting her fan, courtesying, and swinging her crinoline; but I did n't do anything only walk round with an old bonnet on my head. I never could act charades well."

"There is one thing she can do well," said Isabel. "She preaches beautifully."

"O Isabel! How can you say so?" exclaimed Ellen, blushing scarlet. "It's nothing more than the truth," persisted Isabel. "I heard you preach a beautiful sermon at Carry Rice's party."

The company, amused at her confusion, began to say, "Ellen, you must let us hear you preach. We will give you ten cents apiece for a sermon." This offer tempted her; for she thought of the dolls and tops the money would buy. She allowed them to place her on a stool, but when she found herself there, with all of them looking at her, she felt very much heated, and said, bashfully, "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know what to preach about. When I was at Carry Rice's, some of the girls and boys got into a quarrel, and I preached to them from the text, 'Return good for evil.' But you are not quarrelling. Besides, everybody preaches about the war now, and I do want the Rebels to be beaten; so that text won't do; and I don't know what text to take."

"Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land, to all the inhabitants thereof," said her father, in a loud, clear voice.

"That's a good text," said Ellen, brightening up. "Liberty ought to be proclaimed to all, because it ought to be. They say they used to whip the slaves down in Dixie for trying to learn to read and write. That was very wrong. There's little Kitty Jones, that was Africa to-night; she's as bright as a steel button. She learns her letters a great deal faster than our Alice; and it would be a sin and a shame to whip her for it. The slaveholders would n't like to have their children whipped for learning, and they ought to do to others as they would be done by. Besides, it would be better for the white folks down there if liberty was proclaimed to all. They would n't be so violent-tempered, and go round stabbing folks with bowie-knives, if they had n't been used to beating and banging slaves about when they were boys. And if they had n't slaves to wait upon 'em, they would find out what a great pleasure it is to learn how to do things, and to help themselves. So you see,