“A gift a day
keeps the blues away.”
The instructions followed. There was one package to be opened each day beginning now, Christmas, and every day thereafter until the holidays were over. The presents were labeled by days. She would find no cards as they had been bought by them all. The signatures which followed, Mimi kept and a year later they were the first page of the autograph book she prized so highly. Sue had planned the box, of course. She had rushed home breathless with the news that Mimi was quarantined. Dottie had taken charge (Mimi could picture her ordering the others around) and under Miss Jane’s supervision the gifts had been assembled. Racing down the list of names Mimi’s eyes clouded. A round tear splashed down and blurred the second name. She read, Miss Jane and Dick, Dottie, Jean, Margie, Sue, Miss Millie, and the last two surprised her most of all—Honky and Mammy Cissy. Bless their hearts! She had had none of Tiny Tim’s spirit when she awakened, but now she was so touched by the thoughtfulness of her friends that she wanted to say aloud. “God bless you everyone. Bless Mother and Daddy and Sonny,” she tagged on at the end as if it were her bedtime prayer. Dottie had rounded them up to make the days come out correctly. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight—eight days and Sue would be back knowing a thousand things Mimi was eager to find out.
How the days ever would have gone by without a daily surprise Mimi did not know. That certainly helped. She had been like old King Cole calling for his pipe and calling for his bowl. The difference was Mimi called for a “’sprise” and Nurse brought one. Now that she was better, writing letters of thanks filled much of her time. She used Tumble Inn stationery and sealed the envelopes with green wax imprinted with an old English “S.” Something else happened that helped more than that. Miss Millie paid her a “pop call”! That capped the climax.
Mimi had been sitting in a big chair all wrapped up in her bathrobe studying. Yes, studying. But alas that Source Book. Every time she settled down to outside reading something happened.
“Pahdon Mah southe’n accent but is you all studyin’?”
Head around the door one second asking, the next entering and hugging Mimi, flu and all. That was Miss Millie, next-to-Miss-Jane-the-best-counsellor-in-the-world.
Blam!
Source Book to the floor—
“Millie—Oh—Millie! Am I seeing things?”