"Yes, my child."
"Well, isn't New Year's Day the following Thursday?"
"Yes, but that's next year. New Year's Day of this year was nearly twelve months ago and was on Wednesday."
"Oh, Father, what a sell! of course I meant this winter."
"Well, you didn't say so. You said this year."
"It's a good joke," said King, thinking it over. "I'll fool the boys with it, at school."
The Maynards were a busy crowd during the short week that intervened before Christmas.
From Mr. Maynard, who was superintending plans for his own family and for many beneficiaries, down to the cook, who was making whole shelves full of marvelous dainties, everybody was hurrying and skurrying from morning till night.
The children had completed their gifts for their parents and for each other, and most of them were already tied in dainty tissue papers and holly ribbons awaiting the festal day.
Now they were making gifts for the poor family of Simpsons, and they seemed to enjoy it quite as much as when making the more costly presents for each other.