“Come on back to bed and see what’s in them,” proposed Tess.
“No!” gasped Dot. “I can’t wait—I really can’t, Tess. I just feel as though I should faint.”
She dropped right down on the floor, holding her own stocking clasped close to her breast. There her gaze fell upon a shiny, smart-looking go-cart, just big enough for her Alice-doll, that had been standing on the hearth underneath the place where her stocking had hung.
“Oh! oh! OH!” shrieked Dot. “I know I shall faint.”
Tess was finding her own treasures; but Tess could never enjoy anything selfishly. She must share her joy with somebody.
“Oh, Dot! Let’s show the others what we’ve got. And Ruthie and Aggie ought to be down, too,” she urged.
“Let’s take our stockings upstairs and show ’em,” Dot agreed.
She piled her toys, helter skelter, into the doll wagon. “My Alice-doll must see this carriage,” she murmured, and started for the door. Tess followed with her things gathered into the lap of her robe. Tom Jonah paced solemnly after them, and so the procession mounted the front stairs—Dot having some difficulty with the carriage.
Ruth heard them coming and called out “Merry Christmas!” to them; but Agnes was hard to awaken, for she had been up late. The chattering and laughter finally aroused the beauty, and she sat up in bed, yawning to the full capacity of her “red, red cavern with its fringe of white pearls all around.”
“Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” they all shouted at her.