“I'm goin' first,” announced Joel, squeezing up past Polly. “No, you mustn't, Joe,” said Polly decidedly; “Phronsie and David are the youngest.”
“They're always the youngest,” said Joel, falling back with Polly to the rear.
“Forward! MARCH!” sang Polly. “Follow mamsie!”
Down the stairs they went with military step, and into the Provision Room. And then, with one wild look, the little battalion broke ranks, and tumbling one over the other in decidedly unmilitary style, presented a very queer appearance!
And Captain Polly was the queerest of all; for she just gave one gaze at the tree, and then sat right down on the floor, and said, “Oh! OH!”
Mrs. Pepper was flying around delightedly, and saying, “Please to come right in,” and “How do you do?”
And before anybody knew it, there were the laughing faces of Mrs. Henderson and the Parson himself, Doctor Fisher and old Grandma Bascom; while the two Henderson boys, unwilling to be defrauded of any of the fun, were squeezing themselves in between everybody else, and coming up to Polly every third minute, and saying, “There—aren't you surprised?”
“It's Fairyland!” cried little Davie, out of his wits with joy; “Oh! aren't we in Fairyland, ma?”
The whole room was in one buzz of chatter and fun; and everybody beamed on everybody else; and nobody knew what they said, till Mrs. Pepper called, “Hush! Santa Claus is coming!”
A rattle at the little old window made everybody look there, just as a great snow-white head popped up over the sill.