"I just can't wait till morning," said Bess, as she put up her own.
"It is nice to know it is coming, I think," and Louise twirled around on her toes and dropped her stocking into the grate.
"What will Santa Claus put your things in now?" laughed Carl.
"It is only scorched," she said, snatching it from the fire, which was fortunately low.
After some laughing and whispering over a plan for waking before any one else, they separated and were soon so soundly asleep that even Christmas was forgotten.
It was beginning to be light next morning when Louise opened her eyes to find Carl standing beside her.
"How hard you are to wake," he said. "It is daylight, and everybody will be up directly."
They aroused Bess, and the three ran first to their father's door, then to Aunt Zélie's, giving half a dozen hearty raps, and calling "Merry Christmas" at the tops of their voices.
When Mrs. Howard opened her door she saw three airily attired figures flying up the third-story stairs.
Hurrying into her dressing-gown, she followed. She found them in the star chamber with the window wide open, shouting themselves hoarse at Ikey, who had been awakened by the telephone bell.