The girls took turns carrying the sled and the packages. They were surprised how quickly their fingers became numb through their mittens and gloves.
“Slap your hands together,” Miss Gordon advised. “That will keep them warm.”
Snow fell steadily in large flakes, dusting the girls from head to foot. Their eyelashes caked over.
By the time they reached the Stone cabin, Miss Gordon and her Brownies looked like a troop of walking snowmen.
As the girls rapped on the door, Mrs. Stone, who had seen them trailing through the yard, quickly opened it. A tall, thin woman, she wore a faded blue gingham dress.
Now the arrival of so many persons at one time astonished her, but she was too polite to show it. She was under the impression that the Brownies were on their way to the Gordon farm and had stopped to warm themselves.
“Come in! Come in!” she invited cordially. “You must be half frozen.”
The girls were grateful for the warmth of the stove. However, as they glanced around, they saw that the kitchen was almost bare of furniture.
“We’ve brought the children something for Christmas,” said Miss Gordon, brushing snow from her cap. “It was entirely the Brownies’ idea.”
“Here’s a new sled,” said Connie, depositing it by the tree.