"Father found him in the snow somewhere. Just like him. But what a rosy little dot he is!"
"Are you Santa Claus's wives?" asked Bijah, with a quiver of his lip in spite of himself.
"WITH A PLATE OF MINCE-PIE IN HIS LAP, AND BUSH, THE BIG HOUSE-DOG, SITTING BESIDE HIM."
How they did chuckle while they tried to answer that question! All they made clear to Bijah was that the place for him was in a big chair before the sitting-room fire-place, with a plate of mince-pie in his lap, and Bush, the big house-dog, sitting beside him.
"It's Santa Claus's dog," said Bijah to himself; "but his house isn't as big as the 'sylum."
Chapter II.
There were fire-places in every room on the ground-floor of Grandfather Vrooman's house, and some kind of a stove in more than half the rooms up stairs.
There were blazing fires on every hearth down stairs, and Liph got hold of Bijah after a while, and made him and Bush go around with him to help poke them up. Bijah had never seen a fire-place before, and it was a great wonder to him, but Bush sat down in front of each fire and barked at it.
It was getting dark when they reached the great front parlor, and the fire-place there was wonderful.