Contrary Mary

Tower Rooms; and in Which Roger Declin

tree. It was just a fir plume, but it was gay with tinsel and spicy

ownstairs. Aunt Frances, having delayed her trip abroad until January, was coming; and ex

not a butterfly, and I shouldn't have joined you on Thanksgiving night. W

charmed them. Hence they grew, as the days went on, to know him as quiet, self-contained man, whose eyes burned now an

lle went to him for advice. He had such an attentive manner, and wh

ll, he avoided Delilah Jeliffe, although that persistent young person

she said, "and when he i

o up?" Delilah's

Mary, "Wh

ked at me as he looked at you on Thanksgiving ni

ole," she said, "and he's a gentleman. But

ught of him, but only with a little wonder-for Mary was as yet unawakened-Porter's passionate

r as Susan deposited her burden, "the mountain had to come to Mahomet. An

"You are like the spirit of

I've had this for ages, but I like it--" She broke off to say, wistfull

stletoe over the door, was

w with my little tree, I shall for

I had to hunt a lot before I found the wax angel. It needed such a little one-but I always want one on my tree. Whe

your good will, I shall feel th

d you are here. Even Barry, and Barry hated the ide

," he said. "He i

d he's spoiled. Everybody's too good to him. Mother was-and father, though father tried n

hs, had departed, and was not there to

nd you?"

Big Sister-and sometimes I'm afraid I'm more

face of a man who had listened to many confidences, and

r family have been lawyers, But Barry won't study, and he has taken a p

ered, and begge

n the Treasury Department-but there's this difference, your brother's life is before

an that-you c

y n

the man of our family-and Barry and Constanc

other night on the stairs, that the worl

have to fight for what you get. But I

laugh. "Does Barry know

etimes. And he doesn't know that it is because I care s

s. "Perhaps if you weren't s

oo good to him. And when I try to counteract it,

uition he was aware that her burden was

er hand. "Thank you so much

d and stood loo

hen you need to talk things out-

g up the stairs, and Barry whir

ts because you aren't down. You know she always has fits when things are delaye

Leila, shook his head. "I don't deserve to

y childish way; "we'd love to have you down.

outed a

you crazy about him? Tell me

ipper toes almost crowed with delight

o where she stoo

'm going to kiss you. It's my ancient and hereditary privilege-isn't it, Poole? It's

xpostulated, "b

tle hands held him off, her face was whit

ped her

his laughter gone. "You're like a li

ed her away as quickly as he had come, and Mary, f

am going to church in the morning-the six o'clock service. It's lovely wi

and lest she should think him unappreci

t?" She was plainly troubled for him. "Don't you believe in the ang

dully, "I do

as mean to you? What can it mean to anybody who do

out of all my unbelief-I believe in you-in your friendlin

ot been thrilled by such a tribute. So she blushed

the Tower Rooms were upon her. As if the loneliness and sadness of Roge

rocade, was presiding over a mountainous pile of white bo

as Mary entered, "I wonder if yo

"Is this a merry Christmas or a Contrary-Mary Christmas? You

face. He saw it and was jealously unhappy. What

d in the darkness Mary struck the first

lness, little stars shone out upon the

ains. Outside the world was wrapped in snow. The lights from the lower windows sh

a big city, and his soul was in the words. And when he knelt to pray, it seemed to him that the whole world pra

t he was making them believe. That he was bringing to them the assurance which possessed his own soul-and again there were

aded panes. He was alone in the dimness, and he stood in the pulpit and looked around at the empty pews. Then the light went out behind the windows,

General Dick's breathy tenor, Aunt Isabelle's quaver, Aunt Frances' dominant note-with Susan Jenks and

Claus, handing out the parcels

ipperies from Grace Clendenning in Paris, while Aunt Frances had

ifts of gloves and silk stockings and slipper buckles and bea

s a quaint ring set with ros

it, exclaimed at its beaut

was, but gave no f

o an old French family. My grandfather met her when he was in the dipl

rter-it mustn't bind me to a

a penny ring out of my popcorn bag? You didn't think that ring tied yo

and when he said "Good-night,"

his be the merries

o see. "Oh, Porter," she wailed, "I'm missing Constance dreadfully-it isn't Christmas-

Mary-if you'd only let

. "I didn't mean t

r a silence, "Shall you go to

es

y I

. Barry's

u won't let me go

ys goes. He used to do it to please mot

stay with you to-night, then there will be four of us, and I

alk. It's so lov

e to as

friends; and Mary, returning to join the others, pondered, a little wistfully, on the fact