CHRISTMAS FOR ALL THE PETS
“Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” was the cry which sounded from one
end of the house to the other when Christmas morning dawned, bright and
beautiful, as we always love to picture it, upon Denise’s home. Denise
was wide awake long before there was any dawn at all, and scurrying
about the house to get the others awake.
As usual, Pokey was upon the scene, for Christmas day would hardly have
seemed Christmas day without her. Ever since they were tiny children
she and Denise had passed it together. Christmas eve had been filled
with its usual merrymaking and secrets, and the constant ringing of
the door-bell and delivering of packages by the belated expressmen
had kept things wildly exciting. Among the last things delivered was a
huge box, standing fully as high as Denise’s head, and so broad that
it required the two men upon the wagon and John to carry it into the
Birds’ Nest.
“What can it be? Where did it come from? Who do you suppose sent it?”
were the questions which greeted it.
“St. Nick, of course,” said Mr. Lombard, laughing. “Who else sends
mysterious boxes and bundles at this season of the year?”
“It says New York on the cover, if that _is_ the cover,” said Pokey, as
she walked around and around it, and touched it as though that might
reveal the secret of what it contained.
“Did you have that Christmas fun out in the Birds’ Nest because you
knew that this big box was coming, papa?” asked Denise, with a twinkle
in her eyes.
“Who said that I knew it was coming, Miss Paulina Pry?”
“He didn’t take that bait worth a straw, did he?” asked Denise,
laughing, as she turned to Pokey.
“Did you think that your old daddy was to be taken in so easily? I
guess not,” and Mr. Lombard wagged a finger at her.
The entire family had gathered in the Birds’ Nest on Christmas eve, and
had decked the little house from end to end with greens. In one corner
stood the tree laden with all manner of shining trifles to catch and
reflect the light, while beneath it lay the almost endless number of
parcels which had come from all directions. During the dressing of the
tree, Ned Toodles, the dogs, and the cats, had roamed about at will,
and more than once, in the midst of the gayety, Denise had peeped
through the door leading into the little stable to look with saddened
eyes at Tan’s empty stall, for Tan would have been in the midst of the
merrymaking. When all had been arranged for the grand distribution
next day, the big box was placed in the very middle of the little
dining-room, thereby very nearly filling it up, and sending curiosity
up to fever heat. So it was no wonder that Denise and Pokey were astir
at an early hour, and leaving no stone unturned to get the other
members of the family astir, too.
The Birds’ Nest was not to be visited until after breakfast, for the
maids and John were to be present when the gifts were distributed, and
that meant more bottled up patience.
But at last even domestic affairs came to an end, and the signal to
start for the Nest was given, and pell-mell rushed the girls, with the
older members of the family not very far behind.
A brighter, prettier, more novel Christmas setting it would have been
hard to picture, for John had been early astir, and all about the
little playhouse everything was in spandy order for the reception of
its young mistress and her friends, while within, the tall Christmas
tree, and bright-green decorations, with the gleaming red berries
of the holly, and pearly white ones of the mistletoe, proclaimed it
Christmas day beyond all question. Nor was this all. There stood the
pets, Ned, Sailor, Beauty Buttons, and “Charity Jack,” as the dog
rescued in New York had been named. For Denise had begged so hard to
have him sent to Springdale, “where,” she urged, “he could have such
good care, and never again be in danger of being so misused, and where
she, herself, could train him properly,” that consent had finally been
given, and now, marvel of marvels that he knew himself at all, there he
stood with the other respectable members of dog society. A “bra’ brass
collar” was upon his neck, although, strictly speaking, it was not
brass at all, but leather, with a nickel plate with “Charity Jack” and
Denise’s name upon it, to say nothing of a small bell, for, even though
filled to repletion with the best food that dog ever had, poor Charity
Jack could never overcome his early habits, and would go straying
off from a dinner such as he could never have dreamed of, even when
imminent starvation quickened his dreams, to forage in every can and
barrel for miles around, and return home triumphant with a bone which
made his friends flee from his presence, until he had carefully buried
it for future emergencies.
The cats, too, were there, and each pet had a sprig of holly tied
upon his collar or fastened on the gay ribbon about his neck. Whether
they were fully alive to their honors was somewhat of a question, for
now and again a holly prickle would prod them a trifle, and produce a
demonstration of some sort or another, according to the animal which
wore it.
But what did Denise’s startled eyes behold? Had dear old Tan come to
life again? Surely that beautiful creature standing in the midst of
the other pets, although grown strangely tall, and so gayly decked
with holly, must be Tan. The head was held in the same attitude he
had always held it when listening for Denise’s voice, the ears were
pricked forward as he had always turned them when listening for her
footsteps, the splendid horns gleamed as they had always gleamed when
John varnished them, and, most wonderful of all, the beautiful topaz
eyes looked at her just as Tan had always looked. John had posed him
well, and the taxidermist’s art had not omitted a single detail of
those supplied by the fine photograph Mr. Lombard had shown him of Tan
as the goat had looked in life; for the pets, with Tan among them,
had been photographed again and again, in all possible, and sometimes
almost impossible, attitudes.
At Denise’s entrance the pets had greeted her in their usual manner,
Ned neighing, the dogs barking, and the cats mewing, but for once
their greetings were almost ignored, as Denise, with a cry of--“Oh,
Tanny-boy! Tanny-boy! have you really come back?” rushed toward the
great creature standing there upon his wheeled platform in such a
lifelike attitude that it was hard to realize that it was not the true
Tan once more among the mates of whom he was so fond.
Denise forgot all else as she clasped her arms about the figure beside
her, and if anything could have assuaged her grief at Tan’s loss,
this came nearest doing so. After many questions had been answered,
and the other pets had come in for their share of petting from all
present, for they had no notion of being slighted, the distribution
of the gifts took place, and fun ran riot. Last of all came the gifts
for the pets--a funny enough collection. Ned had a box of chocolate
cream drops, his favorite delicacy, with which he would have promptly
made himself ill had he been permitted to do so; Sailor a huge Bologna
sausage tied up with a scarlet ribbon, and when it was handed to him,
he took it and paraded thither and yonder with the sausage sticking out
one side of his mouth and the red bow waving at the other. Beauty’s
present was a monstrous chocolate rat, from which he bit and bolted the
head the very instant it was given to him, and was severely reproved
for his greediness. Then, realizing the error of his ways, he followed
Sailor about, the rat in his mouth, and the tail, the longest rat
ever boasted, dragging upon the floor. Charity Jack made a wild grab
for the huge bone offered him, and fled with it to some well-known
hiding-place. Hero, the cat, had a dainty piece of fried liver neatly
done up in paraffine paper, and created considerable diversion in her
efforts to remove the paper, while Leander caused no little amusement
by striving to remove the paper from his package of catnip, and at the
same time roll upon it.
And so we will leave them, these happy, well-cared-for pets, only
stopping long enough to take a peep at the birds up in Denise’s
bedroom, which were enjoying their Christmas gifts of celery and hemp
seeds, and the bunnies reveling in a feast of parsley and carrots.
Some day you will, perhaps, wish to learn more of their pranks, but
now, since the story ends at the blessed Christmas season, I must wish
you all a Merry Christmas, and let you bid farewell to this second
story of Denise and her pets.
[THE END]
* * * * *
Transcriber’s note
Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Hyphenation
has been standardized.
Spelling was retained as in the original except for the following
changes:
Page 19: “are simply inrepressible” “are simply irrepressible”
Page 29: “Denise was in depair” “Denise was in despair”
Page 142: “gure upon the couch” “figure upon the couch”
Page 174: “MIRANDA COMES FROM TOWN” “MIRANDA COMES TO TOWN”