Abbott, Jane - Keineth

by Keineth(Lit)

  again and again. His face had suddenly lost its tired look!

  "Why, we've found a little gem!" Peggy heard him mutter. Then to

  Keineth: "What did you say your name was?" Keineth repeated it and the

  manager wrote it down with Mr. Lee's address. He took the sheets of

  music, rolled them, and put them in a drawer and locked it.

  "We will consider it and let you know in a few weeks," he said. Then he

  shook hands with Keineth and Peggy. "And if you write anything more,

  please bring it to us."

  "Oh, Peg, wouldn't it be grand if I could sell lots?" cried Keineth

  later, in an ecstasy of ambition.

  "If I wasn't on the street I'd whoop," and Peggy squeezed her friend's

  arm. "Why, Ken--maybe you'll be a master!"

  "And remember, don't tell a soul, Peg! Honor bright, cross your heart!"

  "Honor bright, cross my heart!" Peggy promised.

  CHAPTER XVIII

  CHRISTMAS

  "Christmas isn't half as much fun after you don't believe in Santa

  Claus." Peggy heaved a mighty sigh as she worked her needle in and out

  of the handkerchief she was hemstitching. "How old were you, Keineth,

  when you found there wasn't a Santa Claus?"

  Keineth did not answer for a moment. Her shining eyes had a far-away

  look. She did not know what to say to make Peggy understand that, as

  far back as she could remember, the beloved Santa and the Christmas

  Spirit and her Daddy had always seemed to be one and the same person.

  Always on Christmas morning her father had come to her bed, helped her

  hurry on her slippers and robe and had carried her on his back down the

  long stairway to the shadowy library where, on a table close to the

  fireplace, a-twinkle with tiny candles and bright with tinsel, they

  would find the tree he had trimmed. She could not bear to speak of it

  Instead she told Peggy of the way she and her father always spent

  Christmas Eve; how he would take her to a funny little restaurant where

  they would eat roast pig and little Christmas cakes and then go to the

  stores and wander along looking into the gaily-trimmed windows.

  "You see there are ever and ever so many children near our home that

  never have any Christmas, and we used to wait for some to come and look

  into the window. Then Daddy'd invite them to go inside and pick out a

  toy. They'd be frightened at first, as if they couldn't believe it, but

  after they'd see Daddy smile they'd look so happy and talk so fast.

  Daddy always told them to pick out what they'd always wanted and never

  had, and the boys most always took engines and the girls wanted

  dolls--dolls with eyes that'd shut and open. Daddy and I used to think

  that was more fun than getting presents ourselves."

  Mrs. Lee had listened with much interest. Her face, as she bent it over

  her needle-work, was serious.

  "If I told you girlies of a family I ran across the other day, would

  you like to help make their Christmas a little merrier?" They begged

  her to tell them.

  Though Mrs. Lee never lacked time for the many demands of her family

  and friends, she was a woman who went about among the poor a great

  deal. Not like Aunt Josephine, who was the president of several

  charitable societies and sent her yellow car about the poorer parts of

  New York that Kingston might bestow for her deserving aid in places

  where she herself could not go--Mrs. Lee worked quietly, going herself

  into the homes of the sick and needy and carrying with her, besides

  warm clothing and food, the comfort and cheer that she gave to her own

  dear ones. No one could know just how much she did, because she rarely

  spoke of it.

  "These people live in a tenement down near the river. The father was

  crippled in an explosion several years ago and the mother has to work

  to support her family. There are seven children--the oldest is fifteen.

  What do you think they do at Christmas--and they love Christmas just

  the way you do! They take turns having presents! And one of them has

  been very, very ill this fall, so Tim, whose turn it really is this

  year, is going to give up his Christmas for Mary. Isn't that fine in

  Tim? Think of waiting for your turn out of seven and then giving it

  up."

  Peggy threw down her work. "Oh, Mother, can't we make up a jolly basket

  for them all like we did for the Finnegans two years ago? And put in

  something extra for Tim because he's so--so fine?"

  "That's just what I wanted you to say," and Mrs. Lee smiled at her

  little girl. "Make out a list of what you want to put in the basket and

  then when you get your Christmas money you can go shopping."

  "Oh, what fun it will be to take the basket there! How old are the

  children, Mother?"

  Peggy brought pencils and paper. The work was laid aside and the

  children commenced to make the list of things for the basket. Alice and

  Billy were consulted and agreed eagerly to their plans, Billy deciding

  that he would take the money he had been saving for a new tool set and

  with it buy a moving-picture machine for Tim.

  Keineth had dreaded Christmas coming without her daddy. But there was

  so much to do and think about that she had no time to be unhappy. There

  was much shopping to do and the stores were so exciting. Mrs. Lee had

  given her the same amount of spending money that Peggy had received and

  she and Peggy went together to purchase the things for the basket,

  besides other mysterious packages to be hidden away until Christmas

  morning. Then one evening there was a family council to decide just

  what they would do on Christmas.

  "We always do this," whispered Peggy to Keineth as they sat close

  together, "and then we always do just what Alice wants us to do, 'cause

  she's the baby."

  And Alice begged them all to hang up their stockings and to have a

  tree, if it was just a teeny, weeny one!

  "We'll do it," Mr. Lee agreed, as if there had been a moment's doubt of

  it.

  "I suppose we'll go on hanging up our stockings after we're doddering

  old grandparents," Mrs. Lee had laughed, though there was a suspicion

  of tears in her eyes.

  "Mother and Daddy just spend all their time making everything jolly for

  us children," Peggy said afterwards. The children were sitting around

  the table, their school-books before them. "I just wish we could do

  something that'd be an awful nice surprise for them." She stared

  thoughtfully at the blank paper before her on which a map ought to be.

  "Let's do something on Christmas that they won't know about," suggested

  Alice.

  "What?" put in Billy.

  "Janet Clark's cousins have charades Christmas night."

  "Oh, charades are stupid!" Billy hated guessing.

  Peggy's pencil was going around in tiny circles. She was thinking very

  hard. Suddenly she sprang to her feet.

  "I know! Ken, let's write a play!"

  "A play!" cried the others.

  "Yes. I've got it all in my head, now. Barb will help us when she comes

  home. You know Mother is going to invite Aunt Cora and Uncle Tom

  Jenkins and the Pennys over for dinner Christmas night; we'll surprise

 
them with the play. Marian and Ted and the Penny girls can be in it!

  Oh, I've always wanted to act! Won't it be _fun!"_

  Peggy's enthusiasm won instant support from the others. Because Peggy

  and Keineth had recently attended a matinee performance of "The

  Midsummer Night's Dream," sitting in a box and wearing the new pink

  dresses, Billy and Alice conceded that they knew more about plays and

  must manage this. There were hours and hours then spent behind locked

  doors and Mrs. Lee could hear shrieks of laughter with Peggy's voice

  rising sternly above it. Now and then she caught glimpses of flying

  figures draped in pink and white, but because it was Christmas-time and

  the air full of mystery, she pretended to hear and see nothing.

  Barbara returned four days before Christmas, very much of a young lady.

  Though her manner toward the younger children was at first a little

  patronizing, after a few hours at home it quickly gave way to the

  old-time comradeship. As soon as she could Peggy dragged her to her

  room and read to her the lines of the play which she and Keineth had

  scribbled on countless sheets of paper. Barbara promised to help. To

  guard the secret the last rehearsals were held at Marian Jenkins',

  under Barbara's coaching; and Billy and Ted Jenkins printed the

  programs on Ted's printing press. "Oh, it's going to be the best part

  of Christmas," Keineth cried delightedly.

  But it was not quite the best, for on Christmas morning, after the

  children had returned from taking their basket to Tim and his family,

  Keineth found a cablegram from her Daddy, wishing her a merry, merry

  Christmas!

  Somehow, after that, it seemed as if her joy was complete!

  The gifts that the Lee children had found in their stockings had been

  very simple; beside them the elaborate presents that had come in a box

  from Aunt Josephine seemed vulgar and showy, although Barbara had cried

  out in delight at her bracelet. To Keineth and Peggy she had sent tiny

  wrist watches, circled with turquoise.

  "Much too lovely for children like you," had been Mrs. Lee's comment.

  While Mrs. Lee was helping Nora prepare the dinner the children put the

  finishing touches to their costumes and with much whispering arranged

  the stage for the play. The little tree around which the play must be

  acted had been put at one end of the long living-room; the door close

  to it on the right, leading into the hall, would serve as a stage

  entrance. The only property needed was a rock, and by covering it with

  a strip of gray awning, the piano stool would look very real.

  At six o'clock Aunt Cora and Uncle Tom, Marian and Ted arrived; a

  little later all the Pennys. Eighteen sat down at the table that

  creaked with the good things Mrs. Lee and Nora had prepared. Everyone

  talked at once. Keineth, looking down the length of the room, decked

  with the holly the children had fastened over doors and windows,

  thought that nowhere could Christmas be merrier than right there at the

  Lees! And what helped make the merriment was the comforting thought

  that Tim and his family were eating a Christmas dinner, too!

  At eight o'clock Peggy stole quietly to her mother.

  "May we children go up to the playroom, Mummy? It'd be more fun there,"

  she whispered. Mrs. Lee nodded.

  The playroom was really a part of the attic, partitioned off and

  lighted. Here the children donned the cheesecloth costumes they had

  made. There was a great deal of laughter; Peggy was giving orders to

  everyone at once! Barbara sat on a trunk pinning wings to fairies'

  shoulders. And at the last moment Marian brought out some real make-up

  stuff she had borrowed!

  Then Billy, in a clown's robe made out of an old pair of night-drawers

  and a great deal of paper, went downstairs to give out the programs.

  "Oh, do I look like a real actress?" whispered Peggy to Keineth, wildly

  pulling at her tinsel crown.

  "Just beautiful!" Keineth whispered back. "But oh, I'm so scared! I

  know I won't remember a _single_ line!"

  CHAPTER XIX

  WHEN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WORKED OVERTIME

  Peals of laughter greeted Billy's appearance in the living-room. Then

  everyone read the programs he gave them.

  "The rascals!" cried Mr. Lee, genuinely surprised.

  "Look at this," whispered Mrs. Lee, pointing to the program.

  For at its top was printed in large letters:

  WHEN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT WORKED OVERTIME

  BY

  PEGGY LEE AND KEINETH RANDOLPH

  And the rest of the program read:

  The Time of the Play:

  Christmas night after the children are supposed to have gone to bed, a

  little ill from their Christmas candies, and when the grownfolks have

  gathered together to talk over the day and declare that it's the best

  Christmas the children have ever had.

  The Place:

  The living-room at home. And if possible the room should be darkened,

  except for the lights on the tree, but if this is not convenient it

  doesn't matter in the least, for the Christmas Spirit is not afraid to

  walk into the most brightly-lighted room!

  The Persons who are in the Play:

  The Christmas Spirit Peggy Lee

  The Christmas Fairies:

  Happyheart Keineth Randolph

  Peace Marian Jenkins

  Goodwill Sally Penny

  Merrylips Fanny Penny

  Joy Anne Penny

  Spirit of Childhood Alice Lee

  Jesters {William Lee, Jr.

  {Edward Jenkins

  "I recognize Barbara's hand assisting," laughed Mr. Lee, as he read

  through the program.

  "Sh--h!" The chatter suddenly ceased. Barbara pressed a button that

  shut off all the lights excepting the twinkling bulbs on the tree. In

  another room the children sang "Silent Night." As the last sweet note

  died away, Peggy, in gauzy white with tinsel crown and wings, came

  slowly into the room. She sank down upon the rock. The play had begun.

  _Spirit_ (yawns): Goodness me, how tired I am! (Yawns again.) It seems

  as if there are more children every Christmas. I think after to-night

  I'll go to bed for a whole year! (Lifts her head suddenly and looks at

  the tree.) Why, there are no presents on the tree! It must be a party

  of grownfolks! (Sighs.) I do feel so sorry for grownfolks! They always

  have to pretend they're having a Christmas. (Springs to her feet.)

  Perhaps they're here now. (Looks intently at audience.) Yes--they are!

  I can always tell when grownfolks are around, because I have to work so

  much harder with them. I must call my fairies. (Spirit steps toward

  door, puts her hand cup-shape to her mouth.)

  Come, oh Christmas fairies all,

  Answer to the Spirit's call!

  (As she calls the fairies Happyheart, Merrylips, Goodwill, and Peace

  dance into the room, curtsey low to the Spirit and group themselves

  about her.)

  _Spirit_(holds out welcoming hands): Ah, fairies, what a wonderful day

  this has been! Did you fill the stockings, Happyheart?

  _Happyheart:_ I've filled a million stockings!

  _Spirit:_ Splendid! And you, Merrylips?

  _Merrylips
_: I've trimmed a million trees--small ones and big ones!

  _Spirit:_ Didn't you love it? They smell so good! How went the day with

  you, Goodwill?

  _Goodwill:_ Oh, I've carried baskets of food until I am sure there was

  not a hungry person in the whole wide world! _Spirit:_ Tell us, Peace,

  of your work to-day!

  _Peace:_ I have gone about since early morning putting songs in

  people's hearts!

  _Spirit:_ You worked well! I have heard the music all day long!

  _Merrylips_ (yawns): We're terribly tired!

  _Spirit_ (sternly): Hush! Fairies must never be tired when there is

  work to do! See, I have found a tree! It has these pretty lights but

  there are no presents!

  _Happyheart:_ Who's tree can it be?

  _Spirit_: It is a tree for some grownfolks! You see the children all

  over the land must have been put to bed a long time ago.

  _Peace_ (nods her head): Grownfolks generally do stay up late Christmas

  night!

  _Happyheart:_ They get very sad wishing they were children again!

  _Merrylips:_ Christmas is very hard on them, poor things!

  _Spirit:_ The men talk about spending so much money and the women sit

  up late nights stitching and stitching and complaining that they will

  not give anything but cards another Christmas.