Chapter II

by Kate Douglas Wiggin

　　II"It's never 'good' of me to come to talk with you, Letty!" And theminister's wife sank into a comfortable seat and took off herrigolette. "Enough virtue has gone out of me to-day to Christianize anentire heathen nation! Oh! how I wish Luther would go and preach to atribe of cannibals somewhere, and make me superintendent of theSabbath-School! How I should like to deal, just for a change, withsome simple problem like the undesirability and indigestibilityinvolved in devouring your next-door neighbor! Now I pass my life insaying, 'Love your neighbor as yourself'; which is far more difficultthan to say, 'Don't eat your neighbor, it's such a disgustinghabit,—and wrong besides,'—though I dare say they do it half thetime because the market is bad. The first thing I'd do would be to getmy cannibals to raise sheep. If they ate more mutton, they wouldn'teat so many missionaries."

　　Letty laughed. "You're so funny, Reba dear, and I was so sad beforeyou came in. Don't let the minister take you to the cannibals untilafter I die!"

　　"No danger!—Letty, do you remember I told you I'd been trying my handon some verses for a Christmas card?"

　　"Yes; have you sent them anywhere?"

　　"Not yet. I couldn't think of the right decoration and color schemeand was afraid to trust it all to the publishers. Now I've found justwhat I need for one of them, and you gave it to me, Letty!"

　　"I?"

　　"Yes, you; to-night, as I came down the road. The house looked soquaint, backed by the dark cedars, and the moon and the snow madeeverything dazzling. I could see the firelight through the openwindow, the Hessian soldier andirons, your mother's portrait, thechildren asleep in the next room, and you, wrapped in your capewaiting or watching for something or somebody."

　　"I wasn't watching or waiting! I was dreaming," said Letty hurriedly.

　　"You looked as if you were watching, anyway, and I thought if I werepainting the picture I would call it 'Expectancy,' or 'The Vigil,' or'Sentry Duty.' However, when I make you into a card, Letty, nobodywill know what the figure at the window means, till they read myverses."

　　"I'll give you the house, the room, the andirons, and even mother'sportrait, but you don't mean that you want to put me on the card?"And Letty turned like a startled deer as she rose and brushed a sparkfrom the hearth-rug.

　　"No, not the whole of you, of course, though I'm not clever enough toget a likeness even if I wished. I merely want to make a color sketchof your red-brown cape, your hair that matches it, your ear, an inchof cheek, and the eyelashes of one eye, if you please, ma'am."

　　"That doesn't sound quite so terrifying." And Letty looked moremanageable.

　　"Nobody'll ever know that a real person sat at a real window and thatI saw her there; but when I send the card with a finished picture, andmy verses beautifully lettered on it, the printing people will be morelikely to accept it."

　　"And if they do, shall I have a dozen to give to my Bible-class?"asked Letty in a wheedling voice.

　　"You shall have more than that! I'm willing to divide my magnificentprofits with you. You will have furnished the picture and I theverses. It's wonderful, Letty,—it's providential! You just are aChristmas card to-night! It seems so strange that you even put thelighted candle in the window when you never heard my verse. The candlecaught my eye first, and I remembered the Christmas customs we studiedfor the church festival,—the light to guide the Christ Child as hewalks through the dark streets on the Eve of Mary."

　　"Yes, I thought of that," said Letty, flushing a little. "I put thecandle there first so that the house shouldn't be all dark when thePophams went by to choir-meeting, and just then I—I remembered, andwas glad I did it!"

　　"These are my verses, Letty." And Reba's voice was soft as she turnedher face away and looked at the flames mounting upward in thechimney:—

　　My door is on the latch to-night,

　　The hearth fire is aglow.

　　I seem to hear swift passing feet,—

　　The Christ Child in the snow.

　　My heart is open wide to-night

　　For stranger, kith or kin.

　　I would not bar a single door

　　Where Love might enter in!