Chapter X

by Kate Douglas Wiggin

　　X"Bless the card!" sighed David thankfully as he sat down to smoke agood-night pipe and propped his feet contentedly against the littleHessian soldiers. The blaze of the logs on his own familyhearth-stone, after many months of steam heaters in the hall bedroomsof cheap hotels, how it soothed his tired heart and gave it visions ofhappiness to come! The card was on his knee, where he could look fromits pictured scene to the real one of which he was again a glad andgrateful part.

　　"Bless the card!" whispered Letty Boynton to herself as she went toher moonlit bedroom. Her eyes searched the snowy landscape and foundthe parsonage, "over the hills and far away." Then her heart flew likea bird across the distance and beat its wings in gladness, for a faintlight streamed from the parson's study windows and she knew thatfather and son were together. That, in itself, was enough, with Davidsleeping under the home roof; but to-morrow was coming and to-morrowmight be hers—her very own!

　　"Bless the card!" said Reba Larrabee, the tears shining in her eyes asshe left the minister alone with his son. "Bless everybody andeverything! Above all, bless God, 'from whom all blessings flow.'"

　　"Bless the card," said Dick Larrabee when he went up the narrowparsonage stairs to the room of his boyhood and found everything as ithad been years ago. He leaned the little piece of paper magic againstthe mantel clock, threw it a kiss, and then, opening his pocket-book,he went nearer to the lamp and took out the faded tintype of abrown-haired girl in a brown cape. "Bless the card!" he said again,with a new note in his voice: "Bless the girl! And bless to-morrow ifit brings me what I want most in all the world!"