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For breakfast there were pancakes, and Ma made a pancake man for each one of the children Ma called each one in turn to bring her plate, and each could stand by the stove and watch, while with the spoonful of batter Ma put on the ar to watch her turn the whole little riddle When it was done, she put it s hot on the plate

Peter ate the head off his ht away But Alice and Ella and Mary and Laura ate theirs slowly in little bits, first the ar the head for the last

Today the weather was so cold that they could not play outdoors, but there were the new mittens to adether and looked at the pictures in the Bible, and the pictures of all kinds of anireen book Laura kept Charlotte in her arms the whole time

Then there was the Christmas dinner Alice and Ella and Peter and Mary and Laura did not say a word at table, for they knew that children should be seen and not heard But they did not need to ask for second helpings Ma and Aunt Eliza kept their plates full and let thes they could hold

“Christmas comes but once a year,” said Aunt Eliza

Dinner was early, because Aunt Eliza, Uncle Peter and the cousins had such a long way to go

“Best the horses can do,” Uncle Peter said, “we’ll hardly make it home before dark”

So as soon as they had eaten dinner, Uncle Peter and Pa went to put the horses to the sled, while Ma and Aunt Eliza wrapped up the cousins

They pulled heavy woolen stockings over the woolen stockings and the shoes they were already wearing They put on mittens and coats and warm hoods and shawls, and wrapped mufflers around their necks and thick woolen veils over their faces Ma slipped piping hot baked potatoes into their pockets to keep their fingers warm, and Aunt Ella’s flatirons were hot on the stove, ready to put at their feet in the sled The blankets and the quilts and the buffalo robes armed, too

So they all got into the big bobsled, cosy and warm, and Pa tucked the last robe well in around them

“Good-by! Good-by!” they called, and off they went, the horses trotting gaily and the sleigh bells ringing

In just a little while the one, and Christmas was over But what a happy Christmas it had been!

Chapter 5

Sundays

Now the winter see always in the house Especially on Sundays, the time went so slowly