Grandfathers Love Pie | Page 8

the packages to fill the pie. Aunt
Bettie's contribution was unique--a beaten-biscuit gentleman, some
twelve inches tall, who was certainly most "fearfully and wonderfully"
made. The eyes, which had been so carefully put in with a fork, were a
little too close together, and the dough nose, which had been so
anxiously applied, had risen unduly in the baking, to the great
detriment of the biscuit gentleman's appearance. The mouth was all
right, however--big and smiling. His legs looked very much like he had
a bad case of locomotor ataxia, but the buttons on his coat were quite
regular and his arms hung at his sides like ramrods.
After careful inspection which occasioned considerable laughter, the
beaten-biscuit man was rolled up in tissue paper and placed in a
Christmas box "just his size." On the card was this message: "The Bible
says, 'Love your enemies'--here is an enemy for you to conquer," for it
was a well-known fact that grandfather found it hard to overcome his
dislike of the "hardtack," as he denominated the beaten biscuit prepared
for him.
[Illustration: AUNT BETTIE'S CONTRIBUTION WAS UNIQUE--A
BEATEN-BISCUIT GENTLEMAN, SOME TWELVE INCHES
TALL.]
The doctor's turkey was next inspected--a nice little brown roasted fowl
in appearance, but in reality one of the cunning little pasteboard devices
that Alsie had so often seen in the confectioners' shops. There was
plenty of stuffing too, for Dr. Emerson had filled it full of pills and
capsules. There were pink pills and blue pills and green pills and
lavender pills, and hidden among them was the prescription, with one
end sticking out of the opening. It read: "For Captain Gordon--Pills of
every color, size, and variety, warranted to cure every known pain or
ache--to be taken with your Christmas pie." The little turkey was
carefully wrapped in tissue paper and garnished with a spray of holly.
Next came the tiny basket of fresh eggs from the merry little next-door

neighbor, whose big, fine chickens had been coaxed to lay a dozen eggs
for the Christmas pie. The basket would not hold the dozen--O no! for
its greatest capacity was four; but the remaining eight were set away in
a safe corner of the pantry. The four eggs were laid in a perfect nest of
red and white tissue paper, and holly and ribbon were twined round the
edges and handle of the basket. On the card was written the following
bit of rhyme:
"Now, what can be nicer Than for folks to remember The friends that
they love With fresh eggs in December?"
"We shall have to get help, Alsie--just look at the books to be put in,
and half the presents sent by the children must be wrapped and tied up,
for you know every single thing must have a ribbon attached, by which
it is to be pulled out of the pie."
So Alsie was cautiously sent out to get her cousin Emily, the oldest
granddaughter in the family, a quiet young girl of fourteen, who was
exceedingly fond of reading.
"For goodness sake, let's get the books all in the pie before Emily gets
here, Auntee, for she will want to read a little out of each one to see
what it is like, and we'll get no help from her," exclaimed Alsie.
Aunt Alice laughed, and replied, "Well, we must get through this work
somehow, for Uncle Dick is coming out early this afternoon with the
cedar, holly, and mistletoe, and will help us decorate the library.
Speaking of cedar, let me show you what dear Aunt Cecile has sent in
her Christmas box, besides the gifts."
Taking off the top, Alice lifted out a huge bunch of beautiful galax
leaves and another of the daintiest sprays of evergreen.
"Just a suggestion of the bracing mountain air which you are to enjoy
with me as soon as you are well enough to travel," was the message
that came with it, for Aunt Cecile lived far away in a mountain climate,
and was deeply disappointed at not being able to spend this holiday
season at home, as she had intended. All sorts of curiously shaped

packages were taken out and laid aside for the various members of the
household, but the largest share was to go in the pie. Tiny Bess had
made a big shaving-ball at kindergarten, and this was sent to
grandfather with a Christmas greeting. Bobby's contribution was a
highly decorated three-layer blotter with grandfather's name and
address in red ink on the top layer. It was not a thing of beauty, being
the work of his own clumsy little hands, but he felt sure it would be
appreciated, for he had heard grandfather wish so often that
"somebody" wouldn't take away the blotters from his desk.
"I have such a cute