"Pie! I want pie!" asserted Nell, who although too young to understand what was going on, nevertheless grasped the notion that food was the prevailing topic and plunged into the subject with enthusiasm. "Bless your heart, dearie, you shall have pie!" laughed her mother. "I'll make a couple of apple pies and they shall be your present." "There ought to be candy. Please let me send candy! May I?" begged Martin for whom the world held only two articles really worth while--candy and ice cream. There was general merriment at this suggestion. "Precious little candy would ever get to anybody else if you had the giving of it, Martie," teased Mary. "Yes, Martin shall give the candy," Mrs. McGregor consented. "We'll paste his mouth up before he goes to buy it," Carl drawled. "Don't you s'pose I could keep from eating it if once I set out to?" scowled Martin defiantly. "No, I don't!" "Well, I could, so now!" The boy drew himself up proudly. "James Frederick ought to send something, Mother," reminded the care-taking Mary. "We don't want him left out." "Oh, we mustn't leave out the baby!" agreed Captain Dillingham. "He and I will get together and talk the matter over. There are still several things needed." "Oh, it will be splendid!" cried Mary, clapping her hands. "Do get a real big turkey, won't you, Uncle Frederick? And we'll trim it up with a necklace of cranberries the way they do in the market." "Huh! There you go again," sniffed Tim. "All girls seem to think of is necklaces and bows of ribbon." Mary smiled brightly. "What's the harm in making it pretty if you can just as well?" asked she. "I do love pretty things. Why, I believe I could eat stewed whale if it was on a pretty dish." "I couldn't; I'd hate whale," responded the stolid Timothy. "Oh, I didn't mean I'd really eat whale, silly," explained Mary. "Then what did you say you would for?" "Mary was just imagining, dear," put in Mrs. McGregor, coming to the rescue. "She is always imagining," glowered Tim. "Only the other day she was trying to make me imagine my salt fish was chicken." "I'll bet she didn't succeed," taunted Carl. "Not on your life she didn't!" was the instant answer. "I know salt fish when I see it."