"I'm not guilty, if that is what you mean," the sea captain answered. "Straight goods?" Hal insisted. "Hang, die, and choke to death!" laughed the little old man. "But--but--somebody sent the thing!" blustered Hal. "Why, there is everything on earth in it. Food enough to last a week. And ours has a shawl for my mother and some felt slippers for my grandfather in the bottom. And there are gloves for Louise and me. It came from somebody who knew all about us. It was no haphazard present." "Can you beat it!" murmured Carl. "Whoever do you suppose----" "I can't suppose. We thought it was you," announced Hal. "There's a knock at the door. Shall I go?" Leaping forward he turned the knob, and in came Mrs. O'Dowd. "I've had the most wonderful basket sent me that ever----" began she; then her eye fell upon the hamper in the center of the floor. "Glory be to goodness!" she ejaculated. "Wherever did you get that?" "We don't know," Carl answered. "And we've one just like it and can't find out who sent us ours," put in Hal Harling. "Well, I thought for sure as you were the folks that sent me mine," declared Julie. "But if they are being scattered broadcast and you are getting one yourselves I reckon it is safe to say you don't know much about where mine came from. Well, all I can say is may the sender of them have a blessed Christmas. Owing to O'Dowd being out of work, we were to have a pretty slim celebration this year. The children were like to get nothing at all. And then just when I was trying to comfort myself with thinking how glad I should be that Joey was well, and that we all had our health even if we did lack a turkey and the fixings, along comes this windfall. Why, it is as if the heavens opened and dropped it straight down at our door. It does you good to know there are kind hearts in the world, doesn't it?" One and all the McGregors smiled. If they wanted thanks for the self-denial they had practised they certainly had them in the gratitude that beamed from Julie's face. "Well, it will be a royal Christmas for all of us, won't it?" went on the little woman, bustling out. "I must hurry back downstairs. The children are that crazy they are like to eat the turkey raw, claws, neck and feathers!" "I'll come with you, Mrs. O'Dowd," said Hal. "Good-by, and a Merry Christmas, everybody." "I'm mighty glad we sent that dinner to the O'Dowd's!" commented Carl soberly, when the door was shut and the McGregors were alone. "I'd be glad we did it even if we had no dinner of our own," he added, his eyes alight with a grave happiness. "And I, too," whispered Tim. CHAPTER XII A CLUE