But high up on the mountain side, in a lonely hut that had not been visited by the Christmas tree, Carolina cuddled her little boy to sleep, crooning softly and sadly: “While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground.” II CREEDS AND DEEDS The Episcopalians met next morning to trim the tree. They had the candles and candies and tinsel decorations sent them by the foreign Santa Claus whom Grover Cleveland had tried to track, and for every member of their congregation they had made little stockings of net. These they proceeded to fill with candy and to hang upon the tree, discussing meanwhile the perambulating tree of the previous day. “There was nary somebody passed by,” said one, restoring with a bit of lemon stick the equilibrium of a tilted stocking, “the babies got something, every last one of ’em, and the niggers too, so fur as I know.” “Every one was free to go to the first Christmas celebration,” said the young girl who taught the two-months-a-year free-school. “The shepherds came from the fields, and the angels came from heaven, and I have read that the wise men who came were from so far removed parts of the earth that they didn’t even speak the same language.” “You reckon they was all Episcopals?” “No, but when they went away they were all Christians.” The rest of the decorators were a little awed by such erudition and no further remarks were made till the last gift was tied in its place and the candles, firmly fixed and pointing rafterward, were ready for the lighting. Then they stood off and surveyed the work of their hands. “It’s powerful pretty,” said one. “Yes, but seem like it’s narrow-contracted ’long side of Grover Cleveland’s tree. ’Course we’ve got six ten-cent dolls and he didn’t have nary one and he didn’t have nary candle but——” “It’s not leavin’ out ary somebody that I’m studyin’ about. Why even our Nick got a shinbone, and I declare if he ain’t fit Grover Cleveland’s dog till he’s mighty nigh chawed his ears plumb off his head.” “Old man Higgins told me ‘Merry Christmas’ yesterday evening. It’s the first word he’s spoke to me since I left the Methdis’ meetin’-house, and I wish there was something on this yer tree for him, just to show him that we-all ain’t holdin’ a grudge,” and further discussion revealed the fact that every one there had a neighbour or friend belonging to one of the other churches whom, for one reason or another, he or she would like to invite to the Christmas-tree. The school teacher took a pencil from her pocket and they gathered round her. “We’ll begin at the first house towards sun-up,” they said; “there’s three somebodies there, there’s two in the next house and——” they counted every person in the neighbourhood and then the school teacher “done a sum.” “Nine pounds more will treat them all to candy,” she said and in a body they proceeded to the store to see if they could buy nine pounds at the wholesale rate.