About then I heard a noise out in the street. Four or five people--Dutch, maybe--was playing in a band out there in front of the Wisners'. A man come out and shooed 'em away. They stood out in front of our place then and kept on playing. It seems like you can't eat in Chicago without some one plays music around. "Here; take 'em out some money, William," says Old Man Wright. "It's Christmas." They played some more then, and every morning since. I always hated 'em and I reckon everybody else did along in there, but there didn't seem to be no way to run 'em off. "Well," says Old Man Wright when we finished our breakfast, "what are we going to do today, sis?" says he. "It's good tracking snow, but there ain't nothing to track. There ain't no need to see how the hay's holding out or to wonder if the cows can break through the ice to get at water. There ain't no horses in the barns. We ain't got a single thing to do--not even feed the dogs." Bonnie Bell was reading in the paper which William, the sad man, had put by our plates. Her eyes got kind of soft and wetlike. "I'll tell you what we can do, dad," says she. "Look at this list of poor people here in town that ain't got no Christmas." "I've got you, sis," says he. "William, go tell the driver to bring the big car round; and tell the cook to get several baskets, full of grub--we're going to have a little party." Well, by and by the chauffore brought the car round in front and we went out; and William and the others loaded her up with baskets. The chauffore was looking kind of pale and shaky. He seemed to have something on his mind. "I hope you'll excuse me, sir," says he, touching his hat to Old Man Wright. "I didn't mean to be late; but, you see, it was Christmas Eve----" "Why, that's all right," says Old Man Wright to him. "Don't mention it--Christmas is due to come once a year anyhow." "I'll not let it occur again," says the chauffore, touching his hat again. "What? Christmas?" says he. "You can't help it." The man looked at him kind of funny. I knew then he'd been celebrating the night before, and I was right glad he hadn't begun to celebrate until he'd drove us home, for he was jerky yet. Christmas is a time when folks ought to be happy. We wasn't happy none that day. I never seen before what it was to be real poor. Here in this town, where there is so much money, it seemed like there was hundreds and thousands of people hadn't saw a square meal in their whole lives. You couldn't hardly stand it to see 'em--at least I couldn't. We spent our day that way--our first Christmas in town--trying to feed all the hungry people there was; and we couldn't. It was the saddest Christmas I ever had in all my life.