Pete had no difficulty in finding a home among the shanties of the mountain “city.” Day after day he would go after game for Lize, and every evening she would meet him, and they would walk together to the turn of the road, in the cold November twilight. These walks made Pete very happy, for he had never before experienced the joy of doing a kind deed, and Lize was very thankful in her simple way. The December days had brought the first scuds of snow down the little valley from the already whitened summits of Ossipee mountains. The walks with Lize became less and less frequent as the snow became deeper, but she never failed to meet Pete at the turn of the mountain road, to receive his gift of game. [Illustration: Decoration] As they met one evening in late December, Pete hung his head in shame. His hands were empty. “’T ain’t my fault, Lize,” he said, hardly daring to look up. “I hed moughty fine luck up ther mounting ter-day, an’ war goin’ ter give yo’ a real surprise, fur tomorrer’s Christmas, yo’ know. But paw jest laid fur me up hyar in the brush, and stole ever plover I hed. I’m moughty sorry, Lize, but p’raps”—— “’Tain’t no matter, Pete,” interrupted Lize. “Maw can make a hoe-cake fur Christmas. You’ve ben moughty good ter me, Pete, an’ some day mebbe I can do sumthin’ fer yo’,” and Lize looked at him in simple thankfulness. “I’m moughty sorry, Lize,” repeated Pete. “But bein’ yo’ hain’t got nothin’ ter eat, can’t yo’ come up ter the celebrashun ter-night? They’re goin’ ter hev a real Christmas tree at the school-house, an’ the parson’s comin’ up from Bar Camp an’ bring er lot o’ presents with him. Mebbe we’ll get one, Lize.” The deep-set black eyes of Lize lighted up with evident pleasure at the thought. “Mebbe we will,” she answered. “At enny rate, Pete, I’ll come, shore,” she called after him, as he started towards his “city” home. It was a great event in the history of the little mountain hamlet, for it was the first time that Christmas had ever condescended to visit the cluster of half a dozen shanties. The lights were all extinguished, save in the ten by twenty school-house where the celebration was being held. [Illustration: Decoration] As Pete and Lize came in from the cold night air to the warmth and glow of Christmas which filled the stuffy little school-house, they were silent in surprise. It was something unheard of, this giving of presents to friends, much less to strangers; but as they heard the story of the first Christmas, and the message it brought, they began to realize the true meaning of _Love_. As if it were contagious, it dawned upon Pete for the first time, that his affection and regard for Lize was nothing less than _love_. He felt as if with the distribution of the presents and the strings of popcorn something new and strange had come into his rough life.