which when given sufficient encouragement by turning his arms around several times will turn summer saults in rapid succession across the floor and is very entertaining. Marj. also got a parcel of things from Phyl. containing some very nice picture books from Teddy & Jack.

Christmas Day

I was up before five this morning to get the baby's bottle ready for her as she woke up and was crying for it. Marj. said she had hardly slept last night. I accused her of being excited about Santa Claus but she said that wasn't the cause. Harry B. was awake early and when he was ready to get up I woke Gay and brought her out so that she wouldn't be behind hand in exploring the stockings. They took the matter very differently Harry B very excited at once excavated the farthest depths of his stocking but Gay, looking about as cheerful funeral and with no show of emotion picked the arrow-root biscuit off the top of her stocking and sat down to devour it and I think before she finished she consumed Harry B's biscuit as well. All hands then piled into "Mum-mum's" bed and raised cain till after daylight. On examining Dorrie's parcel we found a book each for Marj. & me. Mine was Canon Scott's "The Great War as I saw it." I have managed to get a few pages of it read and finds it gives a full account of the Canadian forces from the declaration of War to the Armstice but is written always from a chaplain's view-point and so is human and free from military or political bias. Marj's book was James Oliver Curwood's latest and supposed to be his best book "The Ancient Highway" a story of Quebec pulp & lumber business. They are the first books we have had for a long time amd the only ones we got this year. Marj. got up before breakfast and has been fairly active all day so is rather tired to-night.

I have been kept busy foing chores inside and out. We were going to try having a Christmas c=service to ourselves but didn't get around to it. I sopent comnsiderable time cleaning up the cutter as some snow has fallen and there are cutters on the road so id =f there is any sleighing at all we can travel much more comfprtably in the cutter t-morrow than we can in the buggy. Our Christmas dinner comnsisted of spare ribs that Mr. Lampkin brought over to us but we are shaping our faces for a feas tnto-morrow. Harry b & I wernt over to the Lampkin's this morning woth the hand-sleigh and took Mrs. Lampkin a paper while narcissus just ready to blossom Marj. has been growing it on purpose. Cold