and I did up all the chores we could this forenoon and Dad. drove down in the cutter to fetch Mrs. James over. The sleighing wasn't much good but he got there. We had a gay old dinner party about two o'clock, seventeen of us all told sat down to demolish the big turkey Huby provided and a lovely haunch of venison that Marjs Dad. had sent her along with two brace of partridge (wer didnt have the partridge to day though) All from Huby's were over including Cecil. Mr. & Mrs. James, Elva & Brant & of course Aunty Aunty Alice & Dick. After dinner we stripped the Christmas tree and all drew a lot of nice presents I came out with new neckties, handkerchiefs {illegible} candies, Christmas number of "Life" and a renewal subscription to "The Literary Digest" which has lapsed since last summer although the magazine has kept coming We had to get at the night chores as soon as the tree was stripped and soon after we came in the party began to break up although most of them stayed till we had a little music & Cecil & Win stayed and played Parcheesi (an abominable game) with Tim & me till about nine o'clock, Dad. drove

Mrs. James down and took Aunty & Aunty Alice as far as the sidewalk. He had hoped to go to Nomination meeting but thought it wasn't worthwhile This is the first Christmas Dick has been home for several years and there seems a touch of the romantic in the fact that we three boys the prototypes of the Q & T & D of the wondrous fairy tales that Aunty Alice used to create for us when the interior of the old garden fence was our world, are gathered at Christmas once more after the adventures that two of that trio have gone through. Since the days when barefooted skalleywags used roam the dense forest behind the barn and the wilderness beyond under the peppin tree, or swim in the beautiful green sea of Fa's silver beet bed, or work like navvies digging pits for some forgotten or never known reason in the garden or make mud pies for Taylor, or march on the warpath "wearing" our war-"hoops" which were formerly barrel hoops and at night run to the front gate when the seven o'clock train came past to wave at and be waved to by Mr. Young and then make futile resistance at having Aunty wash our feet & put us to bed but listen eagerly to the chapter she read & often beg for a second if it was about David, what varied