for the shears to cut the stitches of the burlaps.

The frame quickly fell to pieces under Mark's vigorous blows, and
then his penknife assisted Ruth's shears. Beneath the burlaps was
a thick layer of straw; then came heavy wrapping-paper, and, under
this, layers and wads of news-paper, until the children began to
think the whole package was nothing but wrappings.

At last the papers were all pulled away, and there stood revealed,
in all its beauty of structure and finish, a little gem of a
cabinet organ. To one of its handles was tied a card, on which was
printed in big letters:

"A Christmas Present, with wishes for a very merry Christmas, from
Uncle 'Christmas' to his grandniece Ruth Elmer."

"Oh! oh! oh! ain't it lovely?" cried Ruth. "Dear old 'Uncle
Christmas!' And I thought he had forgotten me, and only remembered
Mark, too."

The organ was placed in the parlor, and from that day forth was a
source of great pleasure, not only to Ruth and the Elmer family,
but to their neighbors across the river, who frequently came over
in the evening to hear Ruth play.

Among the events of that week were two that impressed Mark deeply,
as they seemed to be connected in some way with the face he had
seen at the window. One of these was the mysterious disappearance,
on that same night, of a loaf of bread and a cold roast duck from
the kitchen. The other was the appearance, two days later, at the