Brother had to thank Daddy Morrison for his gift and kiss him
good-bye, and then the interrupted breakfast went on. As soon as
they had all finished, they gathered around Brother to watch him
open his birthday gifts.





CHAPTER VII

MORE PRESENTS


"With so many birthdays in one family, we must not give elaborate
or expensive presents ever," Mother Morrison had once said, and
she had made that a rule.

So Brother's presents, while representing a great deal of
beautiful love, were simple and mostly home-made.

Louise had made him an entire set of new sails for his ship
Swallow; Grace had cleverly painted and cut out a set of paper
soldiers, and set them in tiny wooden blocks so that they stood
upright; Jimmie's present was a set of little garden tools; Molly
brought in a gingerbread man, very wide and tall and most
handsomely decorated with pink sugar icing. And Mother Morrison
gave him a box of watercolor paints and a painting book.