How Papa and Katy laughed! "I don't believe Santa Claus ever had such a
thing before," said Dr. Carr.

"He's a very dirty old gentleman, then," observed Aunt Izzie, grimly.

The desk and sled were too big to go into any stocking, so they were
wrapped in paper and hung beneath the other things. It was ten o'clock
before all was done, and Papa and Aunt Izzie went away. Katy lay a long
time watching the queer shapes of the stocking-legs as they dangled in
the firelight. Then she fell asleep.

It seemed only a minute, before something touched her and woke her up.
Behold, it was day-time, and there was Philly in his nightgown, climbing
up on the bed to kiss her! The rest of the children, half dressed, were
dancing about with their stockings in their hands.

"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" they cried. "Oh, Katy, such
beautiful, beautiful things!"

"Oh!" shrieked Elsie, who at that moment spied her desk, "Santa Claus
_did_ bring it, after all! Why, it's got 'from Katy' written on it! Oh,
Katy, it's so sweet, and I'm _so_ happy!" and Elsie hugged Katy, and
sobbed for pleasure.

But what was that strange thing beside the bed! Katy stared, and rubbed
her eyes. It certainly had not been there when she went to sleep. How
had it come?

It was a little evergreen tree planted in a red flower-pot. The pot had
stripes of gilt paper stuck on it, and gilt stars and crosses, which