I am tired, answers FATHER. He lifts the lid of the wood-box, and
throws in the wood with a great clatter. Then, while he takes off his
cap and gloves and muffler, he says: The snow is so deep that it's
hard to walk in it, especially carrying a load as heavy as that wood
was. He sits down.
Children, says GRANDMOTHER, go, tell your mother that father is
here. She'll want to give us supper at once and hurry you both off to
bed.
But when are we to hang up our stockings? asks WALTER.
We'll do that right after supper, answers FATHER. Run along now,
and tell mother that I'm here. The children go, and FATHER
continues speaking. Is everything all ready for tomorrow? he asks.
Yes, answers GRANDMOTHER, Mary finished everything quite a while
ago. Or almost everything. She didn't get the paper caps made for the
children, but she was just too tired to do it after all the other
work.
I don't wonder, says FATHER. When there is so much to be done, some
things simply have to be left. Perhaps there will be time tomorrow
morning. I'm leaving some things for tomorrow myself. For instance, I
promised Mary I'd sweep out the kitchen here, after I'd brought in the
wood; and it needs it, sure enough, for I see I've tracked in a lot of
dirt. But I'm going to beg off for tonight. I'll do it first thing in
the morning. I only hope that Santa Claus won't notice it, and think
we're an untidy household.
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