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“All unfulfilled wishes,” said my mother. “Still waiting–still wishing! Maybe they’ll bloom some time! Even Carol’s–camel,” she laughed out suddenly. “Who knows, sonny-boy–but what if you keep on wishing you’ll actually travel some day to the Land-Where-Camels-Live? Maybe–maybe you’ll own a–a dozen camels?”

“With purple velvet blankets?” I cried. “All trimmed with scarlet silk tassels? And smelling of sandalwood?”

“I have never understood,” said my father, “that camels smelt of sandalwood.”

Young Derry Willard didn’t seem exactly nervous any more. But he jumped up very suddenly. And went and stood by the fire.

“It’s the finest Christmas idea I ever heard of!” he said. “And if nobody has any objections I’d like to take a little turn myself at budding the Christmas tree!”

“Oh, but you won’t be here for Christmas!” cried everybody all at once.

“No, I certainly sha’n’t be,” admitted Derry Willard, “unless I am invited!”

“Why, of course, you’re invited!” cried everybody. Father seemed to have swallowed something. So mother invited him twice. Father kept right on choking. Everybody was frightened but mother.

Young Derry Willard had to run like everything to catch his train. It was lucky that he knew what he wanted. With only one wish to make and only half a minute to make it in, it was wonderful that he could decide so quickly! He snatched a pencil! He scribbled something on a piece of paper! He crumpled the “something” all up tight and tossed it to mother! Carol and mother wadded it into a tin-foil bud! They took the gold-colored tin-foil! Rosalee and I wired it to a branch! We chose the highest branch we could reach! Father held his overcoat for him! Father handed him his bag! Father opened the door for him! He ran as fast as he could! He waved his hand to everybody! His laugh was all sparkly with white teeth!

The room seemed a little bit dark after he had gone. The firelight flickered on the tame coon’s collar. Sometimes it flickered on the single gold bud. We cracked more nuts and munched more raisins. It made a pleasant noise. The tame crow climbed up on the window-sill and tapped and tapped against the glass. It was not a pleasant noise. The tame coon prowled about under the table looking for crumbs. He walked very flat and swaying and slow, as tho he were stuffed with wet sand. It gave him a very captive look. His eyes were very bright.

Father got his violin and played some quivery tunes to us. Mother sang a little. It was nice. Carol put fifteen “wishes” on the tree. Seven of them, of course, were old ones about the camel. But all the rest were new. He wished a salt mackerel for his coon. And a gold anklet for his crow. He wouldn’t tell what his other wishes were. They looked very pretty! Fifteen silver buds as big as cones scattered all through the green branches! Rosalee made seven violet-colored wishes! I made seven! Mine were green! Father made three! His were blue! Mother’s were red! She made three, too! The tree looked more and more as tho rainbows had rained on it! It was beautiful! We thanked mother very much for having a Christmas-tree garden! We felt very thankful toward everybody! We got sleepier and sleepier! We went to bed!

I woke in the night. It was very lonely. I crept down-stairs to get my best story-book. There was a light in the parlor. There were voices. I peeped in. It was my father and my mother. They were looking at the Christmas tree. I got an awful shock. They were having what books call “words” with each other. Only it was “sentences!”

“Impudent young cub!” said my father. “How dared he stuff a hundred-dollar bill into our Christmas tree?”

“Oh, I’m sure he didn’t mean to be impudent,” said my mother. Her voice was very soft. “He heard the children telling about Uncle Charlie’s gold piece. He–he wanted to do something–I suppose. It was too much, of course. He oughtn’t to have done it. But—-“