cage till we can both fly off together. I say, Jill, where shall we be
in our classes when we do get back?" and Jack's merry face fell at
the thought.

"At the foot, if we don't study and keep up. Doctor said I might
study sometimes, if I'd lie still as long as he thought best, and
Molly brought home my books, and Merry says she will come in
every day and tell me where the lessons are. I don't mean to fall
behind, if my backbone is cracked," said Jill, with a decided nod
that made several black rings fly out of the net to dance on her
forehead.

"Frank said he'd pull me along in my Latin, but I've been lazy and
haven't done a thing. Let's go at it and start fair for New Year,"
proposed Jack, who did not love study as the bright girl did, but
was ashamed to fall behind her in anything.

"All right. They've been reviewing, so we can keep up when they
begin, if we work next week, while the rest have a holiday. Oh,
dear, I do miss school dreadfully;" and Jill sighed for the old desk,
every blot and notch of which was dear to her.

"There come our things, and pretty nice they look, too," said Jack;
and his mother began to dress the tree, hanging up the gay horns,
the gilded nuts, red and yellow apples and oranges, and festooning
long strings of pop-corn and scarlet cranberries from bough to
bough, with the glittering necklaces hung where the light would
show their colors best.

"I never saw such a splendid tree before. I'm glad we could help,