ALL the Brownies and Veve clustered about Connie to see the locket which she had found in the pocket of the silk wedding dress. Inside were the pictures of Grandmother and Grandfather Gordon, taken on the day of their marriage.
“So this is the locket you were certain Mrs. Stone took?” Miss Gordon asked teasingly. “It seems Grandfather was right after all.”
“Oh, dear, I’m heartily ashamed of myself,” Grandmother Gordon apologized. “I never should have blamed Mrs. Stone. I realize now what must have happened.”
“After you showed her the locket that day in the kitchen, you dropped it into your pocket and forgot the matter entirely.”
“Yes, that must have been what happened,” agreed Mrs. Gordon. “After the wedding anniversary celebration, I packed the gown into the attic trunk and never looked at it again.”
190 “And all these long years, you misjudged poor Mrs. Stone.”
“Yes, I’m afraid I did,” Mrs. Gordon sighed. “But you may be sure I’ll make it up to her. I’ll ask her to work for me again, and I’ll see that the children have more things. Oh, I’m ashamed of myself! Had it not been for Connie and the Brownies, I might never have learned the truth.”
Now Connie felt very happy to think that she had been credited with clearing up the misunderstanding between Grandmother Gordon and Mrs. Stone. She knew too, that recovery of the gold locket meant a great deal to her.
Throughout the day, with plenty of firewood available, the house was kept quite comfortable. The girls made repeated trips to the attic, sorting out clothing which could be sent to the Stone children.
Wind rattled the windows and cold crept in at the cracks. After a quick foray in the attic, the Brownies were grateful for the warmth of the downstairs fire.
“I hope our wood holds out,” Grandmother Gordon said anxiously. “And our food.”
Although the Brownies were glad to share their meager supplies with the Stones, they knew that the191 stock of provisions rapidly was running lower and lower.
However, everyone was hopeful that somehow Grandfather Gordon would get home with the bobsled.
“The sun is shining,” Connie observed cheerfully as the day wore on.
“And the wind is dying,” added Jane, scraping a patch of frost from the window pane so that she could look outdoors.
By late afternoon everyone was encouraged to see that the snow no longer drifted. Nevertheless, huge mountains of it remained piled up near the porches and in the yard. Slowly the thermometer began to climb.
“The big plow should come through soon and open up the main roads,” declared Mrs. Gordon. “I do believe luck will be with us for Christmas after all.”
Her words brought good cheer to the Brownies. Gathering in the living room, they drove the blues away with several rousing songs.
“Here comes the snowplow!” Veve suddenly shouted.
All the Brownies rushed to the window to see the welcome sight. The plow swept past on the main192 road, throwing up tall ridges of powdery snow on either side.
“Grandfather Gordon and Mr. Jeffert should be able to get through now,” declared Miss Gordon in relief.
Her prediction proved entirely right. Almost on the heels of the big plow came the two men, their sled loaded with groceries and Christmas packages.
Stomping into the kitchen, Mr. Jeffert and Grandfather Gordon brushed snow from their overcoats. Then they related astonishing news.
“What do you know!” declared Mr. Jeffert, rocking back on his heels as he warmed himself by the kitchen stove. “After trying for two years to learn who has been stealing evergreens from my farm, I’ve caught the fellow!”
“You’ve caught the thief!” Connie exclaimed in astonishment.
“Rather, the storm did,” Mr. Jeffert corrected.
“Who is the man, and where did you take him?” demanded Jane, all ears for the story.
“I should have said I know his name,” Mr. Jeffert amended. “Police are looking for him now, so it’s only a matter of hours until they place him under arrest.”
193 “Who is the man?” asked Connie. “Not Mr. Stone?”
“No, I know now that he had nothing to do with it.”
“Do tell us his name,” pleaded Sunny impatiently.
“Felix Gossart.”
“The man who has the farm next to yours!” exclaimed Connie.
“Yes, it’s strange that I never once suspected him. He would much rather earn his money dishonestly than by hard work.”
Now Veve and Connie were startled to hear that Mr. Gossart was the guilty party, for they recalled that he was the same man who had refused to give them a ride during the blizzard.
“How did you find out it was Mr. Gossart?” asked Connie curiously.
“His truck loaded with evergreens stalled in a big snowdrift about four miles from here,” Mr. Jeffert revealed. “When he failed to get through, he abandoned the load and set off afoot.”
“Mr. Jeffert was able to identify the trees as his, so he swore out a warrant for Gossart’s arrest,” added Grandfather Gordon.
As soon as they were warm, the men brought in all the boxes of groceries from the bobsled, and unhitched194 the horses. With ample supplies now on hand, Grandmother Gordon began at once to make plans for Christmas.
“We’ll invite the entire Stone family here for a holiday feast,” she declared. “Grandfather, as soon as you can, you must take some things to their cabin, and extend the invitation.”
“And what about our parents?” Eileen asked anxiously. “Will they get here for Christmas Day?”
Now that was the question which no one could answer.
“We should know quite soon,” said Grandfather Gordon. “The telephone lines still are down, so I can’t call the Deerford station.”
“How are the trains running?” inquired Grandmother Gordon.
“Probably about two hours behind schedule,” replied Mr. Gordon. “I’ll drive to town and find out.”
“Let’s finish decorating the house and make our plans exactly as if we were certain everyone will get here,” proposed Miss Gordon.
The Brownies went to work with a will. They helped Grandmother Gordon clean the entire house, polish the silver and put extra boards in the dining room table.
Although they could not be certain their parents195 ever would arrive to see the beautiful decorations, they hung gold stars in the windows.
A large holly wreath was tacked on the front door. Candles were placed in every room, ready for instant lighting.
Late in the afternoon, a sleigh with gay bells jingling drove up to the door. Out stepped a white-bearded man. Behind him he dragged a Christmas tree, cut evergreen branches, and an array of packages.
“Santa Claus has arrived!” shouted Veve from the window.
“It’s Mr. Jeffert,” laughed Connie, “He’s bringing our Christmas tree.”
Mr. Jeffert could not stay long, but he helped the Brownies set up the tree in the living room. Its tall tip nearly brushed the ceiling.
“What are all these packages?” Eileen asked curiously, as Mr. Jeffert dropped them at the base of the tree.
“Oh, just a few doo-dads for the Brownies,” laughed Mr. Jeffert. “I bought them while I was in Goshen. No fair peeking until tomorrow though.”
After the owner of the evergreen farm had driven away in his sleigh, the girls trimmed the tree with shiny colored balls, tinsel and artificial snowballs.
196 On the mantel above the fireplace and along the window sills they arranged spruce and balsam boughs. Finally they could not think of another thing to do.
“Now we’re all ready for Christmas,” declared Rosemary. “But if our parents don’t come, it won’t be much fun.”
The day wore on and no word was received from Deerford. Lamps were lighted and still Grandfather Gordon failed to return.
“It’s hours past train time,” declared Mrs. Gordon uneasily. “Either the train is very late or Grandfather has had trouble on the road.”
Connie had gone to the window to peer out again. She could not see the road, but she thought she could hear the soft thud of horses hoofs in the snow.
“Listen!” she cried.
The other Brownies rushed to the windows. Jane was the first to see the sled.
“Grandfather Gordon is coming!” she shouted.
The Brownies strained their eyes to pierce the shadows. Was Mr. Gordon alone, or had he brought their parents from the station?
“They’re here! They’re here!” cried Connie.
The sled had pulled up near the shoveled path, and the grownups ............