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<h1>CHRISTMAS<br/> HOLIDAYS AT<br/> MERRYVALE</h1>
<h3>BY</h3>
<h2>ALICE HALE BURNETT</h2>
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<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
<h3>TOAD'S WISH</h3>
<p>"Hurrah!" shouted "Reddy." "School
is out and no more lessons for two
weeks!" and he threw his cap into the air.</p>
<p>"Let's go home by the way of the village,
so we can look into Daddy Williams'
toy shop," suggested his friend
Thomas Brown, better known as
"Toad," who ran up to join him.</p>
<p>"All right," agreed Reddy, "and I'll
show you what I want for Christmas,"
and they started down the street.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Looks as though it might snow by
night," said Toad, "don't you wish there
would be a big one? Then we could get
all the boys together and have a battle."</p>
<p>"It's the best fun I know of, next to
swimming in the creek," was the answer.</p>
<p>"Here we are," he cried a few minutes
later and both boys stopped in front of a
small shop window that looked very gay
with a wonderful display of Christmas
toys.</p>
<p>"See those skates hanging up by that
sled. That's the kind I want," pointed
out Reddy. "You screw them right into
the heels of your shoes and you bet they
can't ever come off."</p>
<p>"They're fine," agreed Toad, "but
look at that engine and train. It goes<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></SPAN></span>
right through the tunnel and up over the
bridge. I wonder how fast it can run."</p>
<p>"That's a dandy mitt there," said the
other, pointing to a baseball outfit. "I
wouldn't be afraid to stop any kind of a
ball with that on."</p>
<p>"Wish my dad would get me a new
sled like that flyer," sighed Toad. "I
finished mine last winter when I ran into
that tree with you and Herbie on board."</p>
<p>"You surely did," was the laughing
answer. "I remember how we all went
flying head first into a snow drift."</p>
<p>"There's a nice pocket knife," was
Toad's next remark. "I mean the one
with the pearl handle, just next to that
doll with the pink dress on."</p>
<p>"Oh!" exclaimed Reddy, "here's what<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></SPAN></span>
just suits me," catching sight, for the
first time, of a punching bag.</p>
<p>"How do you work it?"</p>
<p>"Why, you see there's an elastic rope
on each end of it, and one of them you
tie to a ring in the floor and the other to
something overhead. Then when you
give it a punch it comes back to you with
a bang."</p>
<p>"Well, I'd rather have a football;
then maybe we could get up a regular
team," remarked Toad.</p>
<p>"I'll bet all those reals would cost
about ten dollars," ventured the other,
pointing to a box of marbles toward the
front of the window. "If I was rich I'd
buy them."</p>
<p>"What for? You have plenty. You<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_13" id="Page_13"></SPAN></span>
won nearly all mine away from me.
Look!" he added in a low voice, "there
goes Herbie's mother into the store.
Let's see what she buys."</p>
<p>"Hello, Daddy," greeted both the
boys, as old Mr. Williams, with his
white hair, red cheeks and dancing blue
eyes, came to the doorway of the shop
and smiled at them.</p>
<p>"Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!"
he replied. "Have you been good boys?"</p>
<p>"I should say we have," cried Toad.
"Everybody's good before Christmas."</p>
<p>"Well, run along home then, and I'll
tell your mas just what you want,"
promised Daddy. "Herbie's ma's in
here now and she doesn't want you boys
to know what she buys."<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"All right," answered Reddy. "Don't
forget to say I want a punching bag and
a pair of skates."</p>
<p>"And I want a new sled," chimed in
Toad, as they both started off.</p>
<p>"Shucks, I didn't see half the things,
did you?" protested Reddy.</p>
<p>"Oh, well, we can come down again
this afternoon," was the cheering answer.
"Come on over to my house, anyway,"
he called as they parted.<span class='pagenum'><SPAN name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></SPAN></span></p>
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