The Imp's Christmas Dinner
ery, Scott?" demanded the little man. "Why, it's utterly impossible that I shouldn't have known of all this—utterly impossible! It would be all over the place in a day!"
"Nobody knows at all," murmured the Imp to himself, "nobody at all. Jenny listened, so she found out. Just the day before, they're going. Ferris will take them. He's a Jew, and he hates Henderson. Miss Murphy will be the head one. She's sorry for Scott. He's South. She says maybe he'd do something if he knew"
"What do they want?" said Uncle George, shaking the Imp, to open his eyes.
"Oh! you pulled my hair! I want to go to bed! I want Maggie!" cried the Imp fratchily. Uncle George soothed him and gave him his gold watch to play with. "In a minute, Boy. Just tell me what they want," he said pleasantly.
"A Christmas tree! And lunch with grandfather in the store! And longer time to rest!" snapped the Imp.
And as the two men scowled at each other he shook his head at his own confusion. "I mean they don't want a tree!" he cried. "They want a dinner like—like the other man gave the clerks,
115
