The sight “that met their gaze filled them with pleasure.  There were several packages for each of the boys, from the girls and from Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs. Laning.  There were some beautiful neckties, some books, and some diaries for the new year, and a box of fudge made by the girls.  Dora had written on the flyleaf of one of the books, wishing Dick a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and similar sentiments from Nellie and Grace appeared in the books for Tom and Sam.

“Say, I reckon this was worth coming for,” remarked Sam.

“Rather,” answered Dick.

“Wouldn’t have missed it for a million dollars,” added Tom.

“Maybe the mail bag has some letters for us,” went on Sam.  He was disappointed that no note had accompanied the gifts.

“We’ll take the bags to the office and see,” said Dick, and this was done a little later, after the box had been closed and put in the cutter and carefully covered with a robe.  In the bags were found letters from their old friends, Hans Mueller and Fred Garrison, and a postal from Dave Kearney, but that was all.

“Well, we mustn’t expect too much,” said Dick.  “Remember, we didn’t send any letters.”

“But we will now, thanking them for all these nice things,” said Sam quickly.

It was nearly midnight before the boys got home again, and their folks were much alarmed about them.  They were almost exhausted, but very happy, and they showed their new presents with great pride.

“They are dear girls!” said Mrs. Rover.  “It was splendid of them to remember you this way, and splendid of Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs. Laning, too.”

The next morning was spent in writing letters.  It was rather hard at first to say just what they wanted to, but after they had started the letters grew and grew, until each was ten pages or more.  They told about meeting Minnie Sanderson and the other girls by accident, and about not getting the notes until that night, and Dick added the following to his letter to Dora: 

“And now let me tell you something in secret.  Songbird Powell has developed a very, very strong liking for Miss Sanderson, the girl Tom and Sam and I aided when first we came to Brill.  He talks about her a good deal, and took her to a concert at Ashton one evening.  He said he was going to give her an autograph album for Christmas and write in it an original poem sixteen verses long, on ’The Clasp of a Friendly Hand,’ That is pushing matters some, isn’t it?  We all wish him luck.”

“There, that ought to make her understand how I feel about Miss Sanderson,” said Dick to himself.  And then he ended the letter by stating he hoped they would meet again soon so that they could have a good long talk.

On the day after the letters were mailed the storm cleared away and the sun came out brightly.  The boys went for a long sleigh ride, and visited some friends living in that vicinity.  Then they helped to clear off a pond, and on New Year’s day went skating.