Many secret trips to the little store at the railway station two miles away were ignored , and no little Joseph was called to account because he or she looked terribly guilty when somebody suddenly came into the room . The air was simply charged with secrets . Sister Mollie was the grand repository of these ; all the little Josephs came to her for advice and assistance . It was Mollie who for troubled small brothers and sisters did such sums in division as this : How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents ? Or , how can seven sticks of candy be divided among eight people so that each shall have one ? It was Mollie who advised regarding the purchase of ribbon and crepe paper . It was Mollie who put the finishing touches to most of the little gifts . In short , all through December Mollie was weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility . It speaks volumes for her sagacity and skill that she never got things mixed up or made any such terrible mistake as letting one little Joseph find out what another was going to give him . `` Dead '' secrecy was the keystone of all plans and confidences . During this particular December the planning and contriving had been more difficult and the results less satisfactory than usual . The Josephs were poor at any time , but this winter they were poorer than ever . The crops had failed in the summer , and as a consequence the family were , as Jimmy said , `` on short commons . '' But they made the brave best of their small resources , and on Christmas Eve every little Joseph went to bed with a clear conscience , for was there not on the corner table in the kitchen a small mountain of tiny -- sometimes very tiny -- gifts labelled with the names of recipients and givers , and worth their weight in gold if love and good wishes count for anything ? It was beginning to snow when the small small Josephs went to bed , and when the big small Josephs climbed the stairs it was snowing thickly . Mr. and Mrs. Joseph sat before the fire and listened to the wind howling about the house . `` I 'm glad I 'm not driving over the prairie tonight , '' said Mr. Joseph . `` It 's quite a storm . I hope it will be fine tomorrow , for the children 's sake . They 've set their hearts on having a sleigh ride , and it will be too bad if they ca n't have it when it 's about all the Christmas they 'll have this year .
Mary , this is the first Christmas since we came west that we could n't afford some little extras XXXXX them , even if 't was only a box of nuts and candy . ''
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