When President Wilson sent his famous December peace note Susan waxed violently sarcastic . `` Woodrow Wilson is going to make peace , I understand . First Henry Ford had a try at it and now comes Wilson . But peace is not made with ink , Woodrow , and that you may tie to , '' said Susan , apostrophizing the unlucky President out of the kitchen window nearest the United States . `` Lloyd George 's speech will tell the Kaiser what is what , and you may keep your peace screeds at home and save postage . '' `` What a pity President Wilson ca n't hear you , Susan , '' said Rilla slyly . `` Indeed , Rilla dear , it is a pity that he has no one near him to give him good advice , as it is clear he has not , in all those Democrats and Republicans , '' retorted Susan . `` I do not know the difference between them , for the politics of the Yankees is a puzzle I can not solve , study it as I may . But as far as seeing through a grindstone goes , I am afraid -- '' Susan shook her head dubiously , `` that they are all tarred with the same brush . '' `` I am thankful Christmas is over , '' Rilla wrote in her diary during the last week of a stormy December . `` We had dreaded it so -- the first Christmas since Courcelette . But we had all the Merediths down for dinner and nobody tried to be gay or cheerful . We were all just quiet and friendly , and that helped . Then , too , I was so thankful that Jims had got better -- so thankful that I almost felt glad -- almost but not quite . I wonder if I shall ever feel really glad over anything again . It seems as if gladness were killed in me -- shot down by the same bullet that pierced Walter 's heart . Perhaps some day a new kind of gladness will be born in my soul -- but the old kind will never live again . `` Winter set in awfully early this year . Ten days before Christmas we had a big snowstorm -- at least we thought it big at the time . As it happened , it was only a prelude to the real performance .
It was fine the next day , and Ingleside and Rainbow Valley were wonderful , with the trees all covered XXXXX snow , and big drifts everywhere , carved into the most fantastic shapes by the chisel of the northeast wind .
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