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news too. everything seems to be going so smoothly. Your telegram was the great sensation of Christmas day at Alice's -- and the pictures that it conjured up of you all -- was much more present to my mind than  the actual ones- of the little mother in her blue dress - busy with the flock of babies. The big father quite in his element engineering the Christmas tree -  carring the Christmas turkey- and dispensing impartial hospitality with open hands. The babies all behaved well in spite of all the excitement and what a crowd of them there was - including the little Henrietta and Laura's new big doll which looked quite like a sixth live child - It was very pretty to see Laura when she first opened the box - and took it to her heart. and it scarcely left her arms again for the rest of the afternoon. Dear little Philip - discovered his new horse the moment he entered the room and seizing it - he held it above his head - with a great shout - and that was his greeting at every new comer - to lift up his horse and shout "hor-a-a-see" Willie boy took things very serenely - he trudged about with an independent and indifferent air- giving a momentary attention to this thing and that.  one might suppose he had a Christmas tree every day of his life - If any thing was presented to him that did not particularly strike his fancy - he flung it unceremoniously upon the floor and turned to something else. Then, was one attentive pair of eyes when the tree was lighted-  The smallest baby of all- was never tired of gazing at the lights. The