The House Without a Christmas Tree by Gail Rock Page B

wearing our horrible garter belts, and we stretched our stockings at the toes until we had enough fabric to tie her left toe to my right toe and vice versa. Then we stood up and hopped around like a crazy, four-legged thing with wings and halos.
    At just that moment, Miss Thompson came in and told us it was time to go on. We nearly panicked when we discovered that we couldn’t untie the toes of our stockings. They had pulled into knots while we were jumping around, and now the knots wouldn’t budge.
    â€œWell, let the cow through!” Miss Thompson said, and she motioned us to sit down on the floor. Then Carla Mae and I stuck our feet up in the air, and Miss Thompson worked frantically on the knots. She finally untied us, and only then did it occur to all of us that we simply could have unhooked our garters and removed our stockings.
    We quickly ran on stage as the stage manager let the big star of Bethlehem plunge into the scene, and we waved our cardboard wings and I made the “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings …” speech. As I moved toward Billy Wild, at the side of the stage, I suddenly realized that he was staring at the locket, and I slapped my hand over it. I managed to keep one wing waving as I finished my speech.
    I could see Grandma and Dad in the audience, and I gave them a little wave. Grandma waved back, and in the half-darkness, I thought I saw Dad smile.

Chapter Nine
    The next afternoon after lunch, Grandma and I started our annual Christmas project—baking dozens of gingerbread men. My special job was to decorate them after they came out of the oven. We talked as we worked.
    â€œThat was a wonderful thing you did with the tree, Addie,” she said.
    â€œOh, well,” I said philosophically, “I’m too grown up for trees. Trees are for little kids, like Gloria’s brothers and sisters.”
    â€œCan’t be a very good Christmas at their house, poor souls, him out of work and all.”
    â€œShe doesn’t know how to figure out the odds the way I do, so she’d never have won it,” I said.
    â€œI know.”
    â€œThe only way for her to get a tree was for me to give it to her.”
    â€œI’m sure you made her real happy,” said Grandma. “I never got around to askin’ you—how’d Tanya Smithers like her gloves?”
    â€œShe hated them!” I said gleefully. “I knew she would!”
    â€œCall that Christmas spirit?” Grandma asked disapprovingly.
    â€œTanya Smithers is my worst friend in the fifth grade. I don’t want to give her something she’d like!”
    â€œOughta be ashamed of yourself,” said Grandma, trying not to smile. “Who got your name?”
    â€œI’m not telling.”
    â€œWas it a boy or a girl?” she asked. “Someone you like or don’t like?”
    I shook my head silently. I wasn’t going to tell even Grandma about the horrible, embarrassing locket from Billy.
    â€œDid he give you a present you like or don’t like?”
    â€œHow do you know it was a he?” I asked.
    â€œWas it a she?”
    â€œNo more questions,” I said firmly. “I’m not going to talk about it.”
    Then Grandma put her hand in her apron pocket, and walked over to the table where I was working. She brought her hand out of her pocket and dangled Billy’s locket in front of me.
    I grabbed it quickly out of her hand. “You looked in my private drawer!”
    â€œNobody looks in anybody else’s private drawer in this house, Addie.”
    â€œOh, I know where you found it,” I said, turning crimson with embarrassment.
    â€œUnder your pillow,” she said, nodding her head.
    â€œI meant to hide it this morning, but …”
    â€œYou’ve had a lot of things on your mind,” she said, smiling. “Besides, it sure wasn’t hidden last night at the pageant. Sparkled like a star itself up