midnight
Christmas Eve Abe came with the pack basket chock-full of good things after the children were asleep . He took out a turkey and knit caps and mittens and packages of candy and raisins for the children and some cloth for a new dress for me . Mrs. Kelso had come to spend the night with us , although Samson and I were so much better it really was n't necessary . I made her go up the ladder to bed before midnight . That evening a short , fat Santa Claus came in with a loaded pack . He had a long , brown beard and a red nose and carried a new clay pipe in his mouth and was very much bundled up . `` We called the children .