[Illustration: Frontispiece]

 CHRISTMAS TALES AND CHRISTMAS VERSE

 BY

 EUGENE FIELD

 ILLUSTRATIONS BY FLORENCE STORER

 NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS MCMXII

 Copyright, 1912, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

 Published October, 1912

 _Why do the bells of Christmas ring? Why do little children sing?

 Once a lovely shining star, Seen by shepherds from afar, Gently moved until its light Made a manger's cradle bright. 

 There a darling baby lay, Pillowed soft upon the hay; And its mother sung and smiled: "This is Christ, the holy Child!"

 Therefore bells for Christmas ring, Therefore little children sing. _

CONTENTS

 _Dedication_

 _Christmas Hymn_

The Symbol and the Saint

 _Christmas Eve_

Joel's Talk with Santa Claus

 _The Three Kings of Cologne_

The Coming of the Prince

 _Chrystmasse of Olde_

The Mouse and the Moonbeam

 _Christmas Morning_

Mistress Merciless

 _Bethlehem-Town_

The First Christmas Tree

 _Star of the East_

FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

IN COLORS

The angels came through the forest to where the little tree stood, and gathering around it, they touched it with their hands _Frontispiece_

For he was so generous that he gave away all these pretty things as fast as he made them

So Barbara fell asleep

"But why shouldn't I be merry?" asked the little mauve mouse. "To-morrow is Christmas, and this is Christmas eve"

"'What sound was that?' cried Dimas, for he was exceeding fearful"

The strange allegory of the lame boy's speech filled her with awe

But, with her babe upon her knee, Naught recked that Mother of the tree

To seek that manger out and lay Our gifts before the child--To bring our hearts and offer themUnto our King in Bethlehem!

IN BLACK-AND-WHITE

 Sing, O my heart!Sing thou in rapture this dear mornWhereon the blessed Prince is born!

Oh, hush thee, little Dear-my-Soul, And close thine eyes in dreaming

"This must be the house where the prince will stop, " thought Barbara

Share thou this holy time with me, The universal hymn of love

"Nestle down close, fold your hands, and shut your dear eyes!"

"They are killing me!" cried the tree

CHRISTMASTALES ANDCHRISTMASVERSE

[Illustration:

 Sing, O my heart! Sing thou in rapture this dear morn Whereon the blessed Prince is born!]

CHRISTMAS HYMN

 Sing, Christmas bells! Say to the earth this is the morn Whereon our Savior-King is born; Sing to all men, --the bond, the free, The rich, the poor, the high, the low, The little child that sports in glee, The aged folk that tottering go, -- Proclaim the morn That Christ is born, That saveth them and saveth me!

 Sing, angel host! Sing of the star that God has placed Above the manger in the East; Sing of the glories of the night, The virgin's sweet humility, The Babe with kingly robes bedight, -- Sing to all men where'er they be This Christmas morn; For Christ is born, That saveth them and saveth me!

 Sing, sons of earth! O ransomed seed of Adam, sing! God liveth, and we have a king! The curse is gone, the bond are free-- By Bethlehem's star that brightly beamed, By all the heavenly signs that be, We know that Israel is redeemed; That on this morn The Christ is born That saveth you and saveth me!

 Sing, O my heart! Sing thou in rapture this dear morn Whereon the blessed Prince is born! And as thy songs shall be of love, So let my deeds be charity By the dear Lord that reigns above, By Him that died upon the tree, By this fair morn Whereon is born The Christ that saveth all and me!

THE SYMBOL AND THE SAINT

Once upon a time a young man made ready for a voyage. His name wasNorss; broad were his shoulders, his cheeks were ruddy, his hair wasfair and long, his body betokened strength, and good-nature shone fromhis blue eyes and lurked about the corners of his mouth. 

"Where are you going?" asked his neighbor Jans, the forge-master. 

"I am going sailing for a wife, " said Norss. 

"For a wife, indeed!" cried Jans. "And why go you to seek her inforeign lands? Are not our maidens good enough and fair enough, thatyou must need search for a wife elsewhere? For shame, Norss! forshame!"

But Norss said: "A spirit came to me in my dreams last night and said, 'Launch the boat and set sail to-morrow. Have no fear; for I willguide you to the bride that awaits you. ' Then, standing there, allwhite and beautiful, the spirit held forth a symbol--such as I hadnever before seen--in the figure of a cross, and the spirit said: 'Bythis symbol shall she be known to you. '"

"If this be so, you must need go, " said Jans. "But are you wellvictualled? Come to my cabin, and let me give you venison and bear'smeat. "

Norss shook his head. "The spirit will provide, " said he. "I have nofear, and I shall take no care, trusting in the spirit. "

So Norss pushed his boat down the beach into the sea, and leaped intothe boat, and unfurled the sail to the wind. Jans stood wondering onthe beach, and watched the boat speed out of sight. 

On, on, many days on sailed Norss--so many leagues that he thought hemust have compassed the earth. In all this time he knew no hunger northirst; it was as the spirit had told him in his dream--no cares nordangers beset him. By day the dolphins and the other creatures of thesea gambolled about his boat; by night a beauteous Star seemed todirect his course; and when he slept and dreamed, he saw ever thespirit clad in white, and holding forth to him the symbol in thesimilitude of a cross. 

At last he came to a strange country--a country so very different fromhis own that he could scarcely trust his senses. Instead of the ruggedmountains of the North, he saw a gentle landscape of velvety green;the trees were not pines and firs, but cypresses, cedars, and palms;instead of the cold, crisp air of his native land, he scented theperfumed zephyrs of the Orient; and the wind that filled the sail ofhis boat and smote his tanned cheeks was heavy and hot with the odorof cinnamon and spices. The waters were calm and blue--very differentfrom the white and angry waves of Norss's native fiord. 

As if guided by an unseen hand, the boat pointed straight for thebeach of this strangely beautiful land; and ere its prow cleaved theshallower waters, Norss saw a maiden standing on the shore, shadingher eyes with her right hand, and gazing intently at him. She was themost beautiful maiden he had ever looked upon. As Norss was fair, sowas this maiden dark; her black hair fell loosely about her shouldersin charming contrast with the white raiment in which her slender, graceful form was clad. Around her neck she wore a golden chain, andtherefrom was suspended a small symbol, which Norss did notimmediately recognize. 

"Hast thou come sailing out of the North into the East?" asked themaiden. 

"Yes, " said Norss. 

"And thou art Norss?" she asked. 

"I am Norss; and I come seeking my bride, " he answered. 

"I am she, " said the maiden. "My name is Faia. An angel came to me inmy dreams last night, and the angel said: 'Stand upon the beachto-day, and Norss shall come out of the North to bear thee home abride. ' So, coming here, I found thee sailing to our shore. "

Remembering then the spirit's words, Norss said: "What symbol haveyou, Faia, that I may know how truly you have spoken?"

"No symbol have I but this, " said Faia, holding out the symbol thatwas attached to the golden chain about her neck. Norss looked upon it, and lo! it was the symbol of his dreams, --a tiny wooden cross. 

Then Norss clasped Faia in his arms and kissed her, and entering intothe boat they sailed away into the North. In all their voyage neithercare nor danger beset them; for as it had been told to them in theirdreams, so it came to pass. By day the dolphins and the othercreatures of the sea gambolled about them; by night the winds and thewaves sang them to sleep; and, strangely enough, the Star which beforehad led Norss into the East, now shone bright and beautiful in theNorthern sky!

When Norss and his bride reached their home, Jans, the forge-master, and the other neighbors made great joy, and all said that Faia wasmore beautiful than any other maiden in the land. So merry was Jansthat he built a huge fire in his forge, and the flames thereof filledthe whole Northern sky with rays of light that danced up, up, up tothe Star, singing glad songs the while. So Norss and Faia were wed, and they went to live in the cabin in the fir grove. 

To these two was born in good time a son, whom they named Claus. Onthe night that he was born wondrous things came to pass. To the cabinin the fir grove came all the quaint, weird spirits, --the fairies, theelves, the trolls, the pixies, the fadas, the crions, the goblins, thekobolds, the moss-people, the gnomes, the dwarfs, the water-sprites, the courils, the bogles, the brownies, the nixies, the trows, thestille-volk, --all came to the cabin in the fir grove, and caperedabout and sang the strange, beautiful songs of the Mist-Land. And theflames of old Jans's forge leaped up higher than ever into theNorthern sky, carrying the joyous tidings to the Star, and full ofmusic was that happy night. 

Even in infancy Claus did marvellous things. With his baby hands hewrought into pretty figures the willows that were given him to playwith. As he grew older, he fashioned, with the knife old Jans had madefor him, many curious toys, --carts, horses, dogs, lambs, houses, trees, cats, and birds, all of wood and very like to nature. Hismother taught him how to make dolls too, --dolls of every kind, condition, temper, and color; proud dolls, homely dolls, boy dolls, lady dolls, wax dolls, rubber dolls, paper dolls, worsted dolls, ragdolls, --dolls of every description and without end. So Claus became atonce quite as popular with the little girls as with the little boys ofhis native village; for he was so generous that he gave away all thesepretty things as fast as he made them. 

Claus seemed to know by instinct every language. As he grew older hewould ramble off into the woods and talk with the trees, the rocks, and the beasts of the greenwood; or he would sit on the cliffsoverlooking the fiord, and listen to the stories that the waves of thesea loved to tell him; then, too, he knew the haunts of the elves andthe stille-volk, and many a pretty tale he learned from these littlepeople. When night came, old Jans told him the quaint legends of theNorth, and his mother sang to him the lullabies she had heard when alittle child herself in the far-distant East. And every night hismother held out to him the symbol in the similitude of the cross, andbade him kiss it ere he went to sleep. 

So Claus grew to manhood, increasing each day in knowledge and inwisdom. His works increased too; and his liberality dispensedeverywhere the beauteous things which his fancy conceived and hisskill executed. Jans, being now a very old man, and having no son ofhis own, gave to Claus his forge and workshop, and taught him thosesecret arts which he in youth had learned from cunning masters. Rightjoyous now was Claus; and many, many times the Northern sky glowedwith the flames that danced singing from the forge while Claus mouldedhis pretty toys. Every color of the rainbow were these flames; forthey reflected the bright colors of the beauteous things strewn roundthat wonderful workshop. Just as of old he had dispensed to allchildren alike the homelier toys of his youth, so now he gave to allchildren alike these more beautiful and more curious gifts. So littlechildren everywhere loved Claus, because he gave them pretty toys, andtheir parents loved him because he made their little ones so happy. 

[Illustration: For he was so generous that he gave away all thesepretty things as fast as he made them. ]

But now Norss and Faia were come to old age. After long years of loveand happiness, they knew that death could not be far distant. And oneday Faia said to Norss: "Neither you nor I, dear love, fear death; butif we could choose, would we not choose to live always in this our sonClaus, who has been so sweet a joy to us?"

"Ay, ay, " said Norss; "but how is that possible?"

"We shall see, " said Faia. 

That night Norss dreamed that a spirit came to him, and that thespirit said to him: "Norss, thou shalt surely live forever in thy sonClaus, if thou wilt but acknowledge the symbol. "

Then when the morning was come Norss told his dream to Faia, his wife;and Faia said:

"The same dream had I, --an angel appearing to me and speaking thesevery words. "

"But what of the symbol?" cried Norss. 

"I have it here, about my neck, " said Faia. 

So saying, Faia drew from her bosom the symbol of wood, --a tiny crosssuspended about her neck by the golden chain. And as she stood thereholding the symbol out to Norss, he--he thought of the time when firsthe saw her on the far-distant Orient shore, standing beneath the Starin all her maidenly glory, shading her beauteous eyes with one hand, and with the other clasping the cross, --the holy talisman of herfaith. 

"Faia, Faia!" cried Norss, "it is the same, --the same you wore when Ifetched you a bride from the East!"

"It is the same, " said Faia, "yet see how my kisses and my prayershave worn it away; for many, many times in these years, dear Norss, have I pressed it to my lips and breathed your name upon it. Seenow--see what a beauteous light its shadow makes upon your aged face!"

The sunbeams, indeed, streaming through the window at that moment, cast the shadow of the symbol on old Norss's brow. Norss felt aglorious warmth suffuse him, his heart leaped with joy, and hestretched out his arms and fell about Faia's neck, and kissed thesymbol and acknowledged it. Then likewise did Faia; and suddenly theplace was filled with a wondrous brightness and with strange music, and never thereafter were Norss and Faia beholden of men. 

Until late that night Claus toiled at his forge; for it was a busyseason with him, and he had many, many curious and beauteous things tomake for the little children in the country round about. The coloredflames leaped singing from his forge, so that the Northern sky seemedto be lighted by a thousand rainbows; but above all this voicefulglory beamed the Star, bright, beautiful, serene. 

Coming late to the cabin in the fir grove, Claus wondered that no signof his father or of his mother was to be seen. "Father--mother!" hecried, but he received no answer. Just then the Star cast its goldengleam through the latticed window, and this strange, holy light felland rested upon the symbol of the cross that lay upon the floor. Seeing it, Claus stooped and picked it up, and kissing it reverently, he cried: "Dear talisman, be thou my inspiration evermore; andwheresoever thy blessed influence is felt, there also let my works beknown henceforth forever!"

No sooner had he said these words than Claus felt the gift ofimmortality bestowed upon him; and in that moment, too, there came tohim a knowledge that his parents' prayer had been answered, and thatNorss and Faia would live in him through all time. 

And lo! to that place and in that hour came all the people ofMist-Land and of Dream-Land to declare allegiance to him: yes, theelves, the fairies, the pixies, --all came to Claus, prepared to do hisbidding. Joyously they capered about him, and merrily they sang. 

"Now haste ye all, " cried Claus, --"haste ye all to your homes andbring to my workshop the best ye have. Search, little hill-people, deep in the bowels of the earth for finest gold and choicest jewels;fetch me, O mermaids, from the bottom of the sea the treasures hiddenthere, --the shells of rainbow tints, the smooth, bright pebbles, andthe strange ocean flowers; go, pixies, and other water-sprites, toyour secret lakes, and bring me pearls! Speed! speed you all! formany pretty things have we to make for the little ones of earth welove!"

But to the kobolds and the brownies Claus said: "Fly to every house onearth where the cross is known; loiter unseen in the corners, andwatch and hear the children through the day. Keep a strict account ofgood and bad, and every night bring back to me the names of good andbad that I may know them. "

The kobolds and the brownies laughed gleefully, and sped away onnoiseless wings; and so, too, did the other fairies and elves. 

There came also to Claus the beasts of the forest and the birds of theair, and bade him be their master. And up danced the Four Winds, andthey said: "May we not serve you, too?"

The Snow King came stealing along in his feathery chariot. "Oho!" he cried, "I shall speed over all the world and tell them you are coming. In town andcountry, on the mountain-tops and in the valleys, --wheresoever the cross israised, --there will I herald your approach, and thither will I strew you apathway of feathery white. Oho! oho!" So, singing softly, the Snow Kingstole upon his way. 

But of all the beasts that begged to do him service, Claus liked thereindeer best. "You shall go with me in my travels; for henceforth Ishall bear my treasures not only to the children of the North, but tothe children in every land whither the Star points me and where thecross is lifted up!" So said Claus to the reindeer, and the reindeerneighed joyously and stamped their hoofs impatiently, as though theylonged to start immediately. 

Oh, many, many times has Claus whirled away from his far Northern homein his sledge drawn by the reindeer, and thousands upon thousands ofbeautiful gifts--all of his own making--has he borne to the childrenof every land; for he loves them all alike, and they all alike lovehim, I trow. So truly do they love him that they call him Santa Claus, and I am sure that he must be a saint; for he has lived these manyhundred years, and we, who know that he was born of Faith and Love, believe that he will live forever. 

[Illustration: Oh, hush thee, little Dear-my-Soul, And close thineeyes in dreaming. ]

CHRISTMAS EVE

 Oh, hush thee, little Dear-my-Soul, The evening shades are falling, -- Hush thee, my dear, dost thou not hear The voice of the Master calling?

 Deep lies the snow upon the earth, But all the sky is ringing With joyous song, and all night long The stars shall dance, with singing. 

 Oh, hush thee, little Dear-my-Soul, And close thine eyes in dreaming, And angels fair shall lead thee where The singing stars are beaming. 

 A shepherd calls his little lambs, And he longeth to caress them; He bids them rest upon his breast, That his tender love may bless them. 

 So, hush thee, little Dear-my-Soul, Whilst evening shades are falling, And above the song of the heavenly throng Thou shalt hear the Master calling. 

JOEL'S TALK WITH SANTA CLAUS

One Christmas eve Joel Baker was in a most unhappy mood. He waslonesome and miserable; the chimes making merry Christmas musicoutside disturbed rather than soothed him, the jingle of thesleigh-bells fretted him, and the shrill whistling of the wind aroundthe corners of the house and up and down the chimney seemed to grateharshly on his ears. 

"Humph, " said Joel, wearily, "Christmas is nothin' to me; there _was_a time when it meant a great deal, but that was long ago--fifty yearsis a long stretch to look back over. There is nothin' in Christmasnow, nothin' for _me_ at least; it is so long since Santa Clausremembered me that I venture to say he has forgotten that there everwas such a person as Joel Baker in all the world. It used to bedifferent; Santa Claus _used_ to think a great deal of me when I wasa boy. Ah! Christmas nowadays ain't what it was in the good oldtime--no, not what it used to be. "

As Joel was absorbed in his distressing thoughts he became aware verysuddenly that somebody was entering or trying to enter the room. Firstcame a draught of cold air, then a scraping, grating sound, then astrange shuffling, and then, --yes, then, all at once, Joel saw a pairof fat legs and a still fatter body dangle down the chimney, followedpresently by a long white beard, above which appeared a jolly red noseand two bright twinkling eyes, while over the head and forehead wasdrawn a fur cap, white with snowflakes. 

"Ha, ha, " chuckled the fat, jolly stranger, emerging from the chimneyand standing well to one side of the hearth-stone; "ha, ha, they don'thave the big, wide chimneys they used to build, but they can't keepSanta Claus out--no, they can't keep Santa Claus out! Ha, ha, ha. Though the chimney were no bigger than a gas pipe, Santa Claus wouldslide down it!"

It didn't require a second glance to assure Joel that the new-comerwas indeed Santa Claus. Joel knew the good old saint--oh, yes--and hehad seen him once before, and, although that was when Joel was alittle boy, he had never forgotten how Santa Claus looked. 

Nor had Santa Claus forgotten Joel, although Joel thought he had; fornow Santa Claus looked kindly at Joel and smiled and said: "MerryChristmas to you, Joel!"

"Thank you, old Santa Claus, " replied Joel, "but I don't believe it'sgoing to be a very merry Christmas. It's been so long since I've had amerry Christmas that I don't believe I'd know how to act if I hadone. "

"Let's see, " said Santa Claus, "it must be going on fifty years sinceI saw you last--yes, you were eight years old the last time I slippeddown the chimney of the old homestead and filled your stocking. Do youremember it?"

"I remember it well, " answered Joel. "I had made up my mind to lieawake and see Santa Claus; I had heard tell of you, but I'd never seenyou, and Brother Otis and I concluded we'd lie awake and watch for youto come. "

Santa Claus shook his head reproachfully. 

"That was very wrong, " said he, "for I'm so scarey that if I'd knownyou boys were awake I'd never have come down the chimney at all, andthen you'd have had no presents. "

"But Otis couldn't keep awake, " explained Joel. "We talked abouteverythin' we could think of, till father called out to us that if wedidn't stop talking he'd have to send one of us up into the attic tosleep with the hired man. So in less than five minutes Otis was soundasleep and no pinching could wake him up. But _I_ was bound to seeSanta Claus and I don't believe anything would've put me to sleep. Iheard the big clock in the sitting-room strike eleven, and I had begunwonderin' if you never were going to come, when all of a sudden Iheard the tinkle of the bells around your reindeers' necks. Then Iheard the reindeers prancin' on the roof and the sound of yoursleigh-runners cuttin' through the crust and slippin' over theshingles. I was kind o' scared and I covered my head up with the sheetand quilts--only I left a little hole so I could peek out and see whatwas goin' on. As soon as I saw you I got over bein' scared--for youwere jolly and smilin' like, and you chuckled as you went around toeach stockin' and filled it up. "

"Yes, I can remember the night, " said Santa Claus. "I brought you asled, didn't I?"

"Yes, and you brought Otis one, too, " replied Joel. "Mine was red andhad 'Yankee Doodle' painted in black letters on the side; Otis's wasblack and had 'Snow Queen' in gilt letters. "

"I remember those sleds distinctly, " said Santa Claus, "for I madethem specially for you boys. "

"You set the sleds up against the wall, " continued Joel, "and then youfilled the stockin's. "

"There were six of 'em, as I recollect?" said Santa Claus. 

"Let me see, " queried Joel. "There was mine, and Otis's, and Elvira's, and Thankful's, and Susan Prickett's--Susan was our help, you know. No, there were only five, and, as I remember, they were the biggest wecould beg or borrer of Aunt Dorcas, who weighed nigh unto two hundredpounds. Otis and I didn't like Susan Prickett, and we were hopin'you'd put a cold potato in her stockin'. "

"But Susan was a good girl, " remonstrated Santa Claus. "You know I putcold potatoes only in the stockin's of boys and girls who are bad anddon't believe in Santa Claus. "

"At any rate, " said Joel, "you filled all the stockin's with candy andpop-corn and nuts and raisins, and I can remember you said you wereafraid you'd run out of pop-corn balls before you got around. Then youleft each of us a book. Elvira got the best one, which was 'TheGarland of Frien'ship, ' and had poems in it about the bleeding ofhearts, and so forth. Father wasn't expectin' anything, but you lefthim a new pair of mittens, and mother got a new fur boa to wear tomeetin'. "

"Of course, " said Santa Claus, "I never forgot father and mother. "

"Well, it was as much as I could do to lay still, " continued Joel, "for I'd been longin' for a sled, an' the sight of that red sled with'Yankee Doodle' painted on it jest made me wild. But, somehow orother, I began to get powerful sleepy all at once, and I couldn't keepmy eyes open. The next thing I knew Otis was nudgin' me in the ribs. 'Git up, Joel, ' says he; 'it's Chris'mas an' Santa Claus has beenhere. ' 'Merry Chris'mas! Merry Chris'mas!' we cried as we tumbled outo' bed. Then Elvira an' Thankful came in, not more 'n half dressed, and Susan came in, too, an' we just made Rome howl with 'MerryChris'mas! Merry Chris'mas!' to each other. 'Ef you children don'tmake less noise in there, ' cried father, 'I'll hev to send you allback to bed. ' The idea of askin' boys an' girls to keep quiet onChris'mas mornin' when they've got new sleds an' 'Garlands ofFrien'ship'!"

Santa Claus chuckled; his rosy cheeks fairly beamed joy. 

"Otis an' I didn't want any breakfast, " said Joel. "We made up ourminds that a stockin'ful of candy and pop-corn and raisins would stayus for a while. I _do_ believe there wasn't buckwheat cakes enough inthe township to keep us indoors that mornin'; buckwheat cakes don'tsize up much 'longside of a red sled with 'Yankee Doodle' painted ontoit and a black sled named 'Snow Queen. ' _We_ didn't care how cold itwas--so much the better for slidin' downhill! All the boys had newsleds--Lafe Dawson, Bill Holbrook, Gum Adams, Rube Playford, LeanderMerrick, Ezra Purple--all on 'em had new sleds excep' Martin Peavey, and he said he calculated Santa Claus had skipped him this year 'causehis father had broke his leg haulin' logs from the Pelham woods andhad been kep' indoors six weeks. But Martin had his ol' sled, and hedidn't hev to ask any odds of any of us, neither. "

"I brought Martin a sled the _next_ Christmas, " said Santa Claus. 

"Like as not--but did you ever slide downhill, Santa Claus? I don'tmean such hills as they hev out here in this _new_ country, but one ofthem old-fashioned New England hills that was made 'specially for boysto slide down, full of bumpers an' thank-ye-marms, and about ten timeslonger comin' up than it is goin' down! The wind blew in our faces andalmos' took our breath away. 'Merry Chris'mas to ye, little boys!' itseemed to say, and it untied our mufflers an' whirled the snow in ourfaces, jist as if it was a boy, too, an' wanted to play with us. Anol' crow came flappin' over us from the cornfield beyond the meadow. He said: 'Caw, caw, ' when he saw my new sled--I s'pose he'd never seena red one before. Otis had a hard time with _his_ sled--the blackone--an' he wondered why it wouldn't go as fast as mine would. 'Hevyou scraped the paint off'n the runners?' asked Wralsey Goodnow. 'Course I hev, ' said Otis; 'broke my own knife an' Lute Ingraham'sa-doin' it, but it don't seem to make no dif'rence--the darned ol'thing won't go!' Then, what did Simon Buzzell say but that, like'snot, it was because Otis's sled's name was 'Snow Queen. ' 'Never didsee a girl sled that was worth a cent, anyway, ' sez Simon. Well, now, that jest about broke Otis up in business. 'It ain't a girl sled, ' sezhe, 'and its name ain't "Snow Queen"! I'm a-goin' to call it "Dan'lWebster, " or "Ol'ver Optic, " or "Sheriff Robbins, " or after some otherbig man!' An' the boys plagued him so much about that pesky girl sledthat he scratched off the name, an', as I remember, it _did_ go betterafter that!

"About the only thing, " continued Joel, "that marred the harmony ofthe occasion, as the editor of the _Hampshire County Phoenix_ used tosay, was the ashes that Deacon Morris Frisbie sprinkled out in frontof his house. He said he wasn't going to have folks breakin' theirnecks jest on account of a lot of frivolous boys that was goin' to thegallows as fas' as they could! Oh, how we hated him! and we'd havesnowballed him, too, if we hadn't been afraid of the constable thatlived next door. But the ashes didn't bother us much, and every timewe slid side-saddle we'd give the ashes a kick, and that sort ofscattered 'em. "

The bare thought of this made Santa Claus laugh. 

"Goin' on about nine o'clock, " said Joel, "the girls comealong--Sister Elvira an' Thankful, Prudence Tucker, Belle Yocum, Sophrone Holbrook, Sis Hubbard, an' Marthy Sawyer. Marthy's brotherIncrease wanted her to ride on _his_ sled, but Marthy allowed that ared sled was her choice every time. 'I don't see how I'm goin' tohold on, ' said Marthy. 'Seems as if I would hev my hands full keepin'my things from blowin' away. ' 'Don't worry about yourself, Marthy, 'sez I, 'for if you'll look after your things, I kind o' calc'late I'llmanage not to lose _you_ on the way. ' Dear Marthy--seems as if I couldsee you now, with your tangled hair a-blowin' in the wind, your eyesall bright and sparklin', an' your cheeks as red as apples. Seems, too, as if I could hear you laughin' and callin', jist as you did as Itoiled up the old New England hill that Chris'mas mornin'--a-callin':'Joel, Joel, Joel--ain't ye ever comin', Joel?' But the hill is longand steep, Marthy, an' Joel ain't the boy he used to be; he's old, an'gray, an' feeble, but there's love an' faith in his heart, an' theykind o' keep him totterin' tow'rd the voice he hears a-callin': 'Joel, Joel, Joel!'"

"I know--I see it all, " murmured Santa Claus very softly. 

"Oh, that was so long ago, " sighed Joel; "so very long ago! And I'vehad no Chris'mas since--only once, when our little one--Marthy's an'mine--you remember him, Santa Claus?"

"Yes, " said Santa Claus, "a toddling little boy with blue eyes--"

"Like his mother, " interrupted Joel; "an' he _was_ like her, too--sogentle an' lovin', only we called him Joel, for that was my father'sname and it kind o' run in the fam'ly. He wa'n't more'n three yearsold when you came with your Chris'mas presents for him, Santa Claus. We had told him about you, and he used to go to the chimney everynight and make a little prayer about what he wanted you to bring him. And you brought 'em, too--a stick-horse, an' a picture-book, an' someblocks, an' a drum--they're on the shelf in the closet there, and hislittle Chris'mas stockin' with 'em--I've saved 'em all, an' I've taken'em down an' held 'em in my hands, oh, so many times!"

"But when I came again, " said Santa Claus--

"His little bed was empty, an' I was alone. It killed hismother--Marthy was so tender-hearted; she kind o' drooped an' pinedafter that. So now they've been asleep side by side in theburyin'-ground these thirty years. 

"That's why I'm so sad-like whenever Chris'mas comes, " said Joel, after a pause. "The thinkin' of long ago makes me bitter almost. It'sso different now from what it used to be. "

"No, Joel, oh, no, " said Santa Claus. "'Tis the same world, and humannature is the same and always will be. But Christmas is for the littlefolks, and you, who are old and grizzled now, must know it and love itonly through the gladness it brings the little ones. "

"True, " groaned Joel; "but how may I know and feel this gladness whenI have no little stocking hanging in my chimney corner--no child toplease me with his prattle? See, I am alone. "

"No, you're not alone, Joel, " said Santa Claus. "There are children inthis great city who would love and bless you for your goodness if youbut touched their hearts. Make them happy, Joel; send by me this nightsome gift to the little boy in the old house yonder--he is poor andsick; a simple toy will fill his Christmas with gladness. "

"His little sister, too--take _her_ some presents, " said Joel; "makethem happy for me, Santa Claus--you are right--make them happy forme. "

How sweetly Joel slept! When he awoke, the sunlight streamed inthrough the window and seemed to bid him a merry Christmas. Howcontented and happy Joel felt! It must have been the talk with SantaClaus that did it all; he had never known a sweeter sense of peace. Alittle girl came out of the house over the way. She had a new doll inher arms, and she sang a merry little song and she laughed with joy asshe skipped along the street. Ay, and at the window sat the littlesick boy, and the toy Santa Claus left him seemed to have brought himstrength and health, for his eyes sparkled and his cheeks glowed, andit was plain to see his heart was full of happiness. 

And, oh! how the chimes did ring out, and how joyfully they sang theirChristmas carol that morning! They sang of Bethlehem and the mangerand the Babe; they sang of love and charity, till all the Christmasair seemed full of angel voices. 

 Carol of the Christmas morn-- Carol of the Christ-child born-- Carol to the list'ning sky Till it echoes back again "Glory be to God on high, Peace on earth, good will tow'rd men!"

So all this music--the carol of the chimes, the sound of children'svoices, the smile of the poor little boy over the way--all this sweetmusic crept into Joel's heart that Christmas morning; yes, and withthese sweet, holy influences came others so subtile and divine that inits silent communion with them, Joel's heart cried out amen and amento the glory of the Christmas time. 

THE THREE KINGS OF COLOGNE

 From out Cologne there came three kings To worship Jesus Christ, their King. To Him they sought fine herbs they brought, And many a beauteous golden thing; They brought their gifts to Bethlehem town, And in that manger set them down. 

 Then spake the first king, and he said: "O Child, most heavenly, bright, and fair! I bring this crown to Bethlehem town For Thee, and only Thee, to wear; So give a heavenly crown to me When I shall come at last to Thee!"

 The second, then. "I bring Thee here This royal robe, O Child!" he cried; "Of silk 'tis spun, and such an one There is not in the world beside; So in the day of doom requite Me with a heavenly robe of white!"

 The third king gave his gift, and quoth: "Spikenard and myrrh to Thee I bring, And with these twain would I most fain Anoint the body of my King; So may their incense sometime rise To plead for me in yonder skies!"

 Thus spake the three kings of Cologne, That gave their gifts, and went their way; And now kneel I in prayer hard by The cradle of the Child to-day; Nor crown, nor robe, nor spice I bring As offering unto Christ, my King. 

 Yet have I brought a gift the Child May not despise, however small; For here I lay my heart to-day, And it is full of love to all. Take Thou the poor but loyal thing, My only tribute, Christ, my King!

THE COMING OF THE PRINCE

I

"Whirr-r-r! whirr-r-r! whirr-r-r!" said the wind, and it tore throughthe streets of the city that Christmas eve, turning umbrellas insideout, driving the snow in fitful gusts before it, creaking the rustysigns and shutters, and playing every kind of rude prank it couldthink of. 

"How cold your breath is to-night!" said Barbara, with a shiver, asshe drew her tattered little shawl the closer around her benumbedbody. 

"Whirr-r-r! whirr-r-r! whirr-r-r!" answered the wind; "but why are youout in this storm? You should be at home by the warm fire. "

"I have no home, " said Barbara; and then she sighed bitterly, andsomething like a tiny pearl came in the corner of one of her sad blueeyes. 

But the wind did not hear her answer, for it had hurried up the streetto throw a handful of snow in the face of an old man who wasstruggling along with a huge basket of good things on each arm. 

"Why are you not at the cathedral?" asked a snowflake, as it alightedon Barbara's shoulder. "I heard grand music, and saw beautiful lightsthere as I floated down from the sky a moment ago. "

"What are they doing at the cathedral?" inquired Barbara. 

"Why, haven't you heard?" exclaimed the snowflake. "I supposedeverybody knew that the prince was coming to-morrow. "

"Surely enough; this is Christmas eve, " said Barbara, "and the princewill come to-morrow. "

Barbara remembered that her mother had told her about the prince, howbeautiful and good and kind and gentle he was, and how he loved thelittle children; but her mother was dead now, and there was none totell Barbara of the prince and his coming, --none but the littlesnowflake. 

"I should like to see the prince, " said Barbara, "for I have heard hewas very beautiful and good. "

"That he is, " said the snowflake. "I have never seen him, but I heardthe pines and the firs singing about him as I floated over the forestto-night. "

"Whirr-r-r! whirr-r-r!" cried the wind, returning boisterously towhere Barbara stood. "I've been looking for you everywhere, littlesnowflake! So come with me. "

And without any further ado, the wind seized upon the snowflake andhurried it along the street and led it a merry dance through the icyair of the winter night. 

Barbara trudged on through the snow and looked in at the bright thingsin the shop windows. The glitter of the lights and the sparkle of thevast array of beautiful Christmas toys quite dazzled her. A strangemingling of admiration, regret, and envy filled the poor littlecreature's heart. 

"Much as I may yearn to have them, it cannot be, " she said to herself, "yet I may feast my eyes upon them. "

"Go away from here!" said a harsh voice. "How can the rich people seeall my fine things if you stand before the window? Be off with you, you miserable little beggar!"

It was the shopkeeper, and he gave Barbara a savage box on the earthat sent her reeling into the deeper snowdrifts of the gutter. 

Presently she came to a large house where there seemed to be muchmirth and festivity. The shutters were thrown open, and through thewindows Barbara could see a beautiful Christmas-tree in the centre ofa spacious room--a beautiful Christmas-tree ablaze with red andgreen lights, and heavy with toys and stars and glass balls and otherbeautiful things that children love. There was a merry throng aroundthe tree, and the children were smiling and gleeful, and all in thathouse seemed content and happy. Barbara heard them singing, and theirsong was about the prince who was to come on the morrow. 

"This must be the house where the prince will stop, " thought Barbara. "How I would like to see his face and hear his voice!--yet what wouldhe care for _me_, a 'miserable little beggar'?"

So Barbara crept on through the storm, shivering and disconsolate, yetthinking of the prince. 

"Where are you going?" she asked of the wind as it overtook her. 

"To the cathedral, " laughed the wind. "The great people are flockingthere, and I will have a merry time amongst them, ha, ha, ha!"

And with laughter the wind whirled away and chased the snow toward thecathedral. 

"It is there, then, that the prince will come, " thought Barbara. "Itis a beautiful place, and the people will pay him homage there. Perhaps I shall see him if I go there. "

[Illustration: "This must be the house where the prince will stop, "thought Barbara. ]

So she went to the cathedral. Many folk were there in their richestapparel, and the organ rolled out its grand music, and the people sangwondrous songs, and the priests made eloquent prayers; and the music, and the songs, and the prayers were all about the prince and hisexpected coming. The throng that swept in and out of the great edificetalked always of the prince, the prince, the prince, until Barbarareally loved him very much, for all the gentle words she heard thepeople say of him. 

"Please, can I go and sit inside?" inquired Barbara of the sexton. 

"No!" said the sexton gruffly, for this was an important occasion withthe sexton, and he had no idea of wasting words on a beggar child. 

"But I will be very good and quiet, " pleaded Barbara. "Please may Inot see the prince?"

"I have said no, and I mean it, " retorted the sexton. "What have youfor the prince, or what cares the prince for you? Out with you, anddon't be blocking up the door-way!" So the sexton gave Barbara anangry push, and the child fell half-way down the icy steps of thecathedral. She began to cry. Some great people were entering thecathedral at the time, and they laughed to see her falling. 

"Have you seen the prince?" inquired a snowflake, alighting onBarbara's cheek. It was the same little snowflake that had clung toher shawl an hour ago, when the wind came galloping along on hisboisterous search. 

"Ah, no!" sighed Barbara in tears; "but what cares the prince for_me_?"

"Do not speak so bitterly, " said the little snowflake. "Go to theforest and you shall see him, for the prince always comes through theforest to the city. "

Despite the cold, and her bruises, and her tears, Barbara smiled. Inthe forest she could behold the prince coming on his way; and he wouldnot see her, for she would hide among the trees and vines. 

"Whirr-r-r, whirr-r-r!" It was the mischievous, romping wind oncemore; and it fluttered Barbara's tattered shawl, and set her hair tostreaming in every direction, and swept the snowflake from her cheekand sent it spinning through the air. 

Barbara trudged toward the forest. When she came to the city gate thewatchman stopped her, and held his big lantern in her face, and askedher who she was and where she was going. 

"I am Barbara, and I am going into the forest, " said she boldly. 

"Into the forest?" cried the watchman, "and in this storm? No, child;you will perish!"

"But I am going to see the prince, " said Barbara. "They will not letme watch for him in the church, nor in any of their pleasant homes, soI am going into the forest. "

The watchman smiled sadly. He was a kindly man; he thought of his ownlittle girl at home. 

"No, you must not go to the forest, " said he, "for you would perishwith the cold. "

But Barbara would not stay. She avoided the watchman's grasp and ranas fast as ever she could through the city gate. 

"Come back, come back!" cried the watchman; "you will perish in theforest!"

But Barbara would not heed his cry. The falling snow did not stay her, nor did the cutting blast. She thought only of the prince, and she ranstraightway to the forest. 

II

"What do you see up there, O pine-tree?" asked a little vine in theforest. "You lift your head among the clouds to-night, and you tremblestrangely as if you saw wondrous sights. "

"I see only the distant hill-tops and the dark clouds, " answered thepine-tree. "And the wind sings of the snow-king to-night; to all myquestionings he says, 'Snow, snow, snow, ' till I am wearied with hisrefrain. "

"But the prince will surely come to-morrow?" inquired the tinysnowdrop that nestled close to the vine. 

"Oh, yes, " said the vine. "I heard the country folks talking about itas they went through the forest to-day, and they said that the princewould surely come on the morrow. "

"What are you little folks down there talking about?" asked thepine-tree. 

"We are talking about the prince, " said the vine. 

"Yes, he is to come on the morrow, " said the pine-tree, "but not untilthe day dawns, and it is still all dark in the east. "

"Yes, " said the fir-tree, "the east is black, and only the wind andthe snow issue from it. "

"Keep your head out of my way!" cried the pine-tree to the fir; "withyour constant bobbing around I can hardly see at all. "

"Take _that_ for your bad manners, " retorted the fir, slapping thepine-tree savagely with one of her longest branches. 

The pine-tree would put up with no such treatment, so he hurled hislargest cone at the fir; and for a moment or two it looked as if therewere going to be a serious commotion in the forest. 

"Hush!" cried the vine in a startled tone; "there is some one comingthrough the forest. "

The pine-tree and the fir stopped quarrelling, and the snowdropnestled closer to the vine, while the vine hugged the pine-tree verytightly. All were greatly alarmed. 

"Nonsense!" said the pine-tree, in a tone of assumed bravery. "No onewould venture into the forest at such an hour. "

"Indeed! and why not?" cried a child's voice. "Will you not let mewatch with you for the coming of the prince?"

"Will you not chop me down?" inquired the pine-tree gruffly. 

"Will you not tear me from my tree?" asked the vine. 

"Will you not pluck my blossoms?" plaintively piped the snowdrop. 

"No, of course not, " said Barbara; "I have come only to watch with youfor the prince. "

Then Barbara told them who she was, and how cruelly she had beentreated in the city, and how she longed to see the prince, who was tocome on the morrow. And as she talked, the forest and all therein felta great compassion for her. 

"Lie at my feet, " said the pine-tree, "and I will protect you. "

"Nestle close to me, and I will chafe your temples and body and limbstill they are warm, " said the vine. 

"Let me rest upon your cheek, and I will sing you my little songs, "said the snowdrop. 

And Barbara felt very grateful for all these homely kindnesses. Sherested in the velvety snow at the foot of the pine-tree, and the vinechafed her body and limbs, and the little flower sang sweet songs toher. 

"Whirr-r-r, whirr-r-r!" There was that noisy wind again, but this timeit was gentler than it had been in the city. 

"Here you are, my little Barbara, " said the wind, in kindly tones. "Ihave brought you the little snowflake. I am glad you came away fromthe city, for the people are proud and haughty there; oh, but I willhave my fun with them!"

Then, having dropped the little snowflake on Barbara's cheek, the windwhisked off to the city again. And we can imagine that it played rarepranks with the proud, haughty folk on its return; for the wind, asyou know, is no respecter of persons. 

"Dear Barbara, " said the snowflake, "I will watch with thee for thecoming of the prince. "

And Barbara was glad, for she loved the little snowflake, that was sopure and innocent and gentle. 

"Tell us, O pine-tree, " cried the vine, "what do you see in the east?Has the prince yet entered the forest?"

"The east is full of black clouds, " said the pine-tree, "and the windsthat hurry to the hill-tops sing of the snow. "

"But the city is full of brightness, " said the fir. "I can see thelights in the cathedral, and I can hear wondrous music about theprince and his coming. "

"Yes, they are singing of the prince in the cathedral, " said Barbarasadly. 

"But we shall see him first, " whispered the vine reassuringly. 

"Yes, the prince will come through the forest, " said the littlesnowdrop gleefully. 

"Fear not, dear Barbara, we shall behold the prince in all his glory, "cried the snowflake. 

Then all at once there was a strange hub-bub in the forest; for itwas midnight, and the spirits came from their hiding-places to prowlabout and to disport themselves. Barbara beheld them all in greatwonder and trepidation, for she had never before seen the spirits ofthe forest, although she had often heard of them. It was a marvelloussight. 

[Illustration: So Barbara fell asleep. ]

"Fear nothing, " whispered the vine to Barbara, --"fear nothing, forthey dare not touch you. "

The antics of the wood-spirits continued but an hour; for then a cockcrowed, and immediately thereat, with a wondrous scurrying, the elvesand the gnomes and the other grotesque spirits sought theirabiding-places in the caves and in the hollow trunks and under theloose bark of the trees. And then it was very quiet once more in theforest. 

"It is very cold, " said Barbara. "My hands and feet are like ice. "

Then the pine-tree and the fir shook down the snow from their broadboughs, and the snow fell upon Barbara and covered her like a whitemantle. 

"You will be warm now, " said the vine, kissing Barbara's forehead. AndBarbara smiled. 

Then the snowdrop sang a lullaby about the moss that loved the violet. And Barbara said, "I am going to sleep; will you wake me when theprince comes through the forest?"

And they said they would. So Barbara fell asleep. 

III

"The bells in the city are ringing merrily, " said the fir, "and themusic in the cathedral is louder and more beautiful than before. Canit be that the prince has already come into the city?"

"No, " cried the pine-tree, "look to the east and see the Christmas daya-dawning! The prince is coming, and his pathway is through theforest!"

The storm had ceased. Snow lay upon all the earth. The hills, theforest, the city, and the meadows were white with the robe thestorm-king had thrown over them. Content with his wondrous work, thestorm-king himself had fled to his far Northern home before the dawnof the Christmas day. Everything was bright and sparkling andbeautiful. And most beautiful was the great hymn of praise the forestsang that Christmas morning, --the pine-trees and the firs and thevines and the snow-flowers that sang of the prince and of his promisedcoming. 

"Wake up, little one, " cried the vine, "for the prince is coming!"

But Barbara slept; she did not hear the vine's soft calling nor thelofty music of the forest. 

A little snow-bird flew down from the fir-tree's bough and perchedupon the vine, and carolled in Barbara's ear of the Christmas morningand of the coming of the prince. But Barbara slept; she did not hearthe carol of the bird. 

"Alas!" sighed the vine, "Barbara will not awaken, and the prince iscoming. "

Then the vine and the snowdrop wept, and the pine-tree and the firwere very sad. 

The prince came through the forest clad in royal raiment and wearing agolden crown. Angels came with him, and the forest sang a great hymnunto the prince, such a hymn as had never before been heard on earth. The prince came to the sleeping child and smiled upon her and calledher by name. 

"Barbara, my little one, " said the prince, "awaken, and come with me. "

Then Barbara opened her eyes and beheld the prince. And it seemed asif a new life had come to her, for there was warmth in her body and aflush upon her cheeks and a light in her eyes that were divine. Andshe was clothed no longer in rags, but in white flowing raiment; andupon the soft brown hair there was a crown like those which angelswear. And as Barbara arose and went to the prince, the littlesnowflake fell from her cheek upon her bosom, and forthwith became apearl more precious than all other jewels upon earth. 

And the prince took Barbara in his arms and blessed her, and turninground about, returned with the little child unto his home, while theforest and the sky and the angels sang a wondrous song. 

The city waited for the prince, but he did not come. None knew of theglory of the forest that Christmas morning, nor of the new life thatcame to little Barbara. 

_Come thou, dear Prince, oh, come to us this holy Christmas time! Cometo the busy marts of earth, the quiet homes, the noisy streets, thehumble lanes; come to us all, and with thy love touch every humanheart, that we may know that love, and in its blessed peace bearcharity to all mankind!_

CHRYSTMASSE OF OLDE

 God rest you, Chrysten gentil men, Wherever you may be, -- God rest you all in fielde or hall, Or on ye stormy sea; For on this morn oure Chryst is born That saveth you and me. 

 Last night ye shepherds in ye east Saw many a wondrous thing; Ye sky last night flamed passing bright Whiles that ye stars did sing, And angels came to bless ye name Of Jesus Chryst, oure Kyng. 

 God rest you, Chrysten gentil men, Faring where'er you may; In noblesse court do thou no sport, In tournament no playe, In paynim lands hold thou thy hands From bloudy works this daye. 

 But thinking on ye gentil Lord That died upon ye tree, Let troublings cease and deeds of peace Abound in Chrystantie; For on this morn ye Chryst is born That saveth you and me. 

THE MOUSE AND THE MOONBEAM

Whilst you were sleeping, little Dear-my-Soul, strange thingshappened; but that I saw and heard them, I should never have believedthem. The clock stood, of course, in the corner, a moonbeam floatedidly on the floor, and a little mauve mouse came from the hole in thechimney corner and frisked and scampered in the light of the moonbeamupon the floor. The little mauve mouse was particularly merry;sometimes she danced upon two legs and sometimes upon four legs, butalways very daintily and always very merrily. 

"Ah, me!" sighed the old clock, "how different mice are nowadays fromthe mice we used to have in the good old times! Now there was yourgrandma, Mistress Velvetpaw, and there was your grandpa, MasterSniffwhisker, --how grave and dignified they were! Many a night have Iseen them dancing upon the carpet below me, but always the statelyminuet and never that crazy frisking which you are executing now, tomy surprise--yes, and to my horror, too. "

"But why shouldn't I be merry?" asked the little mauve mouse. "To-morrow is Christmas, and this is Christmas eve. "

"So it is, " said the old clock. "I had really forgotten all about it. But tell me, what is Christmas to you, little Miss Mauve Mouse?"

"A great deal to me!" cried the little mauve mouse. "I have been verygood a very long time: I have not used any bad words, nor have Ignawed any holes, nor have I stolen any canary seed, nor have Iworried my mother by running behind the flour-barrel where that horridtrap is set. In fact, I have been so good that I'm very sure SantaClaus will bring me something very pretty. "

This seemed to amuse the old clock mightily; in fact, the old clockfell to laughing so heartily that in an unguarded moment she strucktwelve instead of ten, which was exceedingly careless and therefore tobe reprehended. 

"Why, you silly little mauve mouse, " said the old clock, "you don'tbelieve in Santa Claus, do you?"

"Of course I do, " answered the little mauve mouse. "Believe in SantaClaus? Why shouldn't I? Didn't Santa Claus bring me a beautifulbutter-cracker last Christmas, and a lovely gingersnap, and adelicious rind of cheese, and--and--lots of things? I should be veryungrateful if I did not believe in Santa Claus, and I certainly shallnot disbelieve in him at the very moment when I am expecting him toarrive with a bundle of goodies for me. 

[Illustration: "But why shouldn't I be merry?" asked the little mauvemouse. "To-morrow is Christmas, and this is Christmas eve. "]

"I once had a little sister, " continued the little mauve mouse, "whodid not believe in Santa Claus, and the very thought of the fate thatbefell her makes my blood run cold and my whiskers stand on end. Shedied before I was born, but my mother has told me all about her. Perhaps you never saw her; her name was Squeaknibble, and she was instature one of those long, low, rangy mice that are seldom found inwell-stocked pantries. Mother says that Squeaknibble took after ourancestors who came from New England, where the malignant ingenuity ofthe people and the ferocity of the cats rendered life precariousindeed. Squeaknibble seemed to inherit many ancestral traits, the mostconspicuous of which was a disposition to sneer at some of the mostrespected dogmas in mousedom. From her very infancy she doubted, forexample, the widely accepted theory that the moon was composed ofgreen cheese; and this heresy was the first intimation her parents hadof the sceptical turn of her mind. Of course, her parents were vastlyannoyed, for their maturer natures saw that this youthful scepticismportended serious, if not fatal, consequences. Yet all in vain did thesagacious couple reason and plead with their headstrong and hereticalchild. 

"For a long time Squeaknibble would not believe that there was anysuch archfiend as a cat; but she came to be convinced to the contraryone memorable night, on which occasion she lost two inches of herbeautiful tail, and received so terrible a fright that for fully anhour afterward her little heart beat so violently as to lift her offher feet and bump her head against the top of our domestic hole. Thecat that deprived my sister of so large a percentage of her vertebralcolophon was the same brindled ogress that nowadays steals ever andanon into this room, crouches treacherously behind the sofa, andfeigns to be asleep, hoping, forsooth, that some of us, heedless ofher hated presence, will venture within reach of her diabolical claws. So enraged was this ferocious monster at the escape of my sister thatshe ground her fangs viciously together, and vowed to take no pleasurein life until she held in her devouring jaws the innocent little mousewhich belonged to the mangled bit of tail she even then clutched inher remorseless claws. "

"Yes, " said the old clock, "now that you recall the incident, Irecollect it well. I was here then, in this very corner, and Iremember that I laughed at the cat and chided her for her awkwardness. My reproaches irritated her; she told me that a clock's duty was torun itself down, _not_ to be depreciating the merits of others! Yes, Irecall the time; that cat's tongue is fully as sharp as her claws. "

"Be that as it may, " said the little mauve mouse, "it is a matter ofhistory, and therefore beyond dispute, that from that very moment thecat pined for Squeaknibble's life; it seemed as if that one littletwo-inch taste of Squeaknibble's tail had filled the cat with aconsuming passion, or appetite, for the rest of Squeaknibble. So thecat waited and watched and hunted and schemed and devised and dideverything possible for a cat--a cruel cat--to do in order to gain hermurderous ends. One night--one fatal Christmas eve--our mother hadundressed the children for bed, and was urging upon them to go tosleep earlier than usual, since she fully expected that Santa Clauswould bring each of them something very palatable and nice beforemorning. Thereupon the little dears whisked their cunning tails, pricked up their beautiful ears, and began telling one another whatthey hoped Santa Claus would bring. One asked for a slice ofRoquefort, another for Neufchatel, another for Sap Sago, and a fourthfor Edam; one expressed a preference for de Brie, while another hopedto get Parmesan; one clamored for imperial blue Stilton, and anothercraved the fragrant boon of Caprera. There were fourteen little onesthen, and consequently there were diverse opinions as to the kind ofgift which Santa Claus should best bring; still, there was, as you canreadily understand, an enthusiastic unanimity upon this point, namely, that the gift should be cheese of some brand or other. 

"'My dears, ' said our mother, 'what matters it whether the boon whichSanta Claus brings be royal English cheddar or fromage de Bricquebec, Vermont sage, or Herkimer County skim-milk? We should be content withwhatsoever Santa Claus bestows, so long as it be cheese, disjoinedfrom all traps whatsoever, unmixed with Paris green, and free fromglass, strychnine, and other harmful ingredients. As for myself, Ishall be satisfied with a cut of nice, fresh Western reserve; fortruly I recognize in no other viand or edible half the fragrance orhalf the gustfulness to be met with in one of these pale but aromaticdomestic products. So run away to your dreams now, that Santa Clausmay find you sleeping. '

"The children obeyed, --all but Squeaknibble. 'Let the others thinkwhat they please, ' said she, 'but _I_ don't believe in Santa Claus. I'm not going to bed, either. I'm going to creep out of this dark holeand have a quiet romp, all by myself, in the moonlight. ' Oh, what avain, foolish, wicked little mouse was Squeaknibble! But I will notreproach the dead; her punishment came all too swiftly. Now listen:who do you suppose overheard her talking so disrespectfully of SantaClaus?"

"Why, Santa Claus himself, " said the old clock. 

"Oh, no, " answered the little mauve mouse. "It was that wicked, murderous cat! Just as Satan lurks and lies in wait for bad children, so does the cruel cat lurk and lie in wait for naughty little mice. And you can depend upon it that, when that awful cat heardSqueaknibble speak so disrespectfully of Santa Claus, her wicked eyesglowed with joy, her sharp teeth watered, and her bristling furemitted electric sparks as big as marrowfat peas. Then what did thatblood-thirsty monster do but scuttle as fast as she could intoDear-my-Soul's room, leap up into Dear-my-Soul's crib, and walk offwith the pretty little white muff which Dear-my-Soul used to wear whenshe went for a visit to the little girl in the next block! What uponearth did the horrid old cat want with Dear-my-Soul's pretty littlewhite muff? Ah, the duplicity, the diabolical ingenuity of that cat!Listen. 

"In the first place, " resumed the little mauve mouse, after a pausethat testified eloquently to the depth of her emotion, --"in the firstplace, that wretched cat dressed herself up in that pretty littlewhite muff, by which you are to understand that she crawled throughthe muff just so far as to leave her four cruel legs at liberty. "

"Yes, I understand, " said the old clock. 

"Then she put on the boy doll's fur cap, " said the little mauve mouse, "and when she was arrayed in the boy doll's fur cap and Dear-my-Soul'spretty little white muff, of course she didn't look like a cruel catat all. But whom did she look like?"

"Like the boy doll, " suggested the old clock. 

"No, no!" cried the little mauve mouse. 

"Like Dear-my-Soul?" asked the old clock. 

"How stupid you are!" exclaimed the little mauve mouse. "Why, shelooked like Santa Claus, of course!"

"Oh, yes; I see, " said the old clock. "Now I begin to be interested;go on. "

"Alas!" sighed the little mauve mouse, "not much remains to be told;but there is more of my story left than there was of Squeaknibble whenthat horrid cat crawled out of that miserable disguise. You are tounderstand that, contrary to her sagacious mother's injunction, and innotorious derision of the mooted coming of Santa Claus, Squeaknibbleissued from the friendly hole in the chimney corner, and gambolledabout over this very carpet, and, I dare say, in this very moonlight. "

"I do not know, " said the moonbeam faintly. "I am so very old, and Ihave seen so many things--I do not know. "

"Right merrily was Squeaknibble gambolling, " continued the littlemauve mouse, "and she had just turned a double back somersault withoutthe use of what remained of her tail, when, all of a sudden, shebeheld, looming up like a monster ghost, a figure all in white fur!Oh, how frightened she was, and how her little heart did beat! 'Purr, purr-r-r, ' said the ghost in white fur. 'Oh, please don't hurt me!'pleaded Squeaknibble. 'No; I'll not hurt you, ' said the ghost inwhite fur; 'I'm Santa Claus, and I've brought you a beautiful piece ofsavory old cheese, you dear little mousie, you. ' Poor Squeaknibble wasdeceived; a sceptic all her life, she was at last befooled by the mostpalpable and most fatal of frauds. 'How good of you!' saidSqueaknibble. 'I didn't believe there was a Santa Claus, and--' butbefore she could say more she was seized by two sharp, cruel clawsthat conveyed her crushed body to the murderous mouth of mousedom'smost malignant foe. I can dwell no longer upon this harrowing scene. Suffice it to say that ere the morrow's sun rose like a big yellowHerkimer County cheese upon the spot where that tragedy had beenenacted, poor Squeaknibble passed to that bourn whence two inches ofher beautiful tail had preceded her by the space of three weeks to aday. As for Santa Claus, when he came that Christmas eve, bringingmorceaux de Brie and of Stilton for the other little mice, he heardwith sorrow of Squeaknibble's fate; and ere he departed he said thatin all his experience he had never known of a mouse or of a child thathad prospered after once saying that he didn't believe in SantaClaus. "

"Well, that is a remarkable story, " said the old clock. "But if youbelieve in Santa Claus, why aren't you in bed?"

"That's where I shall be presently, " answered the little mauve mouse, "but I must have my scamper, you know. It is very pleasant, I assureyou, to frolic in the light of the moon; only I cannot understand whyyou are always so cold and so solemn and so still, you pale, prettylittle moonbeam. "

"Indeed, I do not know that I am so, " said the moonbeam. "But I amvery old, and I have travelled many, many leagues, and I have seenwondrous things. Sometimes I toss upon the ocean, sometimes I fallupon a slumbering flower, sometimes I rest upon a dead child's face. Isee the fairies at their play, and I hear mothers singing lullabies. Last night I swept across the frozen bosom of a river. A woman's facelooked up at me; it was the picture of eternal rest. 'She issleeping, ' said the frozen river. 'I rock her to and fro, and sing toher. Pass gently by, O moonbeam; pass gently by, lest you awakenher. '"

"How strangely you talk, " said the old clock. "Now, I'll warrant methat, if you wanted to, you could tell many a pretty and wonderfulstory. You must know many a Christmas tale; pray, tell us one to wearaway this night of Christmas watching. "

"I know but one, " said the moonbeam. "I have told it over and overagain, in every land and in every home; yet I do not weary of it. Itis very simple. Should you like to hear it?"

"Indeed we should, " said the old clock; "but before you begin, let mestrike twelve; for I shouldn't want to interrupt you. "

When the old clock had performed this duty with somewhat more thanusual alacrity, the moonbeam began its story:

"Upon a time--so long ago that I can't tell how long ago it was--Ifell upon a hill-side. It was in a far distant country; this I know, because, although it was the Christmas time, it was not in thatcountry as it is wont to be in countries to the north. Hither thesnow-king never came; flowers bloomed all the year, and at all timesthe lambs found pleasant pasturage on the hill-sides. The night windwas balmy, and there was a fragrance of cedar in its breath. Therewere violets on the hill-side, and I fell amongst them and lay there. I kissed them, and they awakened. 'Ah, is it you, little moonbeam?'they said, and they nestled in the grass which the lambs had leftuncropped. 

"A shepherd lay upon a broad stone on the hill-side; above him spreadan olive-tree, old, ragged, and gloomy; but now it swayed its rustybranches majestically in the shifting air of night. The shepherd'sname was Benoni. Wearied with long watching, he had fallen asleep; hiscrook had slipped from his hand. Upon the hill-side, too, slept theshepherd's flock. I had counted them again and again; I had stolenacross their gentle faces and brought them pleasant dreams of greenpastures and of cool water-brooks. I had kissed old Benoni, too, as helay slumbering there; and in his dreams he seemed to see Israel's Kingcome upon earth, and in his dreams he murmured the promised Messiah'sname. 

"'Ah, is it you, little moonbeam?' quoth the violets. 'You have comein good time. Nestle here with us, and see wonderful things come topass. '

"'What are these wonderful things of which you speak?' I asked. 

"'We heard the old olive-tree telling of them to-night, ' said theviolets. 'Do not go to sleep, little violets, ' said the oldolive-tree, 'for this is Christmas night, and the Master shall walkupon the hill-side in the glory of the midnight hour. ' So we waitedand watched; one by one the lambs fell asleep; one by one the starspeeped out; the shepherd nodded and crooned, and crooned and nodded, and at last he, too, went fast asleep, and his crook slipped from hiskeeping. Then we called to the old olive-tree yonder, asking how soonthe midnight hour would come; but all the old olive-tree answered was'Presently, presently, ' and finally we, too, fell asleep, wearied byour long watching, and lulled by the rocking and swaying of the oldolive-tree in the breezes of the night. 

"'But who is this Master?' I asked. 

"'A child, a little child, ' they answered. 'He is called the littleMaster by the others. He comes here often, and plays among the flowersof the hill-side. Sometimes the lambs, gambolling too carelessly, havecrushed and bruised us so that we lie bleeding and are like to die;but the little Master heals our wounds and refreshes us once again. '

"I marvelled much to hear these things. 'The midnight hour is athand, ' said I, 'and I will abide with you to see this little Master ofwhom you speak. ' So we nestled among the verdure of the hill-side, andsang songs one to another. 

"'Come away!' called the night wind; 'I know a beauteous sea not farhence, upon whose bosom you shall float, float, float away out intothe mists and clouds, if you will come with me. '

"But I hid under the violets and amid the tall grass, that the nightwind might not woo me with its pleading. 'Ho, there, old olive-tree!'cried the violets; 'do you see the little Master coming? Is not themidnight hour at hand?'

"'I can see the town yonder, ' said the old olive-tree. 'A star beamsbright over Bethlehem, the iron gates swing open, and the littleMaster comes. '

"Two children came to the hill-side. The one, older than his comrade, was Dimas, the son of Benoni. He was rugged and sinewy, and over hisbrown shoulders was flung a goatskin; a leathern cap did not confinehis long, dark curly hair. The other child was he whom they called thelittle Master; about his slender form clung raiment white as snow, andaround his face of heavenly innocence fell curls of golden yellow. Sobeautiful a child I had not seen before, nor have I ever since seensuch as he. And as they came together to the hill-side, there seemedto glow about the little Master's head a soft white light, as if themoon had sent its tenderest, fairest beams to kiss those golden curls. 

"'What sound was that?' cried Dimas, for he was exceeding fearful. 

"'Have no fear, Dimas, ' said the little Master. 'Give me thy hand, andI will lead thee. '

"Presently they came to the rock whereon Benoni, the shepherd, lay;and they stood under the old olive-tree, and the old olive-tree swayedno longer in the night wind, but bent its branches reverently in thepresence of the little Master. It seemed as if the wind, too, stayedin its shifting course just then; for suddenly there was a solemnhush, and you could hear no noise, except that in his dreams Benonispoke the Messiah's name. 

[Illustration: "'What sound was that?' cried Dimas, for he wasexceeding fearful. "]

"'Thy father sleeps, ' said the little Master, 'and it is well that itis so; for that I love thee Dimas, and that thou shalt walk with me inmy Father's kingdom, I would show thee the glories of my birthright. '

"Then all at once sweet music filled the air, and light, greater thanthe light of day, illumined the sky and fell upon all that hill-side. The heavens opened, and angels, singing joyous songs, walked to theearth. More wondrous still, the stars, falling from their places inthe sky, clustered upon the old olive-tree, and swung hither andthither like colored lanterns. The flowers of the hill-side allawakened, and they, too, danced and sang. The angels, coming hither, hung gold and silver and jewels and precious stones upon the oldolive, where swung the stars; so that the glory of that sight, thoughI might live forever, I shall never see again. When Dimas heard andsaw these things he fell upon his knees, and catching the hem of thelittle Master's garment, he kissed it. 

"'Greater joy than this shall be thine, Dimas, ' said the littleMaster; 'but first must all things be fulfilled. '

"All through that Christmas night did the angels come and go withtheir sweet anthems; all through that Christmas night did the starsdance and sing; and when it came my time to steal away, the hill-sidewas still beautiful with the glory and the music of heaven. "

"Well, is that all?" asked the old clock. 

"No, " said the moonbeam; "but I am nearly done. The years went on. Sometimes I tossed upon the ocean's bosom, sometimes I scampered o'era battle-field, sometimes I lay upon a dead child's face. I heard thevoices of Darkness and mothers' lullabies and sick men's prayers--andso the years went on. 

"I fell one night upon a hard and furrowed face. It was of ghostlypallor. A thief was dying on the cross, and this was his wretchedface. About the cross stood men with staves and swords and spears, butnone paid heed unto the thief. Somewhat beyond this cross another waslifted up, and upon it was stretched a human body my light fell notupon. But I heard a voice that somewhere I had heard before, --thoughwhere I did not know, --and this voice blessed those that railed andjeered and shamefully entreated. And suddenly the voice called'Dimas, Dimas!' and the thief upon whose hardened face I rested madeanswer. 

"Then I saw that it was Dimas; yet to this wicked criminal thereremained but little of the shepherd child whom I had seen in all hisinnocence upon the hill-side. Long years of sinful life had searedtheir marks into his face; yet now, at the sound of that familiarvoice, somewhat of the old-time boyish look came back, and in theyearning of the anguished eyes I seemed to see the shepherd's sonagain. 

"'The Master!' cried Dimas, and he stretched forth his neck that hemight see him that spake. 

"'O Dimas, how art thou changed!' cried the Master, yet there was inhis voice no tone of rebuke save that which cometh of love. 

"Then Dimas wept, and in that hour he forgot his pain. And theMaster's consoling voice and the Master's presence there wrought inthe dying criminal such a new spirit, that when at last his head fellupon his bosom, and the men about the cross said that he was dead, itseemed as if I shined not upon a felon's face, but upon the face ofthe gentle shepherd lad, the son of Benoni. 

"And shining on that dead and peaceful face, I bethought me of thelittle Master's words that he had spoken under the old olive-tree uponthe hill-side: 'Your eyes behold the promised glory now, O Dimas, ' Iwhispered, 'for with the Master you walk in Paradise. '"

 * * * * *

Ah, little Dear-my-Soul, you know--you know whereof the moonbeamspake. The shepherd's bones are dust, the flocks are scattered, theold olive-tree is gone, the flowers of the hill-side are withered, andnone knoweth where the grave of Dimas is made. But last night, again, there shined a star over Bethlehem, and the angels descended from thesky to earth, and the stars sang together in glory. And thebells, --hear them, little Dear-my-Soul, how sweetly they areringing, --the bells bear us the good tidings of great joy thisChristmas morning, that our Christ is born, and that with him hebringeth peace on earth and good-will toward men. 

CHRISTMAS MORNING

 The angel host that sped last night, Bearing the wondrous news afar, Came in their ever-glorious flight Unto a slumbering little star. 

 "Awake and sing, O star!" they cried. "Awake and glorify the morn! Herald the tidings far and wide-- He that shall lead His flock is born!"

 The little star awoke and sung As only stars in rapture may, And presently where church bells hung The joyous tidings found their way. 

[Illustration: Share thou this holy time with me, The universal hymn of love. ]

 "Awake, O bells! 't is Christmas morn-- Awake and let thy music tell To all mankind that now is born What Shepherd loves His lambkins well!"

 Then rang the bells as fled the night O'er dreaming land and drowsing deep, And coming with the morning light, They called, my child, to you asleep. 

 Sweetly and tenderly they spoke, And lingering round your little bed, Their music pleaded till you woke, And this is what their music said:

 "Awake and sing! 'tis Christmas morn, Whereon all earth salutes her King! In Bethlehem is the Shepherd born. Awake, O little lamb, and sing!"

 So, dear my child, kneel at my feet, And with those voices from above Share thou this holy time with me, The universal hymn of love. 

December 25, 1890. 

MISTRESS MERCILESS

This is to tell of our little Mistress Merciless, who for a seasonabided with us, but is now and forever gone from us unto the far-offland of Ever-Plaisance. The tale is soon told; for it were not seemlyto speak all the things that are in one's heart when one hath to sayof a much-beloved child, whose life here hath been shortened so that, in God's wisdom and kindness, her life shall be longer in that gardenthat bloometh far away. 

You shall know that all did call her Mistress Merciless; but hermercilessness was of a sweet, persuasive kind: for with the beauty ofher face and the music of her voice and the exceeding sweetness of hervirtues was she wont to slay all hearts; and this she did unwittingly, for she was a little child. And so it was in love that we did call herMistress Merciless, just as it was in love that she did lord it overall our hearts. 

Upon a time walked she in a full fair garden, and there went with heran handmaiden that we did call in merry wise the Queen of Sheba; forthis handmaiden was in sooth no queen at all, but a sorry andill-favored wench; but she was assotted upon our little MistressMerciless and served her diligently, and for that good reason wasvastly beholden of us all. Yet, in a jest, we called her the Queen ofSheba; and I make a venture that she looked exceeding fair in the eyesof our little Mistress Merciless: for the eyes of children look notupon the faces but into the hearts and souls of others. Whilst thesetwo walked in the full fair garden at that time they came presentlyunto an arbor wherein there was a rustic seat, which was called theSiege of Restfulness; and hereupon sate a little sick boy that, fromhis birth, had been lame, so that he could not play and make merrywith other children, but was wont to come every day into this fullfair garden and content himself with the companionship of the flowers. And, though he was a little lame boy, he never trod upon thoseflowers; and even had he done so, methinks the pressure of thosecrippled feet had been a caress, for the little lame boy was filledwith the spirit of love and tenderness. As the tiniest, whitest, shrinking flower exhaleth the most precious perfume, so in and fromthis little lame boy's life there came a grace that was hallowing inits beauty. 

Since they never before had seen him, they asked him his name; and heanswered them that of those at home he was called Master Sweetheart, aname he could not understand: for surely, being a cripple, he must bea very sorry sweetheart; yet, that he was a sweetheart unto his motherat least he had no doubt, for she did love to hold him in her lap andcall him by that name; and many times when she did so he saw thattears were in her eyes, --a proof, she told him when he asked, thatMaster Sweetheart was her sweetheart before all others upon earth. 

It befell that our little Mistress Merciless and Master Sweetheartbecame fast friends, and the Queen of Sheba was handmaiden to themboth; for the simple, loyal creature had not a mind above the artlessprattle of childhood, and the strange allegory of the lame boy'sspeech filled her with awe, even as the innocent lisping of our littleMistress Merciless delighted her heart and came within thecomprehension of her limited understanding. So each day, when it wasfair, these three came into the full fair garden, and rambled theretogether; and when they were weary they entered into the arbor andsate together upon the Siege of Restfulness. Wit ye well there was nota flower or a tree or a shrub or a bird in all that full fair gardenwhich they did not know and love, and in very sooth every flower andtree and shrub and bird therein did know and love them. 

When they entered into the arbor, and sate together upon the Siege ofRestfulness, it was Master Sweetheart's wont to tell them of the landof Ever-Plaisance, for it was a conceit of his that he journeyed eachday nearer and nearer to that land, and that his journey thitherwardwas nearly done. How came he to know of that land I cannot say, for Ido not know; but I am fain to believe that, as he said, the exceedingfair angels told him thereof when by night, as he lay sleeping, theycame singing and with caresses to his bedside. 

I speak now of a holy thing, therefore I speak truth when I say thatwhile little children lie sleeping in their beds at night it pleasethGod to send His exceeding fair angels with singing and caresses tobear messages of His love unto those little sleeping children. And Ihave seen those exceeding fair angels bend with folded wings over thelittle cradles and the little beds, and kiss those little sleepingchildren and whisper God's messages of love to them, and I knew thatthose messages were full of sweet tidings; for, even though theyslept, the little children smiled. This have I seen, and there is nonewho loveth little children that will deny the truth of this thingwhich I have now solemnly declared. 

[Illustration: The strange allegory of the lame boy's speech filledher with awe. ]

Of that land of Ever-Plaisance was our little Mistress Merciless everfain to hear tell. But when she beset the rest of us to speak thereofwe knew not what to say other than to confirm such reports as MasterSweetheart had already made. For when it cometh to knowing of thatfar-off land, --ah me, who knoweth more than the veriest little child?And oftentimes within the bosom of a little, helpless, fading onethere bloometh a wisdom which sages cannot comprehend. So when sheasked us we were wont to bid her go to Master Sweetheart, for he knewthe truth and spake it. 

It is now to tell of an adventure which on a time befell in that fullfair garden of which you have heard me speak. In this garden livedmany birds of surpassing beauty and most rapturous song, and amongthem was one that they called Joyous, for that he did ever carol forthso joyously, it mattered not what the day soever might be. This birdJoyous had his home in the top of an exceeding high tree, hard by thepleasant arbor, and here did he use to sit at such times as the littlepeople came into that arbor, and then would he sing to them such songsas befitted that quiet spot, and them that came thereto. But there wasa full evil cat that dwelt near by, and this cruel beast found nopleasure in the music that Joyous did make continually; nay, thatmusic filled this full evil cat with a wicked thirst for the blood ofthat singing innocent, and she had no peace for the malice that waswithin her seeking to devise a means whereby she might comprehend thebird Joyous to her murderous intent. Now you must know that it was thewont of our little Mistress Merciless and of Master Sweetheart to feedthe birds in that fair garden with such crumbs as they were sufferedto bring with them into the arbor, and at such times would those birdsfly down with grateful twitterings and eat of those crumbs upon thegreensward round about the arbor. Wit ye well, it was a merry sight tosee those twittering birds making feast upon the good things whichthose children brought, and our little Mistress Merciless and littleMaster Sweetheart had sweet satisfaction therein. But, on a day, whilst thus those twittering birds made great feasting, lo! on asudden did that full evil cat whereof I have spoken steal softly froma thicket, and with one hideous bound make her way into the very midstof those birds and seize upon that bird Joyous, that was wont to singso merrily from the tree hard by the arbor. Oh, there was a mighty dinand a fearful fluttering, and the rest flew swiftly away, but Joyouscould not do so, because the full evil cat held him in her cruelfangs and claws. And I make no doubt that Joyous would speedily havemet his death, but that with a wrathful cry did our little MistressMerciless hasten to his rescue. And our little Mistress belabored thatfull evil cat with Master Sweetheart's crutch, until that cruel beastlet loose her hold upon the fluttering bird and was full glad toescape with her aching bones into the thicket again. So it was thatJoyous was recovered from death; but even then might it have faredill with him, had they not taken him up and dressed his wounds andcared for him until duly he was well again. And then they released himto do his plaisance, and he returned to his home in the tree hard bythe arbor and there he sung unto those children more sweetly than everbefore; for his heart was full of gratitude to our little MistressMerciless and Master Sweetheart. 

Now, of the dolls that she had in goodly number, that one which wasnamed Beautiful did our little Mistress Merciless love best. Know wellthat the doll Beautiful had come not from oversea, and was neither ofwax nor of china; but she was right ingeniously constructed of abed-key that was made of wood, and unto the top of this bed-key hadthe Queen of Sheba superadded a head with a fair face, and upon thebody and the arms of the key had she hung passing noble raiment. Untothis doll Beautiful was our little Mistress Merciless vastly beholden, and she did use to have the doll Beautiful lie by her side at nightwhilst she slept, and whithersoever during the day she went, therealso would she take the doll Beautiful, too. Much sorrow andlamentation, therefore, made our little Mistress Merciless when on anevil day the doll Beautiful by chance fell into the fish-pond, and wasnot rescued therefrom until one of her beauteous eyes had beendevoured of the envious water; so that ever thereafter the dollBeautiful had but one eye, and that, forsooth, was grievously faded. And on another evil day came a monster ribald dog pup and seized uponthe doll Beautiful whilst she reposed in the arbor, and bore her away, and romped boisterously with her upon the sward, and tore off herblack-thread hair, and sought to destroy her wholly, which surely hewould have done but for the Queen of Sheba, who made haste to rescuethe doll Beautiful, and chastise that monster ribald dog pup. 

Therefore, as you can understand, the time was right busily spent. Thefull fair garden, with its flowers and the singing birds and thegracious arbor and the Siege of Restfulness, found favor with thosechildren, and amid these joyous scenes did Master Sweetheart have totell each day of that far-off land of Ever-Plaisance, whither he saidhe was going. And one day, when the sun shone very bright, and thefull fair garden joyed in the music of those birds, Master Sweetheartdid not come, and they missed the little lame boy and wondered wherehe was. And as he never came again they thought at last that of asurety he had departed into that country whereof he loved to tell. Which thing filled our little Mistress Merciless with wonder andinquiry; and I think she was lonely ever after that, --lonely forMaster Sweetheart. 

I am thinking now of her and of him; for this is the Christmasseason, --the time when it is most meet to think of the children andother sweet and holy things. There is snow everywhere, snow and cold. The garden is desolate and voiceless: the flowers are gone, the treesare ghosts, the birds have departed. It is winter out there, and it iswinter, too, in this heart of mine. Yet in this Christmas season Ithink of them, and it pleaseth me--God forbid that I offend with muchspeaking--it pleaseth me to tell of the little things they did andloved. And you shall understand it all if, perchance, this sacredChristmas time a little Mistress Merciless of your own, or a littleMaster Sweetheart, clingeth to your knee and sanctifieth yourhearth-stone. 

When of an evening all the joy of day was done, would our littleMistress Merciless fall aweary; and then her eyelids would growexceeding heavy and her little tired hands were fain to fold. At sucha time it was my wont to beguile her weariness with little tales offaery, or with the gentle play that sleepy children like. Much was herfancy taken with what I told her of the train that every nightwhirleth away to Shut-Eye Town, bearing unto that beauteous countrysleepy little girls and boys. Nor would she be content until I toldher thereof, --yes, every night whilst I robed her in her cap and gownwould she demand of me that tale of Shut-Eye Town, and the wonderfultrain that was to bear her thither. Then would I say in this wise:

At Bedtime-ville there is a train of cars that waiteth for you, mysweet, --for you and for other little ones that would go to quiet, slumbrous Shut-Eye Town. 

But make no haste; there is room for all. Each hath a tiny car that issnug and warm, and when the train starteth each car swingethsoothingly this way and that way, this way and that way, through allthe journey of the night. 

Your little gown is white and soft; your little cap will hold thosepretty curls so fast that they cannot get away. Here is a curl thatpeepeth out to see what is going to happen. Hush, little curl! make nonoise; we will let you peep out at the wonderful sights, but you mustnot tell the others about it; let them sleep, snuggled close together. 

The locomotive is ready to start. Can you not hear it?

"Shug-chug! Shug-chug! Shug-chug!" That is what the locomotive issaying, all to itself. It knoweth how pleasant a journey it is aboutto make. 

"Shug-chug! Shug-chug! Shug-chug!"

Oh, many a time hath it proudly swept over prairie and hill, overriver and plain, through sleeping gardens and drowsy cities, swiftlyand quietly, bearing the little ones to the far, pleasant valley wherelieth Shut-Eye Town. 

"Shug-chug! Shug-chug! Shug-chug!"

So sayeth the locomotive to itself at the station in Bedtime-ville;for it knoweth how fair and far a journey is before it. 

Then a bell soundeth. Surely my little one heareth the bell!

"Ting-long! Ting-a-long! Ting-long!"

So soundeth the bell, and it seemeth to invite you to sleep anddreams. 

"Ting-long! Ting-a-long! Ting-long!"

How sweetly ringeth and calleth that bell. 

"To sleep--to dreams, O little lambs!" it seemeth to call. "Nestledown close, fold your hands, and shut your dear eyes! We are off andaway to Shut-Eye Town! Ting-long! Ting-a-long! Ting-long! To sleep--todreams, O little cosset lambs!"

And now the conductor calleth out in turn. "All aboard!" he calleth. "All aboard for Shut-Eye Town!" he calleth in a kindly tone. 

But, hark ye, dear-my-soul, make thou no haste; there is room for all. Here is a cosey little car for you. How like your cradle it is, for itis snug and warm, and it rocketh this way and that way, this way andthat way, all night long, and its pillows caress you tenderly. So stepinto the pretty nest, and in it speed to Shut-Eye Town. 

"Toot! Toot!"

That is the whistle. It soundeth twice, but it must sound again beforethe train can start. Now you have nestled down, and your dear handsare folded; let your two eyes be folded, too, my sweet; for in amoment you shall be rocked away, and away, away into the golden mistsof Balow!

"Ting-long! Ting-a-long! Ting-long!"

"All aboard!"

"Toot! Toot! Toot!"

And so my little golden apple is off and away for Shut-Eye Town!

Slowly moveth the train, yet faster by degrees. Your hands are folded, my beloved, and your dear eyes they are closed; and yet you see thebeauteous sights that skirt the journey through the mists of Balow. And it is rockaway, rockaway, rockaway, that your speeding cradlegoes, --rockaway, rockaway, rockaway, through the golden glories thatlie in the path that leadeth to Shut-Eye Town. 

"Toot! Toot!"

So crieth the whistle, and it is "down-brakes, " for here we are atGinkville, and every little one knoweth that pleasant waking-place, where mother with her gentle hands holdeth the gracious cup to hersleepy darling's lips. 

[Illustration: "Nestle down close, fold your hands, and shut your deareyes!"]

"Ting-long! Ting-a-long! Ting-long!" and off is the train again. Andswifter and swifter it speedeth, --oh, I am sure no other trainspeedeth half so swiftly! The sights my dear one sees! I cannot tellof them--one must see those beauteous sights to know how wonderfulthey are!

"Shug-chug! Shug-chug! Shug-chug!"

On and on and on the locomotive proudly whirleth the train. 

"Ting-long! Ting-a-long! Ting-long!"

The bell calleth anon, but fainter and evermore fainter; and fainterand fainter groweth that other calling--"Toot! Toot! Toot!"--tillfinally I know that in that Shut-Eye Town afar my dear one dreameththe dreams of Balow. 

This was the bedtime tale which I was wont to tell our little MistressMerciless, and at its end I looked upon her face to see it calm andbeautiful in sleep. 

Then was I wont to kneel beside her little bed and fold my twohands, --thus, --and let my heart call to the host invisible: "Oguardian angels of this little child, hold her in thy keeping from allthe perils of darkness and the night! O sovereign Shepherd, cherishThy little lamb and mine, and, Holy Mother, fold her to thy bosom andthy love! But give her back to me, --when morning cometh, restore yeunto me my little one!"

But once she came not back. She had spoken much of Master Sweetheartand of that land of Ever-Plaisance whither he had gone. And she wasnot afeard to make the journey alone; so once upon a time when ourlittle Mistress Merciless bade us good-by, and went away forever, weknew that it were better so; for she was lonely here, and without herthat far-distant country whither she journeyed were not content. Though our hearts were like to break for love of her, we knew that itwere better so. 

The tale is told, for it were not seemly to speak all the things thatare in one's heart when one hath to say of a much-beloved child whoselife here hath been shortened so that, in God's wisdom and kindness, her life shall be longer in that garden that bloometh far away. 

About me are scattered the toys she loved, and the doll Beautiful hathcome down all-battered and grim, --yet, oh! so very precious to me, from those distant years; yonder fareth the Queen of Sheba in herservice as handmaiden unto me and mine, --gaunt and doleful-eyed, yetstanch and sturdy as of old. The garden lieth under the Christmassnow, --the garden where ghosts of trees wave their arms and moan overthe graves of flowers; the once gracious arbor is crippled now withthe infirmities of age, the Siege of Restfulness fast sinketh intodecay, and long, oh! long ago did that bird Joyous carol forth hislast sweet song in the garden that was once so passing fair. 

And amid it all, --this heartache and the loneliness which the yearshave brought, --cometh my Christmas gift to-day: the solace of a visionof that country whither she--our little Mistress Merciless--hath gone;a glimpse of that far-off land of Ever-Plaisance. 

BETHLEHEM-TOWN

 As I was going to Bethlehem-town, Upon the earth I cast me down All underneath a little tree That whispered in this wise to me: "Oh, I shall stand on Calvary And bear what burthen saveth thee!"

 As up I fared to Bethlehem-town, I met a shepherd coming down, And thus he quoth: "A wondrous sight Hath spread before mine eyes this night, -- An angel host most fair to see, That sung full sweetly of a tree That shall uplift on Calvary What burthen saveth you and me!"

 And as I gat to Bethlehem-town, Lo! wise men came that bore a crown. "Is there, " cried I, "in Bethlehem A King shall wear this diadem?" "Good sooth, " they quoth, "and it is He That shall be lifted on the tree And freely shed on Calvary What blood redeemeth us and thee!"

 Unto a Child in Bethlehem-town The wise men came and brought the crown; And while the infant smiling slept, Upon their knees they fell and wept; But, with her babe upon her knee, Naught recked that Mother of the tree, That should uplift on Calvary What burthen saveth all and me. 

 Again I walk in Bethlehem-town And think on Him that wears the crown. I may not kiss His feet again, Nor worship Him as did I then; My King hath died upon the tree, And hath outpoured on Calvary What blood redeemeth you and me!

[Illustration: But, with her babe upon her knee, Naught recked that Mother of the tree. ]

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE

Once upon a time the forest was in a great commotion. Early in theevening the wise old cedars had shaken their heads ominously andpredicted strange things. They had lived in the forest many, manyyears; but never had they seen such marvellous sights as were to beseen now in the sky, and upon the hills, and in the distant village. 

"Pray tell us what you see, " pleaded a little vine; "we who are not astall as you can behold none of these wonderful things. Describe themto us, that we may enjoy them with you. "

"I am filled with such amazement, " said one of the cedars, "that I canhardly speak. The whole sky seems to be aflame, and the stars appearto be dancing among the clouds; angels walk down from heaven to theearth, and enter the village or talk with the shepherds upon thehills. "

The vine listened in mute astonishment. Such things never before hadhappened. The vine trembled with excitement. Its nearest neighbor wasa tiny tree, so small it scarcely ever was noticed; yet it was a verybeautiful little tree, and the vines and ferns and mosses and otherhumble residents of the forest loved it dearly. 

"How I should like to see the angels!" sighed the little tree, "andhow I should like to see the stars dancing among the clouds! It mustbe very beautiful. "

As the vine and the little tree talked of these things, the cedarswatched with increasing interest the wonderful scenes over and beyondthe confines of the forest. Presently they thought they heard music, and they were not mistaken, for soon the whole air was full of thesweetest harmonies ever heard upon earth. 

"What beautiful music!" cried the little tree. "I wonder whence itcomes. "

"The angels are singing, " said a cedar; "for none but angels couldmake such sweet music. "

"But the stars are singing, too, " said another cedar; "yes, and theshepherds on the hills join in the song, and what a strangely glorioussong it is!"

The trees listened to the singing, but they did not understand itsmeaning: it seemed to be an anthem, and it was of a Child that hadbeen born; but further than this they did not understand. The strangeand glorious song continued all the night; and all that night theangels walked to and fro, and the shepherd-folk talked with theangels, and the stars danced and carolled in high heaven. And it wasnearly morning when the cedars cried out, "They are coming to theforest! the angels are coming to the forest!" And, surely enough, thiswas true. The vine and the little tree were very terrified, and theybegged their older and stronger neighbors to protect them from harm. But the cedars were too busy with their own fears to pay any heed tothe faint pleadings of the humble vine and the little tree. Theangels came into the forest, singing the same glorious anthem aboutthe Child, and the stars sang in chorus with them, until every part ofthe woods rang with echoes of that wondrous song. There was nothing inthe appearance of this angel host to inspire fear; they were clad allin white, and there were crowns upon their fair heads, and goldenharps in their hands; love, hope, charity, compassion, and joy beamedfrom their beautiful faces, and their presence seemed to fill theforest with a divine peace. The angels came through the forest towhere the little tree stood, and gathering around it, they touched itwith their hands, and kissed its little branches, and sang even moresweetly than before. And their song was about the Child, the Child, the Child that had been born. Then the stars came down from the skiesand danced and hung upon the branches of the tree, and they, too, sangthat song, --the song of the Child. And all the other trees and thevines and the ferns and the mosses beheld in wonder; nor could theyunderstand why all these things were being done, and why thisexceeding honor should be shown the little tree. 

When the morning came the angels left the forest, --all but one angel, who remained behind and lingered near the little tree. Then a cedarasked: "Why do you tarry with us, holy angel?" And the angel answered:"I stay to guard this little tree, for it is sacred, and no harm shallcome to it. "

The little tree felt quite relieved by this assurance, and it held upits head more confidently than ever before. And how it thrived andgrew, and waxed in strength and beauty! The cedars said they never hadseen the like. The sun seemed to lavish its choicest rays upon thelittle tree, heaven dropped its sweetest dew upon it, and the windsnever came to the forest that they did not forget their rude mannersand linger to kiss the little tree and sing it their prettiest songs. No danger ever menaced it, no harm threatened; for the angel neverslept, --through the day and through the night the angel watched thelittle tree and protected it from all evil. Oftentimes the treestalked with the angel; but of course they understood little of what hesaid, for he spoke always of the Child who was to become the Master;and always when thus he talked, he caressed the little tree, andstroked its branches and leaves, and moistened them with his tears. Itall was so very strange that none in the forest could understand. 

So the years passed, the angel watching his blooming charge. Sometimesthe beasts strayed toward the little tree and threatened to devour itstender foliage; sometimes the woodman came with his axe, intent uponhewing down the straight and comely thing; sometimes the hot, consuming breath of drought swept from the south, and sought to blightthe forest and all its verdure: the angel kept them from the littletree. Serene and beautiful it grew, until now it was no longer alittle tree, but the pride and glory of the forest. 

One day the tree heard some one coming through the forest. Hithertothe angel had hastened to its side when men approached; but now theangel strode away and stood under the cedars yonder. 

"Dear angel, " cried the tree, "can you not hear the footsteps of someone approaching? Why do you leave me?"

"Have no fear, " said the angel; "for He who comes is the Master. "

The Master came to the tree and beheld it. He placed His hands uponits smooth trunk and branches, and the tree was thrilled with astrange and glorious delight. Then He stooped and kissed the tree, andthen He turned and went away. 

Many times after that the Master came to the forest, and when He cameit always was to where the tree stood. Many times He rested beneaththe tree and enjoyed the shade of its foliage, and listened to themusic of the wind as it swept through the rustling leaves. Many timesHe slept there, and the tree watched over Him, and the forest wasstill, and all its voices were hushed. And the angel hovered near likea faithful sentinel. 

Ever and anon men came with the Master to the forest, and sat with Himin the shade of the tree, and talked with Him of matters which thetree never could understand; only it heard that the talk was of loveand charity and gentleness, and it saw that the Master was beloved andvenerated by the others. It heard them tell of the Master's goodnessand humility, --how He had healed the sick and raised the dead andbestowed inestimable blessings wherever He walked. And the tree lovedthe Master for His beauty and His goodness; and when He came to theforest it was full of joy, but when He came not it was sad. And theother trees of the forest joined in its happiness and its sorrow, forthey, too, loved the Master. And the angel always hovered near. 

The Master came one night alone into the forest, and His face was palewith anguish and wet with tears, and He fell upon His knees andprayed. The tree heard Him, and all the forest was still, as if itwere standing in the presence of death. And when the morning came, lo! the angel had gone. 

[Illustration: "They are killing me!" cried the tree. ]

Then there was a great confusion in the forest. There was a sound ofrude voices, and a clashing of swords and staves. Strange menappeared, uttering loud oaths and cruel threats, and the tree wasfilled with terror. It called aloud for the angel, but the angel camenot. 

"Alas, " cried the vine, "they have come to destroy the tree, the prideand glory of the forest!"

The forest was sorely agitated, but it was in vain. The strange menplied their axes with cruel vigor, and the tree was hewn to theground. Its beautiful branches were cut away and cast aside, and itssoft, thick foliage was strewn to the tenderer mercies of the winds. 

"They are killing me!" cried the tree; "why is not the angel here toprotect me?"

But no one heard the piteous cry, --none but the other trees of theforest; and they wept, and the little vine wept too. 

Then the cruel men dragged the despoiled and hewn tree from theforest, and the forest saw that beauteous thing no more. 

But the night wind that swept down from the City of the Great Kingthat night to ruffle the bosom of distant Galilee, tarried in theforest awhile to say that it had seen that day a cross upraised onCalvary, --the tree on which was stretched the body of the dyingMaster. 

STAR OF THE EAST

 Star of the East, that long ago Brought wise men on their way Where, angels singing to and fro, The Child of Bethlehem lay-- Above that Syrian hill afar Thou shinest out to-night, O Star!

[Illustration: To seek that manger out and lay Our gifts before the child-- To bring our hearts and offer them Unto our King in Bethlehem!]

 Star of the East, the night were drear But for the tender grace That with thy glory comes to cheer Earth's loneliest, darkest place; For by that charity we see Where there is hope for all and me. 

 Star of the East! show us the way In wisdom undefiled To seek that manger out and lay Our gifts before the child-- To bring our hearts and offer them Unto our King in Bethlehem!