stories for christmas

8/10/2019 Stories for Christmas

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PREFACE

I’ve always loved to read and so does my family. Basically, leave us in a library in the

morning and we’ll be content to sit there for hours. In June 2012, I decided to start a blog

to collect classic stories for children and adults alike. he collection kee!s growing. But

what makes me ha!!y are the comments that show that someone is ha!!y with the little

effort I’ve taken. hat e"actly, is the !ur!ose of my blog.

his little e#book of $hristmas stories has been !ut together for all to read, en%oy and

share. hese again, are classic stories and images, now available for free use in !ublic

domain. I claim no co!yright to the content. But I have edited it a little, to make it more

understandable.

&erry $hristmas and 'a!!y reading(

)lan

itles in *rder

he +ife and dventures of -anta $laus

1. icholas +oses his /amily

2. icholas makes his first gift(

. he ace for a -led(

. he ightmare before $hristmas3

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6. icholas 7 he 8ood#carver

9. he /irst $hristmas -tocking

:. icholas’s /irst ed -uit

;. <onder and Blit=en

>. ?i"en 7 he aughty eindeer

10. icholas goes down the $himney

11. he /irst $hristmas ree

12. @resent for icholas

1 . 'olly gets its ame1 . he +ast -tocking

16. he @assing of icholas

19. -anta $laus

Aidna!!ed -anta $laus

he ailor of loucester

he -tory of the $hristmas tree

Burglar’s $hristmas

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<raw close to the fire, all you who believe in the s!irit of $hristmas, whether you call it

-anta $laus, or sim!ly good will to menC and listen to the story of icholas the

8andering *r!han who became icholas the 8ood#carver, a lover of little children.

/ollow him through his first years as a lonely little boy, who had the knack of carving

!laythings for childrenC then as a young man, busy over the little toysC then as a

!ros!erous, fat, rosy old man, who overcomes all sorts of difficulties in order to attain his

ambition, a toy for every child in the village. +earn how he started to drive a beautiful

sleigh drawn by !rancing reindeerC why he first came down a chimneyC how he filled thefirst stockingC where the first $hristmas tree was decoratedC and finally how he came to

be known as D-aint icholasE and D-anta $laus.E






*nce u!on a time, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, in a little village on the

shores of the Baltic -ea, there lived a !oor fisherman and his wife and their two children

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Fa four#year#old son, icholas, and a tiny baby girl, Aatie. hey were only !oor fisher#

folk, and their home was a sim!le, one#room cottage, built of heavy stone blocks to kee!

out the free=ing north wind, but it was a cheery little !lace in s!ite of the !overty of its

occu!ants, because all the hearts there were loving and ha!!y.

*n cold winter nights, after the fisherman had come home from his hard dayGs

work out on the o!en sea, the little family would gather around the broad o!en fire!lace,

Fthe father stretching his tired limbs before the warm fire, !uffing !eacefully at his

after#su!!er !i!e, the mother knitting busily and casting now and then a watchful eye onthe two children !laying on the floor. icholas was busy over a tiny !iece of wood, which

he had decked with gay bits of cloth and worsted, while little Aatie watched him with

round, e"cited blue eyes, finally reaching out her eager, fat little hands to take the doll

Brother icholas had made for her. he glad crowing of the baby over her new toy

aroused the father, who turned to look at the scene with amused eyes, and then a rather

disa!!roving shake of the head.

H)h, &other,H he said, HIGd rather see icholas down at the boats with me learning to

mend a net than fussing with little girlsG toys and forever carrying Aatie about with him.

G isnGt natural for a boy to be so. ow when . . . H

H'ush, man,H interru!ted the woman.H icholas is hardly more than a baby himself, and

itGs a blessing that he takes such care of Aatie. I feel !erfectly safe about her when sheGs

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!laying with her brotherC heGs so gentle and sweet to her. ime enough for him to be a

fisherman when he grows too old to !lay with his baby sister.H

H rue enough, wife. 'eGs a good lad, and heGll be a better man for learning to be kind to

little ones.H

-o for another year icholas went on fashioning little !laythings for Aatie, and the

mother went about her many household tasks busily and ha!!ily, and the father continued

earning his familyGs daily bread in the teeth of biting gales and wild seas. In this way thelittle family might have gone on for years, until the father and mother had grown old,

until Aatie had become a beautiful young maiden taking the burden of the housework

from her motherGs shoulders, and until icholas had become a tall, strong youth, going

out every day in his fatherGs little fishing boat. ll this might have been, but for the events

of one wild, tragic night.

+ittle Aatie lay in her crib tossing feverishly. he mother bent over her fearfully, taking

her eyes from the hot little face only to glance an"iously now and then towards the door,

and straining her ears between each wail of the sick baby for sounds of footste!s on the

stone walk outside the cottage. /or the father was late,Flate tonight of all nights, when

he was needed to run to the other end of the town for the doctor. s the minutes dragged

on, the storm outside grew in fury, and the fear in the womanGs heart over the absence of

her husband and the !ainful whim!ering of the child finally goaded her into action. -he

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arose from her !osition beside the crib and swiftly !utting her shawl over her shoulders,

s!oke to icholas, who was trying to comfort little Aatie.

H+isten, my son,H she said uickly, Hyour father is late and IGll have to go for the doctor

myself. IGll have to leave you alone with Aatie. ouGll take care of her, wonGt you,

icholas, until &other gets backK Just see that she stays covered, and wet this cloth now

and then for her !oor, hot little forehead.H

icholas nodded solemnlyFof course he would take care of Aatie. he mother !atted hishead and smiled, and then was out in the wet, black, windy night. nd icholas watched

Aatie until she suddenly sto!!ed tossing the coverings aside, and her hot little forehead

grew cooler and cooler and then cold to his touchC and as the embers in the fire!lace grew

black and then gray, his head nodded, and he fell aslee! on the floor beside the crib.

nd thatGs the way the villagers found him the ne"t morning, when they carried home his

father, drowned when his boat was caught in the storm, and his mother, stricken down by

a falling tree. -o, of the once ha!!y little family of four, there was now only icholas,

the or!han.

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he fishermen of the village smoked one !i!e after another, and scratched their heads for

a long time over the !roblemC their good wives gathered together and clacked their

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tongues as busily as their knitting needlesC and the main to!ic of every conversation was

FH8hat is to become of that boy icholasKH

H*f course,H said fat Aristin, wife of 'ans, the ro!e#maker, Hno one wants to see the child

go hungry or leave him out in the coldC but with five little ones of our own, I donGt see

how we can take him in.H

H es,H chimed in &istress )lena ro=ik, Hand with the long winter well set in, and the

men barely able to go out in the boats, no fishermanGs family knows for certain where thene"t !iece of bread is coming from. nd with the scarcity of fuel . . .H

ll the ladies shivered and drew closer to reta BavranGs comfortable log fire, and sighed

heavily over their knitting.

&istress reta arose and !oked the fire thoughtfully. H8e could take him for awhile,H she

meditated aloud. HJan had many a good catch last season, and we have somewhat laid by

for the winter. 8e have only the three children, and thereGs that cot in the storehouse

where he could slee! . . . &ind you,H she interru!ted herself shar!ly as she noticed the

look of relief s!reading over the othersG faces, Hmind you, we might not have a crust to eat

ourselves ne"t winter, and besides, I think everybody in the village should have a share in

this.H

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HLuite right, &istress Bavran,H s!oke u! another. hen, turning to the grou!, H8hy

canGt we all agree that each one of us here will take icholas into her home for, say a

year, then let him change to another family, and so on until he reaches an age when he

can fend for himselfKH

HI su!!ose *laf and I can manage for one winter,H said one woman thoughtfully.

H ou may count on me,H added another. H ot for a few years, thoughC we have too many

babies in the house now. IGll wait until icholas gets a bit older.H

reta Bavran gave the last s!eaker a shar! look. H es, when heGs able to do more work,H

she muttered under her breath. hen aloudFH here are ten of us here now. If we each

agree to take icholas for a year, that will take care of him until heGs fifteen, and without

a doubt, heGll run away to sea long before that.H

he ladies laughed a!!rovingly, then feeling very virtuous at having !rovided for

icholas until he reached the age of fifteen, they arose, wra!!ed u! their knitting, and

!roceeded to wra! themselves u! in shawls and woolens before going out into the shar!

winter air.

H8ill you find my Jan at the sho!, and tell him to fetch icholas from the 8idow

+ufvitch where heGs been stayingKH called reta after the last woman.

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H hat I will, retaC then I must hurry to my baking. I almost forgot the $hristmas feast

tomorrow, with all this talk about the or!han.H

-o it was that icholas came to his first home#for#a#year on $hristmas )ve, to kindly

!eo!le who tried their best to make a lonely little five#year#old boy forget the tragic

events of the !ast week. In s!ite of the festivities of the day, he curled himself u! in a

corner of the storeroom, and with heartbroken sobs for his lost mother and father and

beloved Aatie, tried to drown out the sounds of merrymaking in the cottage. But the door

o!ened, and a little form was seen in the ray of light.

H8hat do you wantKH asked icholas almost roughly. H o awayC I want to be alone.H

he other little boyGs mouth uivered. H&y boatGs broken,H he cried, Hmy new boat I got

for the $hristmas feast, and /atherGs gone out, and &other canGt fi" it.H 'e held u! a toy

fishing boat. icholas dried his eyes on his sleeves and took the broken toy in his hands.

HIGll fi" it for you,H and he turned back to his corner.

H*h, come in here where thereGs more lightH said the youngest Bavran.

-o icholas went in where there was more light, and more children, and more laughter.

s the year !assed, the little boy gradually forgot his grief in the busy, ha!!y life of the

Bavran household. he other three children !layed with him, uarreled with him, and

came to acce!t him as one of themselves. icholas, in his turn, was not too young to

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a!!reciate the ha!!y year he s!ent with his new brother and sisters, and when he heard

talk in the household that $hristmas <ay would soon bring to a close his stay with the

Bavrans, his mind was confused with many different thoughts. here was sorrow in his

heart at leaving, a fear of what unknown life was awaiting him in the ne"t house, and a

growing desire to do something, no matter how small, to show his benefactors how much

he loved them and their children. he only things he owned in the world were the clothes

he wore, an e"tra coat and trousers, a sea#chest and a %ackknife which had belonged to his

father. 'e couldnGt !art with any of these, and yet he wanted to leave some little gift.

ha!!y thought struck himFAatie had always loved the little dolls and animals he hadmade for her out of bits of woodC maybe now, with the hel! of the %ack#knife, he could

fashion something even better. -o, for the last two weeks of his stay, he worked secretly

in the dark storeroom, hiding his knife and wood when he heard anybody a!!roaching,

and struggling furiously the last few days so that all would be finished by $hristmas

morningC because, since it was $hristmas when the Bavrans had taken him last winter, he

must be !assed along in e"actly a yearGs time.

he toys finally were finished. icholas gave them a last loving !olish, and looked at

them admiringlyFa handsome doll, dressed in a bright red skirt, for &argret, the eldestC a

little doll#chair, with three straight legs and one not so straight, for the ne"t little girl,

retchenC and a beautiful sleigh for his !laymate, *tto.

-o the ne"t day, when the three children were wee!ing loudly as they watched the little

sea#chest being !acked, and their father was waiting at the door to take icholas to 'ans

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the ro!e#makerGs house, the de!arting or!han slowly drew from behind his back the rough

little toys he had made, and forgot to cry himself as he watched the glee with which the

children welcomed their gifts. nd a lovely glow seemed to s!read itself over his heart

when he heard their thanks and saw their ha!!y faces.

H8ell, IGll be going now. ood#by, &argretC good#by, retchenC good#by, *tto. e"t year

I can make the toys better. IGll make you some ne"t $hristmas, too.H

nd with this !romise, icholas bravely turned his back on the ha!!y scene, to faceanother year some !lace else. 'is small form looked smaller still as he trudged along in

the snow beside the tall figure of Jan Bavran. 'is thin brown face, surrounded by a shock

of yellow hair, seemed older than his si" years, saddened as it was by this !arting, but the

blue eyes were still gay and warm at the thought of the ha!!iness he had left behind him.

H8ell,H he thought to himself as they a!!roached the ro!e#makerGs house, H maybe the

five children here will be %ust as nice to me as the Bavrans, and I can make toys for them,

too. $hristmas can be a ha!!y day for me, too, even if it is my moving day.H

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he $hristmas days that followed were ha!!y, not only for icholas, but for all the

children he met in his travels from house to house. t the ro!e#makerGs cottage, most of

the winter evenings were s!ent by the children learning to wind and untangle masses of

twine, and to do most of the sim!le net#mending. icholas discovered that by loosening

strands of fla"en#colored hem! he could make the most realistic hair for the little wooden

dolls he still found time to carve. 8hen he left at the end of the year on $hristmas <ay,

the ro!e#makerGs five little children found five little toys waiting for them on the mantel

of their fire!lace, and icholas did not forget his !romise to the three Bavrans, but made

a s!ecial tri! to their house $hristmas morning with their gifts.

nd so it ha!!ened, as the years went on, and icholas grew more and more skillful with

his fatherGs %ack#knife, that the children of each household came to e"!ect one of

icholasG toys on $hristmas <ay. ot one child was ever disa!!ointed, for the young

wood#carver had a faculty for remembering e"actly what each child liked. /ishermenGs

sons received toy boats built %ust as carefully as the larger boats their fathers ownedC little

girls were delighted with dolls that had Hreal hairH and with little chairs and tables where

they could have real tea#!arties.

ll this time, icholas had been busy with many other things besides toy#making. s he

grew into a tall, strong boy, there were many tasks in which he had his share, and which

he did willingly and well. In the s!ring, he learned to dig and !lant the hard northern soil

with the vegetables the family lived on during the winterC all summer he hel!ed with the

boats, mended nets, took care of chickens, cows, horses, and in one well#to#do household,

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even reindeer. 'e was an es!ecial favorite with the mothers, because the babies and

younger children would flock to icholas, who would !lay with them and care for them,

thus giving the tired mothers a chance to attend to the housework. <uring the winter

months, icholas attended school with the other boys and girls of the village, learning his

B$Gs in e"change for carrying in the wood for the schoolmasterGs fire.

-o on one !articular winterGs day we find icholas on his way to school, trudging along a

snowy country road, dragging behind him a sled loaded with logs of wood. 'e is now

fourteen years old, a tall, thin boy, dressed in the long, heavy tunic coat of the village,home#knit woolen leggings, and a close#fitting black ca! !ulled down over his yellow

hair. 'is eyes are blue and twinkling, and his cheeks rosy from the keen winter air. 'e

whistles ha!!ily, because, although in a week it will be $hristmas#time once more, and

he will have to make his final change, he remembers the chest full of finished toysFone

for every child in the village. It is the first year he has been able to do this, and the

thought of his tri!s on $hristmas morning, when he will !ersonally deliver to every child

one of his famous toys, makes him almost ski! along, burdened though he is with the

heavy sled of wood.

/inally he reached the yard of the schoolmasterGs cottage, and was immediately attracted

by the grou! of schoolboys, who, instead of running about !laying their usual games and

rom!ing in the snow, were gathered together in one big grou!, e"citedly discussing

something. s icholas entered the yard, they rushed over to him and began talking all at

once, their faces aglow with the wonderful news they had to tell.

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canGt coast, you have to !ull or carry your sled. here are about three fences to go overF

the ro=iksG, the BavransG, and the @avlicksGC then you have to go through the Black

8ood, where you know there are some clear, hilly stretches, and other !laces where you

canGt coast because of the trees. fter you go through the wood, thereGs a long slide down

to the village !astureC then you go back across the creek at the ra!ids, where it isnGt

fro=en, then u! the long hill behind the - uireGs to the big !ine. here, howGs that for a

raceKH *tto !aused for breath trium!hantly, and the others all started in again.

H icholas, youGll enter, wonGt youK hatGs not a bad sled you have, even if you did . . .HH'ush, Jan,H whis!ered another.H It isnGt nice to remind icholas that he made his own

sled, %ust because our fathers had ours made for us.H

But icholas was not listening to the conversation. 'e was thinking swiftly. /inally he

turned to the others and asked, H8hat time does the race beginKH

H ine oGclock shar! on $hristmas morning,H was the answer.

icholas shook his head doubtfully. HI donGt know whether I can be there,H he said slowly.

'e was thinking of the chest full of toys he had !lanned to deliver to almost every house

in the village. 'e had so many chores to do when he got u! in the morning, that he didnGt

see how he could !ossibly finish his work, make his rounds with the gifts, and still be in

time for the start of the race at nine oGclock.

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he other boys looked at him, suddenly silenced by the thought that came to every mind.

hey knew what icholas was thinking of when he said he wasnGt sure that heGd be there,

and although every child had come to e"!ect a toy from icholas on $hristmas morning,

these boys were too embarrassed to !ut into words the fact that because icholas was so

good to them, and es!ecially to their smaller brothers and sisters, he might not be able to

enter this race, which was so e"citing to every boyGs heart. nd for all his gentleness,

icholas was a real boy, and felt the desire to enter this race and win the big sled with

steel runners, %ust as much as any boy !resent.

HBy getting u! very early, and hurrying, I could get there,H he was thinking. HIf it only

werenGt for the doll I have to bring to )lsa, away outside the village . . . *h, I have it(H his

eyes gleamed with e"citement. 'e suddenly remembered that )lsaGs father was the wood#

cutter, and that their cottage was right in the !ath of the race. he doll could easily be

dro!!ed off in a few seconds, and he could continue.

HIGll be there( IGll be there( t nine oGclock shar!, and then youGd better watch out for the

!ri=e,H he shouted gleefully. H&y old home#made sled may be heavy for the !ulls and the

!laces we have to carry, but that will make it all the faster on the coasts. IGll go by you %ust

like this(H

nd he made a lunge !ast little Josef *rnoff, which tumbled the astonished little fellow

into a dee! snowbank. ll the other boys laughingly !iled icholas in with Josef, and the

whole meeting broke u! in a fast and furious snow battle.

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8hen the children of the village arose on $hristmas morning, they found a bright sun

streaming in through the cottage windows and gleaming on the hard crusted snow on the

roads. But they also found that icholas had been there, and !robably even before the

sun, because every doorway in the village was hea!ed with the little toysFthe result of a

whole yearGs work. fter the e"citement over the gifts, all the boys made an an"ious last#

minute ins!ection of their sleds, made a trial run or two, and then the whole village

started in a body for the starting#!oint of the race.

icholas, meanwhile, was back in his little shed, des!erately working on a broken runner.

It had colla!sed at the last house under the strain of the e"tra#heavy burden of wooden

toys, and even as icholas was feverishly lashing heavy bits of ro!e and twisted cord

around the bottom of his sled, he could hear the faint echo of the horn from the - uireGs

house at the to! of the hill, announcing the start of the race. 'e could have sobbed with

disa!!ointment, because he knew that he never could get there in time to start with the

others, but he also reali=ed he had to get to the wood#cutterGs house anyway, so he turned

the mended sled u!right, and made a mad dash for the hillto!, where he found the

villagers already looking e"citedly after a grou! of black s!ecks s!eeding down the hill,

and shouting words of encouragement at the racers. s icholas !anted his way through

the crowd, they all made way for him, with loud e"!ressions of sym!athy that he hadnGt

arrived there in time.

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H$ome on, icholas lad,H shouted Jan Bavran. HI vow IGd rather see you win than my own

*tto. 'ere, men, letGs give him a good !ush. *neFtwoFthreeFoff he goes(H

nd down the hill s!ed icholas, his face and eyes stinging in the swift rush of wind, his

hands cleverly steering the heavy sled which gained more and more s!eed so that the

wooden runners seemed hardly to touch the !acked snow. *n and on he went, swifter and

swifterC and now his eyes glowed with e"citement as he saw that the boysG figures ahead

of him were black s!ecks no longer, and that he must have gained a good bit of ground.

hen, as the hill slo!ed more gently and the !ace slackened, he noticed something ahead

which !u==led him. he boys had all sto!!ed on the other side of the fro=en creek(

Instead of going on through the !atch of woods on the other side, they had, one and all,

calmly alighted from their sleds, and were now standing stock#still, watching icholas

a!!roach. s his sled slowed down, and finally sto!!ed, he looked bewilderedly from one

to another, and started H8hat in the world . . .H

H$ome on, icholas,H s!oke u! little JosefC Hwe would have waited for you at the to!, but

the - uire got im!atient and made us start when the horn blew. But of course you knew

weGd wait for you.H

H es,H shouted *tto, Hgo throw that doll in )lsaGs doorway, and then letGs go( nd from

now on, see how long weGll wait for you( /irst come, first served with the sled with the

steel runners(H

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icholas !ut his hand on the nearest boyGs shoulder. 'is eyes glistened with moisture, but

it must have been from the shar! wind on the coast. 'e didnGt say anything, but he was so

ha!!y at this boyish way of showing friendshi! that his heart was full.

wenty boys delivered a doll to astonished little )lsa, and then, with a wild shout, they

were off again, dragging their sleds after them, knocking against tree#trunks, getting their

ro!es tangled in low scrubby bushes, stumbling over rocks, climbing over fences,

%um!ing on now and then for a stretch of coasting, bum!ing each otherFlaughing,e"cited, eager, ha!!y boys(

nd icholas was the ha!!iest of all, even though his sled was heavy to !ull and clumsy

to lift over fences. M'is friends had waited for him(N O! would go the strong young arms

and the sled was over the fence into the ne"t field. M hey did like him, even though he

was an or!han and had no house of his own, but had to be !assed around(N *ver a stee!

grade he would drag the sled and then fling himself down for a wild rush. M nd he had

finished his morningGs work tooC every child in the village was !laying with a toy

icholas had made(N he long slide down to the village !asture with only one boy ahead

of him( MIGll show themC IGll never let a $hristmas !ass without visiting every child in the

village(N ow carrying the heavy sled on his shoulders while he felt slowly for a foothold

on the flat stones of the !art of the creek that was not fro=enC he was the first boy to

cross( MO! at the to! of the hill, thereGs a beautiful sled with steel runners. ItGs big( It will

hold twice as many toys as this old thing.N O! the hill, !anting, hot, yellow locks flying in

2






the wind, digging his toes in the hard snow, !ulling for dear life at Hthe old thing,H turning

around e"citedly once or twice to see how close the ne"t boy wasC then Fsuddenly, he

heard the shouts of the villagers and he was at the to!( 'e leaned against the big !ineC he

was home Fhe had won the race(

he big sled with steel runners was beautiful, but it was more beautiful still to see the

defeated boys !ulling icholas home on his !ri=e, while the littler children ho!!ed on

behind and climbed lovingly all over the victor, and each mother and father smiled

!roudly as though it had been their own son who had won the race.

2






fter the crowd of villagers had dis!ersed on that merry $hristmas <ay of the race,

icholas was sto!!ed at the door of the fishermanGs cottage he had lived in for a year, by

a lean, dark#looking man who looked as though he had never smiled in his life. 'e had

26






dee! lines in his forehead, shaggy gray eyebrows which overhung and almost com!letely

hid his dee!#set gray eyes, and a mouth which went down at the corners, giving him an

e"!ression of grouchiness which never seemed to change. It was Bertran &arsden, the

wood#carver of the village, and all the children called him &ad &arsden, because he

lived alone, s!oke to hardly anybody in the town, and chased the children away from his

door with black looks and harsh words.

'e now edged u! to icholas, who was busy dragging his beloved new sled to his work#

shed behind the house. D ou havenGt forgotten icholas, that you move to my housetoday.H &arsden said gruffly.

icholas looked u!. o, he had not forgotten, and he well knew why &arsden had

offered to take him in for the last year of his life as a wandering or!han. he old wood#

carver had no children for icholas to take care of, he did no farming or fishing, and

therefore did not need a boy to hel! him out in that direction. he only reason he was

willing, even eager, to feed and clothe the or!han was because for almost five years now

he had watched the work icholas had been doing with his knife and carved woods, and

reali=ed that he could get a good a!!rentice chea!, without !aying even a cent for the

good work he knew he could get out of him.

Anowing all these things, and thinking of the bleak little cottage he would have to live in

for a year, where there was no laughter and sound of childrenGs voices, it was with a

heavy heart that icholas !iled u! his few belongings in the new sled, said a grateful

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farewell to the family he was leaving, and followed &ad &arsden home to the low,

mean#looking cottage on the outskirts of the village.

*n entering the cottage, he ste!!ed immediately into the main workroom of the wood#

carver. 'ere were found his bench, his table, his tools, and his woods. broad fire!lace

almost filled another side of the room, and black !ots and greasy kettles showed !lainly

that no scouring housewife had set foot in the cottage for years. !ile of tumbled

blankets in one corner was evidently &arsdenGs bed, and near the window was a table,

littered with the remains of his morning meal. hese and a few rickety chairs com!letedthe furnishings of this one dark room.

&arsden led the way in and !ointed to a door in the corner. H ou can stow your

belongings in there,H he said over his shoulder to icholas, who was standing in the

middle of the untidy room, looking around him in dismay. H hereGs a cot you can slee!

on, and you may as well !ut that !retty sled away for good. 8e have no time here to go

rom!ing in the snow.H

icholas nodded silently, too !u==led at the old manGs living uarters to be hurt by the

harsh words. 'e could not understand why &arsden should live so meanly, because, as

the only wood#carver in the village, he was ke!t busy all the time filling orders for his

hand#carved tables, chairs, cabinets, bridal chests, sleighs, and several other useful

household articles that the villagers were in constant need of. he !oorer !eo!le !aid him

in flour, vegetables, fishFwhatever they could send himC the more well#to#do gave him

2:






good gold coin for his work. ot only that, but it was a well#known fact that he did work

for the !eo!le in two or three neighboring villages, where there was no other wood#

carver. In s!ite of the fact, then, that he !robably had more money than any of the !oor

fishermen in the village, his cottage was meaner and shabbier than any of the well#

scrubbed houses in which icholas had s!ent the !ast nine years.

H$ome now, icholas, donGt stand there gawking. @ut away your belongingsC you have

much to learn here. IGm going to make a good wood#carver of you. o time for silly little

dolls and wooden horsesC youGll have to earn your kee! here. nd mind you, I wonGt havethis !lace filled with screaming little brats. ou kee! that tribe of young ones thatGs

always following you about out of here, do you understandKH

'is eyes gleamed fiercely beneath the shaggy brows. icholas stammered in a frightened

voice, H esFyes, master. But,H he !leaded, suddenly struck by the thought that he might

not see any of his little friends any more, Hbut they donGt do any harm, the childrenFthey

only like to watch me work, and I wouldnGt let them get in your way or touch anything3H

H-ilence(H roared the old man, shaking his fists in the air and glaring at the frightened

boy. HI wonGt have Gem, do you understandK I want to be alone. I wouldnGt have you here if

the work didnGt !ile u! so that I need a hel!er. But youGll have to work, and thereGll be no

time for $hristmas visits to children and all that nonsense.H

2;






icholas bowed his head and went silently to work !utting away his small bundle of

clothing, his few books, his fatherGs sea#chest and %ack#knife. he year ahead of him

stretched forth bleakly, and only the thought that he was now fourteen years old and

almost a man ke!t him from crying himself to slee! that night in his dark, cold little

room.

-o icholas started to work for the mad old wood#carver, and learned many things. 'e

learned that his fatherGs old %ack#knife was a clumsy tool com!ared with the beautiful

shar! knives and wheels that &arsden usedC he learned to work for hours, bent over the bench beside his master, !atiently going over and over one stick of wood until it was

!laned to the e"act hundredth of an inch that his teacher re uiredC he learned to kee! on

working even though the back of his neck almost shrieked with !ain, and the muscles of

his arms and hands grew lame from so much steady labor. ll this, he grew used to in

time, for he was a strong, sturdy lad, and young enough so that his muscles became

accustomed to the hard workC but what he felt he never could get used to was the dreadful

loneliness of the !lace. 'is friends, the children, gradually gave u! trying to see him after

they had been shooed away from the door by the cross old wood#carverC &arsden himself

rarely talked, e"ce!t to give brief instructions about the work, or to scold him for some

mistake. -o icholas was sad and lonely, and longed for the days when he had been in

friendly cottages, surrounded by a laughing grou! of children.

In addition to his duties at the work#bench, he also attem!ted to straighten out the two

miserable little rooms where they lived. &arsden was sur!rised one morning on

2>






awakening to discover that icholas, who had risen two hours earlier, had swe!t and

scrubbed the floor and hearthstone, taken down the dirty hangings from the two little

windows and had them airing in the yard, and was now busily scrubbing with clean sea#

sand the dirt#incrusted !ots and !ans. he table was set in front of the fire with a clean

white cloth and dishes, and the kettle was bubbling merrily on the hearth.

&arsden o!ened his mouth to s!eak, then closed it without saying a word. icholas took

the kettle from the fire, !oured the boiling water over the tea#leaves, s!read some bread

with fresh, sweet butter, and said sim!ly, H our breakfast, master.H

&arsden ate wordlessly, looking at icholas from under his wild eyebrows. he boy went

on with his work, which consisted now in bundling u! the tumbled bed#clothing and

throwing it over a line in the yard. &arsden finished his breakfast and finally s!oke.

H ouGll find some meal in that corner cu!board,H he said. H8e might have some !orridge

tomorrow morning.H icholas nodded. H ow, sto! all that womanGs work and letGs get on

with that chest. IGve !romised it for ne"t 8ednesday, and even if that silly )nid rondin

is fool enough to get married, we must have our work out when it is !romised.H

But after that morning, &arsden was careful to shake out his bed#clothing after he arose,

and to clean u! the dishes after his breakfast. nd the cottage gradually came to look

more like a !lace where human beings could live.

0






*ne night, as &arsden sat in front of his fire, silently smoking his long !i!e, he noticed

that icholas was still bent over the work#bench.

H'ere, lad,H he said almost kindly, in his gruff voice, HIGm not such a hard master that I

have you work night as well as day. 8hatGs that youGre doingK 8hy donGt you go to your

bed, heyK H

icholas answered hastily. HItGs %ust a !iece of wood you threw away, master, and I

thought IGd see if I could co!y that fine chair you made for &istress ro=ik. his is a littleoneFa toy,H he ended fearfullyC for he well knew that the word H toy H would mean

children to old &arsden, and for some strange reason %ust to mention a child in his

!resence sent him into a rage.

onight, however, he contented himself with merely a black look, and said, H+et me see

it. 'mmFnot bad, but you have that scroll on the back bigger on one side than the other.

'ere, give me that knife.H

icholas hastened with the tool, and watched admiringly as the old wood#carver deftly

corrected the mistake.

H here,H &arsden said finally, holding his work away from him, HthatGs the way it should

be done.H

1






hen, instead of handing the little chair to icholas, who was waiting e"!ectantly, he

continued holding it in his hands, while a bitter and yet rather sad e"!ression came into

the fierce old eyes, and a smile,F icholas blinked and looked again,Fyes, a real smile

was tugging at the corners of that stern mouth which had been turned down for so many

years.

HItGs a long time since I made one of these wee things,H he murmured half to himself. H et

I made !lenty, years and years ago, when they were little.H

icholas ventured a timid uestion. H8hen who were little, masterKH

he corners of &arsdenGs mouth went down againC his eyes turned fierce and angry once

more. H&y sons,H he roared. HI once had two sons, and when they were as big as you,

they ran away to sea, and left me all alone, left me to grow old and crabbed, so the

children call me &ad &arsden. $hildren, bah( <o you wonder why IGll have none of them

around my houseK <o you wonder when I canGt stand their baby voices babbling around

here, where once . . .H 'is voice broke, and he buried his old head in his hands.

icholas wasnGt afraid of him any moreC he went over and !ut his !itying young hands on

the old shoulders. HIGll be your son, masterC I wonGt leave you,H he whis!ered.

&arsden lifted his head, and looked at the strong young face with the kind blue eyes bent

over him. H ouGre a good lad, icholas, and,H he added almost shyly, for it wasnGt easy for

2






a harsh man to change so uickly, HI think IGd like to hel! you with some of those little

things you make. 8eGll make them together these long winter evenings, eh, shall we,

icholasK -o you can go around ne"t $hristmas <ay in that fine sled of yours. hen you

wonGt leave me alone again, will you, ladKH

'e gras!ed icholasG arm almost roughly, then a !eaceful e"!ression cre!t into the lonely

old face as the boy answered sim!ly, H o, master, IGll stay here with you %ust as long as

you want me.H

-o every winter evening saw two heads bent over the work#benchFa gray head with

thick, shaggy hair, and the smooth yellow head of the boy. hey worked feverishly during

the weeks !receding $hristmasC and with the old man hel!ing with the carving, icholas

was able to add delicate little touches to the toys which made them far more handsome

than any he had ever made before. 'e !ainted the dollsG faces so that their eyes were as

blue and their cheeks and li!s were as rosy as the little girls who would soon clas! them

in their armsC the little chairs and tables were stained with the same soft colors that

&arsden used on his own !roductsC the little boysG sleighs and boats and animals were

shiny with bright new !aints,Fred and yellow and green.

-o, two nights before $hristmas, everything was finished,Fa toy for every child in the

village was !acked in the sled with the steel runnersC yet icholas and the old man were

still working at the bench. his time, they were des!erately trying to finish a chest which

had been ordered by a wealthy woman in the ne"t village, twenty miles away. -he had






said definitely that she wanted the chest finished in time for $hristmas <ay, because she

was giving it to her daughter as a betrothal gift and the feast was to be celebrated then.

&arsden and icholas worked feverishly most of that night and the following day, and

there still remained a few little finishing touches, and here it was $hristmas )ve. &arsden

could have it done in time to be delivered tomorrow, but of course icholas would have

to borrow the nearest neighborGs horse and drive over with the chest on $hristmas <ay

itself, #the day when he had !lanned to make his tour of the village with his gifts, to show

the children that he had not forgotten them, even though they had not seen much of him

during the !ast year.

HIGm sorry, icholas,H said old &arsden. HIGd go myself, but IGm not as strong as I used to

be, and itGs an all day tri!Ftwenty miles over, then youGll have to wait several hours to

rest the horse, and twenty miles back. nd with the snow not crusted, itGll be hard going.H

icholas was sitting in front of the fire, leaning on his elbows, staring thoughtfully into

the flames.

HIf she only didnGt want the chest tomorrow for sure,H he said. H nd if we had only

finished it before today, I could have delivered it sooner, and had !lenty of time

tomorrow.H

H8ell,H answered his master, Hwe did !romise it, and it has to be delivered. ow the toys

werenGt !romised . . .H






sled. It was three oGclock on $hristmas morning when icholas turned away from the last

doorway, his sled lighter to !ull, and his feet tired from dragging through the heavy snow,

but ha!!y that it was $hristmas morning and he had once more ke!t his uns!oken

!romise to the children.

9






icholas did not leave the wood#carver on $hristmas <ay, or the ne"t year, or the ne"t.

'e stayed on in the little cottage, which was now bright and clean, and a ha!!y dwelling

:






for two ha!!y !eo!le. /or old &arsden had forgotten his grouch in the daily association

with icholasG sunny dis!ositionC he cheerfully taught icholas all he knew of his

difficult trade, so that as the boy grew in years and strength, his knowledge of wood#

carving soon matched that of his old master. &arsden bought a horse and sleigh for the

tri!s outside of town, which were also used by icholas on his $hristmas )ve visits to

the children in the village. /or although the little ones he had !layed with had grown u!

and sto!!ed !laying with toys, there were new babies in every household every year, and

each one was taught to e"!ect from icholas, the wood#carver, a little toy on $hristmas

morning.

*ne bright summer morning, icholas was sitting on a bench outside the cottage door,

carving away at a half#finished chair leg and whistling cheerfully as he worked. 'e was

then twenty years old, a tall young man, the yellow hair a little darker, but with the same

blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and ready smile. 'e sto!!ed his work to listen to the birds singing

in the trees overhead and to en%oy the warm sunlight shining down on him. -uddenly two

children ran u! the !ath leading to the cottage door, bursting with news.

H icholas,H one of them !anted, H icholas, there are two men in the village who have

been asking where old &arsden lives. hey are on their way here now. 8ho do you

su!!ose they areK hey said . . .H

H'ush,H said the other child, Hhere they are now.H

;






wo men, about ten or fifteen years older than icholas, were coming slowly u! the !ath.

hey seemed sur!rised to see him working at the bench, and one of them s!oke. H)"cuse

me, but they told us in the village that we would find Bertran &arsden here. If we have

made a mistake...H

H o,H answered icholas, Hthis is Bertran &arsdenGs cottage. I am only his a!!rentice. IGll

call him. 'e has a na! every afternoon now. ou see, heGs getting rather old.H

he two men looked at each other with shamed eyes. H es, he must be old now. <onGtdisturb him. 8eGll come back.H

H o, here he is now,H said icholas. &arsden had a!!eared in the doorway and was

looking from one to the other with !u==led eyes.

*ne of the men ste!!ed forward. H/ather,H he began.

H/ather(H &arsden tottered a littleC icholas !ut out a steadying arm.

H es, donGt you remember us, /atherK I am 'enrik and this is +ons. 8e left you years

ago, but we finally made our fortune and are ready to take you home.H

H ake me home(H *ld &arsden straightened himself. H his is my home, and you are two

strange men to me.H

>






H o, /ather,H answered +ons. H8e are your two sons. 8e are sorry we left you alone

years ago, but boys are thoughtless, and we wanted only the adventure and didnGt think

how much we might be hurting you. If youGll forgive us now. . .H

he old man looked at his two sons for a long moment. H es, of course IGll forgive you. If

you had come back a few years ago, I couldnGt have done it. I have found another son.

his is icholas, who lives with me, and who does most of my work now.H

he sons looked at icholas, then back at their father again, uncertain how to go on.

/inally 'enrik s!oke.

H8eGve %ust bought a house in the ne"t village, /ather. +ons and I have a fishing boat

there, and weGre doing well. 8e want you to come there and live with us. 8e want to

make u! to you for the years we were away.H

&arsden shook his head. H o, my ladsC I have my little cottage here, and icholas hel!s

me with my work. I donGt need anything, and I couldnGt live without working.H

+ons answered uickly. HBut you could go on working in our village, /ather. hereGs no

wood#carver there, and if you insist, there are many !eo!le who would give you

something to do. 8e so want to have youC weGve been !lanning all through our travels

how, when we came home again, weGd take care of you and live with you and make you

0






forget that we were ever heedless boys who ran away for an adventure. nd icholas

here,Fwhy, he could easily take over the business in this village, if heGs as good as you

say. 'eGs young, and !robably ambitiousC why donGt you give him a chance, /atherKH

one of the arguments seemed to make much im!ression on the old man until the endC

then he listened attentively and !aused a while before he s!oke.

H es,H he said slowly. H icholas deserves something like this. 'e could do it easily. 'eGs

a bright lad . . .H

icholas interru!ted. H<onGt think of me, master. If you donGt want to go with them, weGll

go on living here together %ust the same as before. I donGt want to take your business.H

H here, lad,H said &arsden, laying a hand on icholasG shoulder, HI donGt want to leave

you either, but youGre young, and youth should be given a chance. Besides,H he !aused,

and looked at the two tall men standing before him, as an"ious and nervous as boys, their

eyes !leading silently with their father, H besides, these are my own sons, and I think they

need me as much as I need them.H

'enrik and +ons s!rang over to the old manGs side. H/ather, does it mean you will . . .H

1






&arsden nodded his head, grown almost white in the last few years. H es, IGll %ust move

along to the ne"t village with you, my sons, and IGll leave this cottage and my tools with

my other son, icholas.H

'e !ut a loving hand on icholasG shoulder, and then the four went inside the house to

discuss how and when the move would be made.

week later, icholas found himself the owner of a two#room cottage, a !erfect set of

wood#carverGs tools, and a well#established business which should kee! him housed, fed,and clothed for life. t first he was lonely in the little cottage after &arsden had left with

his sons, but he soon became interested in his work, which ke!t him so busy he had no

time to feel alone. hen, too, there was almost always a child or two chatting to him or

!laying with its toys on the cottage floor.

icholas divided his day now so that he s!ent only !art of his time on the orders he

receivedC the rest of the day and most of the evenings he worked on toys for the ne"t

$hristmasC for he now had such a long list of children it took months to com!lete the set

of gifts he had to make.

'e continued his !ractice, established the year he had to deliver the chest on $hristmas

<ay, of making his rounds on $hristmas )veC and one year, he was considerably

sur!rised and touched to see that the children had hung on their doors little embroidered

2






+aurens and /riedrik were two little newcomers in the village. heir mother and father

were even !oorer than most of the other families, which made them !oor indeed, because

nobody in the village had a great deal of money. )ver since the day of their arrival they

had been met by misfortune. heir father was a fisherman and used to be able to kee! his

family su!!lied with enough food to eat and enough fuel to kee! them warmC but one day

his boat had been caught in a storm, and the heavy mast had fallen on him, !araly=ing

him so that he had been forced to stay in bed and watch his little family grow thinner and

thinner from lack of enough food to eat.

heir neighbors gave them as much of their meager su!!lies as they themselves could

s!are, and the mother worked occasionally in the household of the - uire or some of the

more well#to#do families of the village, but there were still many meals in the little

cottage which consisted solely of a !iece of dried bread or fish, or a dish of thin gruel.

+aurens was now the man of the family, although he was only eight years old. 'e built

fires, shoveled the heavy snow from the cottage door, ke!t the house neat and clean while

his mother was out working, and took care of his little brother /riedrik. *ne of his

!rinci!al duties was going into the forest and hel!ing the wood#cutter, receiving in return

for this service enough wood to kee! his family su!!lied with fuel. 'e rather en%oyed this

task, for he met many of the other boys while he was out. lthough he worked while they

!layed, he en%oyed being with children his own age after long hours s!ent in the house

with his sick father and four#year#old brother.

6






*ne cold winter afternoon, as he was returning from the forest with his sled !iled with

the wood he had hel!ed cut, he met a merry grou! of boys who were building a snow fort

a few hundred yards away from the cottage of icholas, the wood#carver.

*ne of the boys noticed the little figure dragging the heavy sled and called out, H'o

there, +aurens( 8ant to be on our sideK

+aurens !aused and looked wistfully at the boys !laying in the snow. HI guess not,H he

answered. HI ought to get this wood home before nightfall.H

H*h, you have !lenty of time,H one of them re!lied. H hereGs a good hour yet before the

sun goes down, and weGll hel! you drag your wood if youGll stay.H

+aurens hesitated, then dro!!ed the ro!e of his sled and %oined the grou!. fter all, his

mother was home that afternoon, so his father and /riedrik would be taken care of, and

there was enough fuel in the house to kee! the fire going until evening. nd it was a long

time since he had !layed in the snow. -o for a merry, carefree hour he forgot the troubles

and duties of his house, and was only an eight#year#old boy having a good time. 8hen it

was his turn to storm the fort, he %oined his side, and with breathless, gay courage, braved

the storm of snowballs, climbed the icy walls of the fort, and took noisy !ossession. hen

it was his turn to hel! his comrades hold the fort, so he warily ke!t out of sight, watching

his chance to rise now and then above the white edge of the stronghold and hurl snowy

9






missiles at the oncoming foe, and !ausing every once in a while to make himself a new

su!!ly of ammunition.

It was during one of these moments, while he was busy collecting snow and !acking it

into firm round balls, that he heard a glad shout from both sides, from his comrades

inside the fort and his enemies outside,FH icholas( 'ey, fellows, hereGs icholas(HFand

looked u! to see the tall figure of the wood#carver a!!roaching the grou!. s he came

nearer, he lifted his mittened hand to wave to the boysC his rosy, kindly face beaming a

welcome, his blue eyes twinkling at the sight of the good time everybody seemed to behaving.

H8ell, well, a snow#fight(H he said in his dee! voice. HItGs a long time since IGve had one

of themC and when I was a boy, we knew how to take a fort. ow, IGd go about it like

this.H

'e stoo!ed swiftly and gathered u! a handful of snow, and uickly !acking and sha!ing

it in his hands, took the finished snowball, and threw it with sure, accurate aim at the

tallest boy behind the fort. It knocked the sur!rised fellowGs hat clean off, and the other

side, delighted with this new ally, rushed forward, icholas in their midst, and took the

fort amid loud shouts and hurrahs.

+aurens looked at the tall man shyly. *f course he knew who icholas wasC he had heard

of him ever since his family had moved into the village last summer. 'e knew that he was

:






the man who ke!t the children su!!lied with toys and gifts on $hristmas <ay, but of

course he also su!!osed that icholas only remembered the children he really knew.

he snow#!arty started to break u! then, as most of the boys had to be home before

nightfall, and the sun was already sinking in the west. hey started towards home then,

accom!anying icholas as far as his cottage. t the gate, the wood#carver !aused a

moment, looking over the grou! with keen eyes that seemed to see everything.

HIs this a new boy in the villageKH he asked, laying a hand on +aurensG shoulder, andlooking down kindly into the shy brown eyes.

H es, his name is +aurens, and he has a little brother /riedrik. . .H

H nd his father is !araly=ed, and doesnGt work, and his mother . . .H

*ne of the boys dug his elbow shar!ly into the side of the last s!eaker. H ow youGve done

it,H he said angrily. H8hy canGt you hold your tongueK ouGve hurt his feelings by talking

about his family right out like that. 'ere, IGm going after him. $ome on, fellows.H

nd they ran after +aurens, leaving icholas alone at the gate, with a wise smile on his

li!s and a knowing shake of his head.

;






he grou! finally caught u! with +aurens, who furtively wi!ed his eyes and mumbled

something about having to be home anyway. he boys tried to distract his attention from

the thoughtless remarks by talking about the man they had %ust left.

H hatGs icholas, the wood#carver, heGs wonderful,H volunteered one boy. H)very

$hristmas now, at least ever since I can remember, heGs been leaving gifts at the doors in

the village.H

H ot every door,H saidanother. H'e only leaves them at the houses where he sees anembroidered bag. &y mother told me that since the village has grown, icholas doesnGt

know every child the way he used to, so how does he know which house has children and

which hasnGt unless thereGs a bag thereKH

H es,H chimed in another, Hand how would he even know how many gifts to leave unless

there was a bag for each oneKH

-o they went on and on about the wonderful things icholas gave them, uite forgetting

little +aurens, trudging along with his heavy sled, and his heart growing %ust as heavy

with each ste!.

8hen he reached home, his mind was still occu!ied with the information he had heard

that afternoon. It would be wonderful for little /riedrik to have a gift from that kind man.

>






*f course, it did not matter so much about himC he was eight years old and didnGt mindF

at least, not very muchFif he didnGt get a toyC because when in the world would he have

time to !lay with toysK But the !roblem that began to s!in round and round in his head

was,Fhow could he fi" it so that icholas would know there was a little boy in their

houseK

hat night he tried to get his mother interested. H&other,H he began somewhat doubtfully,

for he well knew how tired she must be, and !robably unwilling to listen to nonsense

about $hristmas toys when her mind was occu!ied with the !roblem of where the ne"tmeal was coming from. H&other, do you su!!ose we have a bag in the houseKH

H bag( 8hat kind of bag, childKH she asked, astonished.

H8ell, it should be an embroidered bag, really, but I su!!ose any kind of bag would do.

ou hang it outside the door $hristmas )ve, and then when /riedrik wakes u! the ne"t

morning, thereGs a fine toy for him. ItGs icholas, the wood#carver, who does it, and I

thought that if there was only some kind of a bag around here . . .H

he mother sighed. H hings like !otatoes and flour come in bags, child, and those are

things we havenGt seen for many days. nd goodness knows, with all my worries, I have

no time to make you one. /orget about this icholas !erson anyway,H she finished

bitterly. HI donGt su!!ose heGd come to !oor children like you, anyway.H

60






-o +aurens was forced to abandon the idea of a bag to hang outside the door for

/riedrikGs $hristmas gift, but he couldnGt forget about icholas. 8hy, out there in the

forest, he looked like such a kind, %olly manC he wouldnGt !ass by a childGs house %ust

because he was !oor. 'e thought and thought, until finally $hristmas )ve arrived. 'e

was sitting by the fire hel!ing his little brother to undress. 'e sat staring into the fire

while /riedrik ca!ered around in his little night#shirt, taking advantage of his big

brotherGs thoughtful moment to !lay %ust one more minute before going to bed. +aurens

absent#mindedly began to make a neat !ile of the little fellowGs clothing so it would be

ready for him in the morning. s he !icked u! a little stocking, long and warm andwoolly, he held it u!, and said %okingly, H ow, that would hold some kind of gift, %ust as

well as any embroidered bag . . .H

'e sto!!ed short, and stared intently at the stocking. H8hy notKH he murmured, half to

himself. H8hy notKH

+ittle /riedrik looked frightened. H+aurens, +aurens, what are you looking at my stocking

forK 8hat are you going to do with itKH

+aurens gave a %oyful shout. H<o with itK IGm going to hang it outside the door(H and

with one lea!, he flung o!en the cottage door.

$hristmas )ve in the villageFa bright winter moon shining in the star#filled skyF

glistening, white snow banked everywhereFon the roads, on the roofto!s, on the fences,

61






and in the doorwaysC houses darkened and inmates all slee!ing soundlyC not a soul

stirring in the streets but one figure, which stole silently from door to door, leaving

bulging bags filled with gifts. t +aurensG doorway the figure !aused. In the bright

moonlight, there was a funny ob%ect to be seen dangling outside the doorFa childGs

woolen stocking( icholas laughed silently, a kind, tender laugh, then reached down into

his !ack and filled the lonely little stocking to the to!. nd with a sna! of his whi! and a

%ingling of sleighbells, he was off to the ne"t house.

he ne"t morning, little /riedrik was !resented with not one, nor two, but five tiny littletoysFboats and horses and sleighsC and in the bottom of the stocking, way down in the

toe, were five large !ieces of gold, enough to kee! a whole family through the winter.

+ittle /riedrik shouted with %oy, the father almost sat u! in bed in his e"citement, the

motherGs eyes were bright with ha!!y tears, and +aurens hugged close to his heart the

first $hristmas stocking.

62






6






- uire Aenson, the richest man in the village, came driving u! to icholasG cottage door

one day, with a commission to carve a new chest for his youngest daughter, who was

!lanning to be married. icholas was attracted by the sound of silver bells and reindeerGs

hoofs on the snowC he looked out of his window and saw the beautiful e ui!age the

- uire traveled about in,Fa shiny, red sleigh, drawn by two beautiful reindeerF<onder

and Blit=en they were called by the children of the village, because they traveled so

swiftly, like thunder and lightning. icholas ga=ed at the two beautiful animals and

thought how much more ra!idly they would carry him about on $hristmas )ve than his

old horse, who was getting slower and slower as the years went on.

hen icholas hastened to o!en the door for the - uire, who stated his errand briefly and

gave directions about the si=e of the chest and when he e"!ected it to be finished. ll the

while he was talking, the wood#carver was ga=ing admiringly at the fine suit of red

deerskin his visitor was wearing. s he nodded and made notes of the instructions, his

eyes missed no detail of the - uireGs outfitC the suit was made in the fashion of the district

Fthat is, the coat rather long and belted at the waist, the trousers loose and caught in at

the calf by shining leather leggings. -oft, white ermine bound the coat at the collar, the

cuffs, and around the bottomC the same beautiful fur was around the close#fitting red hat.

fter the - uire had finished his errand, and had driven off, led by <onder and Blit=enGs

flying hoofs, icholas went on with the task in hand, but with his mind on the beautiful

red suit.

6






H hereGs no reason why I canGt have one, too,H he said to himself. HI have all my winter

su!!lies in and the wood all !aid for, and there is still a bag of gold coin that I will never

be able to s!end. he 8idow r!en could well make use of some of it, and they say that

she is the cleverest needlewoman in the village. I think IGll drive over there tomorrow and

see what can be done. IGve gone around looking like a !oor or!han instead of a well#to#do

wood#carver long enough.H

-o the ne"t day icholas !aid a visit to 8idow r!enGs cottage. HI want a fine red suit,

&istress r!en,H he stated. H ou know the one the - uire wearsKH he woman nodded.H8ell, of course, I canGt afford such fine, soft deerskinC besides, thereGs no time to have all

that skin dressed and !re!aredC and I know very well I canGt have mine trimmed with real

ermine. ow what could you suggestKH

he widow thought a moment. H8ell,H she said finally, Hwe could get a good bolt of

strong homes!un from the weaver, and I could dye it myself. I have had a wonderful red

from stewing rowan berries. hen IGm sure we could get enough !ure white rabbit skins

from +ief the tra!!er to trim the neck and cuffs. It would make a fine suit, and youGd look

s!lendid in it, icholas.H

icholas rose, well !leased with the !lan for the work. 'e took out of his !ocket a

handful of gold coins and laid them on the table.

H here,H he said, HI think that will take care of the material and the labor.H

66






HButFbut, icholas, itGs more than enough(H the widow e"claimed. H8hy, half of this

would kee! my family all through the winter.H

H hen kee! it, woman,H smiled icholas. H ouGve had a hard time since your good man

died to kee! your little family warm and well fed. I have enough and to s!are, so letGs not

uibble over a few gold coins. IGll not be the man to die with a chest of them found buried

under my hearth#stone.H

he widow stood at her door and watched icholas drive away through the snow. H)h,

thereGs a fine man,H she murmured, the gold !ieces %ingling through her fingers. H fine

big man(H

-o she bought the homes!un, which she dyed a beautiful bright red. nd then a strange

thing ha!!ened. -he had no !attern to go by, as icholas was wearing the only tunic he

owned, and could s!are no time from his work to have a fitting, so the widow cut and

sewed the suit with the image of a fine, big man constantly before her. icholas was not a

short man by any means, but he was rather thin, and yet as &istress r!en !lanned and

!ieced the suit together, she knew she was sewing for a fine, generous man, and made the

suit to fit icholasG heart instead of his body.

69






*n the day the work was finished, and the last loving stitch had been !laced in the soft

rabbit trimming, icholas arrived to try on his suit. 'e went into the widowGs little inner

room, and came out a few minutes laterFand what a !icture he made(

HI canGt see it, &istress r!en,H said icholas doubtfully, Hfor that little !iece of glass in

your room shows only a !ortion of me at a time. et it did seem to go on ratherFrather

loosely,H he finished tactfully, not wishing to hurt her feelings.

he widow gave one look and burst into tears. H*h, icholas, IGve s!oiled your suitC IGves!oiled it( I thought you were biggerC whatever made me cut it so wideK *h, what shall I

doKH

rying to comfort the woman, icholas forgot his own dismay at the si=e of his garments.

H here, we wonGt worry about it. +ook, the length is all right. ItGs only that IGm not as fat

as I might be. 8hy if I ate all the vegetables and meal the villagers send me, IGll warrant

in a few monthsG time youGd never notice the e"tra cloth in this coat. nd the trousers will

be all right as soon as I buy a !air of leggings to stuff them in. nd what a fine ca! this

is( -ee how close it fits, and how warm#looking this fur band is(H

-o gradually he made the widow forget her disa!!ointment, and to reassure her that he

really did not mind the ludicrous figure he must make with his tall, gangly form clothed

6:






in loose, baggy folds, he insisted on wearing it home, and sat u! high on the seat of his

sleigh and seemed not to notice the stares and nudges of the villagers.

8hen he arrived home, however, he sat down in the huge suit and burst into loud

laughter. H8hat a sight IGll make going around like this for months to come( nd yet IGll

have to wear it outC it would be sinful to waste good material.H

hen another funny thought struck him. 'e sla!!ed his knee and laughed again. H@erha!s

I could even stuff some of my toys into my suit. 'ow the children would laugh( ButthereGs only one thing to be done. ItGs very clear that IGm too thin for my height. I shall

really have to eat oatmeal in the morning instead of %ust a !iece of breadC and I must drink

more milk, and cook some of those vegetables that go to waste in the storeroom.H

-o icholas ke!t his big red suit, and soon the villagers became used to the tall figure in

the bright red trousers and tunic, the close#fitting stocking#ca! trimmed with white fur,

and the shiny black leather belt and leggings. nd what do you think ha!!ened after

icholas had carefully eaten vegetables and milk week after weekK 'is face became full

and rosy, his chest filled out, his arms and legs grew more muscular and rounded, and he

even began to ac uireFwhis!er itFa belly(

6;






6>






*ne $hristmas )ve icholas did not have such an easy time making his rounds of the

village houses. o begin with, he was considerably amused and rather dismayed to

discover that, instead of one embroidered bag for each house, the children had followed

little +aurensG e"am!le, and had each !ut out a woolen stocking. -o with some families

having five or si" children, there was often uite a row of stockings nailed u! on the door.

*f course, icholas could not very well !ut %ust one toy in each stocking, it made the rest

of it look so flat and em!tyC but since he hadnGt stocked his sleigh with enough gifts so

that there would be several for each child, he found himself with an em!ty sleigh, andonly half#way through his list(

H+ucky I have that e"tra su!!ly of toys at home in the chest,H he said to himself as he

made a flying tri! back to the cottage for more gifts. 'e loaded the sleigh again and

started out once more, with the night half gone and his list not com!leted.

@oor old +ufka, his horse, tried his best, but he was getting old and could not make very

fast !rogress through the heavy snow. 'e ke!t turning a !atient head around at icholas,

who s!oke to him encouragingly. H$ome on, now, ladC only two more houses. ou can

make itC the sleighGs not so heavy now with all that double load delivered.H

+ufka wagged his head at his masterGs voice and tossed it in the air as though to say, H es,

but tonight we had to make an e"tra tri! back to the cottage, and when I thought I was

going to be nicely bedded down for the night, off you went again( nd I must say I like

90






the snow better when thereGs a crust on to!, instead of this heavy stuff. IGm always

stumblingFthere, now(H

<own went the good old beast into a ditch, and crack went one of the sleigh runners.

icholas climbed down, and after reassuring himself that +ufka had no broken bones,

shook his head ruefully at the sight of the old sleigh.

HI guess thatGs the end of that, old boy,H he remarked to +ufka, who had stumbled u!right

and was now busy trying to flick the snow off with his tail. H+ooks as though weGll haveto get a new sleigh, and IGm afraid your traveling days are over, too. ouGre getting a little

old for this heavy driving.H

icholas had to finish his $hristmas visits on foot, and the first rosy streaks of dawn were

brightening the sky when he and +ufka finally returned to the cottage,F icholas, fat and

rosy, !uffing heavilyC +ufka dragging his tired old bones straight to the door of his stable.

/or many days after that !articular $hristmas )ve, the villagers and children who !assed

icholasG door noticed that he was not working at his bench. Instead, there could be heard

sounds of hammering and sawing from the large shed where he ke!t his su!!ly of wood

and where he did the larger !ieces of work which re uired more room.

he villagers said to each other, H&ust be some beautiful bridal chest that kee!s icholas

so busy these days. *r maybe itGs a boat heGs building for himself,H they %oked.

91






-!ring came, the late northern s!ring, and icholas was again seen at his work#bench.

8hen curious townsfolk uestioned him on his long, secret task of the winter, he would

only shake his dark yellow head Mthe yellow was now beginning to show streaks of whiteN

and say with a sly smile, H ouGll see soon enough. Just you wait.H

-oon, however, the villagers forgot their curiosity in a new, e"citing !iece of news which

was s!reading over the village. icholas heard most of it at his work#bench, where

!eo!le of all ages gathered now and then to chat with the wood#carver.

H8hatGs this I hear about the - uire, *ttoKH icholas asked his old friend, with whom he

had lived as a boy.

H h,H said *tto, !uffing contentedly at his !i!e and settling down to a long gossi!. H hey

say things havenGt gone so well with him these !ast five years or more. /irst there were

those shi!s of his that didnGt come homeC then they say that his overseer ran away with a

good !art of a yearGs rents. . .H

H es,H !ut in old 'ans Alinker, Hthen there was that matter of a mine that his son

!ersuaded him to invest in.H

H oo bad,H they all sighed, with a sort of self#satisfied air that they would have done

nothing so foolish with their money, if they had ever had any to be foolish with.

92






H nd now,H continued *tto, leaning forward with the most interesting !art of his story,

Hnow he has to sell most of his lands and household goods to !ay the creditors and start in

again. 8ill you be going u! to the sale tomorrow, icholasKH

icholas looked u! from the !iece of wood he was !lanning, to ask, H ow what would I

be buying from the - uireK I donGt want any more land, and I can make for myself as fine

furniture as any he has in his house.H

H'e has some good animals u! there,H said old 'ans. H hose two horses now, and that setof reindeer.H

H rue enough,H said icholas, finally interested enough to !ut down his work. H+ufkaGs

too old to be much hel! to me now. I think I might go u! there with you boys tomorrow

and see some of the e"citement.H

-o the ne"t morning found icholas in the center of an eager, curious crowdFfarmers

who ho!ed to get some of the - uireGs good land chea!C fishermen who were interested in

the two or three boats the - uire ownedC housewives who thought they might like a chair

or a table from such a fine householdC and scores of others who had come along %ust to

watch the rest of the crowd.

icholas wandered down to the stables, and was instantly surrounded by a grou! of men

who knew he was interested in horses and was ready to give him much free advice.

9






icholas, however, walked !ast the stables where the horses were lodged, and made

directly for the larger stalls.

H'eGs after <onder and Blit=en,H the men whis!ered among themselves. H'e always

admired them, they went so fast.H

es, there was icholas, his round figure in the bright red suit standing at the door of the

stable, his hands on his roomy hi!s, ga=ing thoughtfully in at the darkened stalls. wo

deer, inside, e"cited at the noises of the crowd, thrust their frightened heads through theto! !art of the door.

H8ell,H said icholas softly, Hyou !oor beasties donGt look much like thunder and

lightning now. ot afraid of me, are youKH 'e !ut a reassuring hand on the larger deerGs

shoulder. he melting brown eyes looked trustingly into the blue ones. he deer

whim!ered and thrust its warm black nose into icholasG hand.

HI guess weGll get along all right,H said icholas in a satisfied tone. H ow to find your

master and see about this sale.H

H'ereGs the - uire now,H called out one of the men. H icholas wants to buy <onder and

Blit=en, - uire.H

9






he - uire, a bent old man with a worried look on his face, seemed da=ed by this mob of

!eo!le taking !ossession of his house and goods.

H8ell, he canGt have <onder and Blit=en, alone,H he said almost fretfully. H hat set of

reindeer goes together or not at all. 8hy, <onder would go raving mad if you tried to

se!arate her from the rest of her family.H

H/amily(H e"claimed icholas. H8hy, - uire, I need only two reindeer. 'ow many

more...H

-uddenly there was a loud crash of breaking wood, a mad rush of !eo!le away from one

of the stalls, and seemingly in one brown streak, there was a little reindeer running madly

about the farmyard, !ursuing one unfortunate villager who couldnGt run as fast as the

others.

H hatGs ?i"en,H shouted the old - uire, distracted. H'ere, catch him uick. 'eGs a young

im!. 'eGll hurt somebody.H

)verybody ran about in fren=y, but ?i"en was nimble, and even !aused in his mad rush to

look im!udently over his shoulder at his !ursuers. hen he would give a naughty toss of

his head as if to say, H$ome, catch me,H and was off again, lea!ing over carts and farming

im!lements, knocking a manGs hat off with the young horns %ust beginning to grow,

96






finally clearing a high fence with one bound, and !aused !anting on the other side to ga=e

through the bars mischievously at the hot, breathless grou! of men.

icholas had not %oined in the chaseC he was standing at the door of the stalls, holding on

to his fat stomach and shaking all over with mirth.

HIGll take the lot of them,H he cried out. HI donGt know what the others are like, but I must

have that little ?i"en. I havenGt laughed so much in years. 8hy, %ust to see the neat way

he cli!!ed off Ivan @rosofGs hat(H 'e went into another gale of laughter, then made hisway through the crowd to the - uire, where he finally concluded the bargain, and

ac uired not two, but eight reindeer,F<onder and Blit=en, the mamma and !a!a, with

their si" children, <asher and <ancer, $omet and $u!id, and @rancer and ?i"en.

99






9:






ouGd never recogni=e the wood#carverGs cottage now as the !eaceful little dwelling it

once had been. In order to shelter his eight reindeer, icholas had to build an e"tra shed

which was almost as large as the cottage itself. ll would be well if the animals stayed

where they belonged, but ?i"en seemed to take delight in butting his head against the

door of his stall so that icholas had to rebuild it three times. 'e would hear a loud crash

and look u! from his work with a sigh. HI su!!ose thatGs ?i"en again. ow if he were

only as uiet and gentle as his brothersFwell, I donGt su!!ose IGd like him as well,H he

concluded with a rueful shake of his head.

he little reindeer returned his masterGs affection, but chose the noisiest means of

e"!ressing it. 'e wanted to be as close to icholas as !ossible and would break down

one !artition after another, in order that he might finally ca!er u! to the door of his

cottage and lea! around delightedly until his friend noticed him.

icholas tried to be severe. H ow, this time, youGll be !unished. I have too much work to

do to bother chasing you around.H nd he would make a mad dash after the young im!,

who only treated it as a game and retreated uickly behind a neighboring tree, !oking his

head drolly around the trunk and almost laughing with glee at icholasG fat form !anting

for breath as he tried to catch him.

hen icholas would try coa"ing. H here now, be a good little reindeer. If you donGt

behave, I wonGt take you out with me on $hristmas )ve, and you know we all want to

9;






have a fine showing. hereGs that secret I told you about, in the shed.H 'e finally reached

?i"enGs side, and !lacing his arm lovingly around his neck, talked gently and soothingly

to the little animal, who looked with soft, delighted eyes at his master.

nd icholas would lead him back to his stall and return to his work satisfied that once

more he had uelled this young rebel. 'e had no trouble at all with the old deer, <onder

and Blit=enC and @rancer, <asher, <ancer, $u!id, and $omet were gentle creatures who

!atiently endured all the ni!s on the ear which was ?i"enGs way of teasing his more

settled brothers.

icholas was com!leting !lans for a $hristmas )ve grander than any he had ever had. 'e

worked day and night to finish his toy#makingC he made a final ins!ection of the

mysterious ob%ect in the wood#shedC he scrubbed and curried his reindeer until their hides

were sleek and shining. /inally the great night arrived. icholas made many tri!s back

and forth to the wood#shed, his arms laden with bright little dolls, houses, boats, and

animals. fter three hours of !re!aration, everything seemed to be ready. It was almost

midnight. icholas o!ened the stall where his reindeer were waiting and led them out

into the yard.

H<onder and Blit=en at the head,H he said, Hthen <asher and <ancer, because theyGre the

ne"t strongest, and then $omet and $u!idC and then @rancer andFwhy whereGs ?i"enKH

9>






he other deer looked resignedly at their master and settled down to wait. ou might

know ?i"en would be u! to something at such an im!ortant time( icholas dashed madly

in and out of the stable, calling, H?i"en( ?i"en( you young im!, where are youK If I catch

you, IGll . . .H

-uddenly there was an answering whim!er from somewhere over his head. 'e looked u!C

<onder and Blit=en looked u! at their bad childC @rancer, <asher, <ancer, $u!id, and

$omet looked u! at their mischievous young brother, who was !erched on the roof of the

cottage, !layfully butting the chimney with his horns.

H ou bad reindeer( 'ow did you get u! thereK *h, I see. $limbed the low shed and then

%um!ed over to the cottage roof. nd how are you going to get down, heyK 8ell, IGll tell

you,H icholas shouted, really angry now, for he would stand no trifling about his

$hristmas visits to the children. HIGll tell youC you wonGt get down. ouGll stay there, for all

I care. IGll leave @rancer at home and take only si". I su!!ose you are afraid to %um! down

again, you bold im!( 8ell, IGll not hel! you. IGm through with you.H

?i"en whim!ered again. 'e was really sorry, and he was really frightened, so frightened

that he couldnGt remember clearly how it was he had reached the roof. 'e leaned against

the chimney, and wet tears ran down his nose. 'e looked beseechingly down at icholas,

but his master turned sternly away and began harnessing the other deer together. ?i"en

became annoyed. 'ow dare they leave without him( 'e stam!ed an angry little hoof on

the hard crust of snow. $rack went the crust, and ?i"en to!!led over on the roof and felt

:0






himself carried down the slo!e, swiftly, swiftlyC carried right over the edge, and landed

head first in a soft snow#bank right at icholasG feet. ll you could see of the naughty

little fellow were his four hoofs waving madly in the air. icholas began to laugh, the

other reindeer lifted their heads in the air and seemed to en%oy the scene too, and it was a

thoroughly ashamed and meek little reindeer who finally scrambled out of the snow#bank

and took his !lace uietly beside @rancer.

ow for the big show( icholas finished tying the eight reindeer to each other with a

harness bright with %ingling silver bellsC he slowly backed them to the wood#shed door,which he o!ened, disclosing a most beautiful sight. here stood a bright, shining red

sleigh, trimmed with silver stri!es and stars, the runner curving u! in front to form a

swanGs head, the back roomy enough to hold toys for several villages full of children.

icholas backed his reindeer into the shaftsC he climbed u! on the high seat, beautifully

!added with cushions made of soft doe#skinC he took out of the socket a long, shiny black

whi!, sna!!ed it in the air, and they were off(

he villagers were awakened from their slee! by a merry %ingling of silver bells, by the

stam! of reindeerGs hoofs on the hard snow, by the sna! of a whi!. hey !eeked out from

behind their curtains and saw a brave sight. hey saw by the white light of the moon, a

shining red sleigh drawn by eight !rancing reindeer, whose flying hoofs went as fast as

lightningC they saw a well#loved figure !erched high u! on his seat, sna!!ing a long,

black whi! in the air with one hand and guiding his reindeer with the otherFa big, round

man dressed in a red belted tunic, trimmed with white fur, baggy trousers stuffed into

:1






high black leggings, and a close#fitting red stocking#ca! which flew in the wind. hey

were not close enough to see how the shar! rush of air made his rosy cheeks even rosier,

and ni!!ed his nose so that it, too, was almost the color of his suit, and stung his bright

blue eyes so that they twinkled and glistened like the $hristmas snowC they were not

close enough to see his face, but one and all, as they returned to their warm beds,

murmured out of full hearts, H hatGs icholas, on his way to the children. od bless

him(H

:2






:






*ne year, when icholas was about fifty years old, and his hair and beard were getting as

white as the snow around his cottage, and he was growing as round as the balls he gave

the children, a strange family came to live in the village. ot much of a family, to be sure

F%ust one little old man, as brown and wrinkled as a nut, and a thin little girl, who shrank

away from the crowd of villagers who had gathered, as they always gathered when

something new and strange was ha!!ening.

H'is name is $arl <insler,H one woman whis!ered. H he old - uireGs housekee!er told

me about him. hey say heGs very rich. 'e must be to have money enough to buy the bighouse on the hill.H

H'e may be rich,H remarked another, Hbut he certainly doesnGt look it. 8hy, that !oor old

nag he drove into the village must be almost a hundred, and did you see how !oorly and

shabbily he was dressedKH

H es, and that !oor little mite he had with himC she looks as though a good meal

wouldnGt do her any harm. 8ho is she, anywayKH

H hatGs his granddaughter. he childGs !arents died %ust a short while ago, away down

in the southlands, and they say this old man bought the house u! here to be alone.H

H'e can stay alone, then,H sniffed another woman. H<id you see the black looks he turned

on us all, when we only came out to welcome them to the villageKH

:






H es,H sighed another, Hbut somehow I !ity that little one. 8hoGs to take care of her u! in

that big barn of a !laceKH

It was lucky the villagers had a chance to get a good look at the newcomers on their first

a!!earance in townC for after that day, little was seen of them. he little girl seemed to

have vanished com!letelyC the old man descended the hill only to buy small amounts of

foodFsome fish and some flour. nd the very curious ones, who climbed the hill %ust to

see what was going on, came back to the village with strange news indeed(

H<o you know what he has doneKH demanded one small boy of an interested grou!. H'eGs

nailed u! all the gates and left only the front one o!en, and even that he kee!s locked

with a bolt as long as this.H 'e s!read his hands about a yard a!art. 'is listeners gas!ed.

H es, and thatGs not all. I donGt know how you could get into the house, for heGs !ut u!

boards where the front and side doors used to be and on all the windows. hereGs not one

sign of life in the old !lace now. ouGd never know a soul lived there.H

H8hy, the man must be cra=y,H they all said, astounded. H'e must be afraid of

somebody.H

H fraid, nothing(H one man remarked scornfully. HOnless heGs afraid someone will steal

his wealth away from him.H

:6






H'eGs a surly old wretch,H added the schoolmaster. HI tried to see him the other day to ask

if he was going to send the child to school. 'e wouldnGt let me get any farther than the

front gate. 'e wanted to know all about the school, and when I told him the children

usually brought vegetables or meat or a few coins each week to !ay for their schooling,

he snarled at me, and told me to go about my businessC that heGd take care of his

grandchildGs education.H

H he !oor little thing,H e"claimed one motherly#looking woman, HIGd like to tell that old

miser what I think of him.HH8ell, this is a !iece of news that will interest icholas, the wood#carver,H said another.

H*ne more child in the village, and a lonely one, too.H

H icholas knows all about her,H they heard a dee! voice say, and all turned to see that it

was the wood#carver himself, who had %oined the grou! unnoticed. H'er name is Aatie. I

once knew a little girl named Aatie,H he went on with a sad, faraway look in his usually

merry blue eyes, Hand thatGs why IGd like to do something for this !oor child.H

H8hy, how did you find out her name, icholasKH

H-he was wandering around in the yard like a forlorn little !u!!y whoGs been locked in,H

icholas answered. HI was !assing that way and sto!!ed at the gate to talk with her. -he

says sheGs not allowed to go outside the fence, and that she can !lay in the yard only an

:9






hour each day. -he also told me that her grandfather doesnGt want her to mi" with the

village children for fear sheGll talk about the gold he has.H

he honest villagers were indignant. H s if weGd touch his old money,H they said angrily.

HI donGt know what we can do about it,H said icholas thoughtfully. H8e canGt force our

way into the house, and after all, itGs his own grandchild. I guess weGll %ust have to wait

around and see what ha!!ens. I canGt believe anyone could stay as hard as that with a little

child in the house.H

he others shook their heads. H'eGs hard all through, that old rascal. 8hy, IGll wager he

wouldnGt even let her !ut out her stocking on $hristmas )ve.H

H hatGs a safe wager,H laughed icholas. H'e wouldnGt o!en his front door even to let

something free come in.H

he crowd dis!ersed, and icholas went back to his work#benchC but all through the

months that followed, his mind was occu!ied with the thought of the lonely little Aatie.

'e saw her several times after that, and learned that it was true that she would not be

allowed to hang u! her stocking. he last time he visited her he had been seen by old

<insler, who waved his stick at him and told him angrily to kee! away from his house

and his grandchild. nd after that day, Aatie was to be seen no more.

::






'o!ing for the best, however, icholas carefully made a few little toys for Aatie and

!acked them away with his other gifts, and went on thinking and thinking until, %ust about

a week before $hristmas, when he was taking a walk around the big boarded#u! house,

ho!ing to catch a glim!se of Aatie, a wonderful idea struck him. 'e had been staring u!

at the forbidding#looking house, all barred and locked, when his attention was caught by

the huge stone chimney on the roof. 'is eyes brightenedC he sla!!ed his thigh and

chuckled to himself. HIGll try it( I may get stuck, but itGs worth the attem!t.H

$hristmas )ve that year was a dark, moonless night. he wind whistled mournfullythrough the deserted streets, and a cold sleet stung icholasG face and covered his sleigh

and reindeer with a shining coat of ice.

H$ome on now, my good lads,H he encouraged his deer. H ri!Gs almost overC weGve only

the house on the hill now. ItGll !robably take me the rest of the night,H he muttered to

himself, shivering in his red coat and looking like a big snow#man, with the rain and sleet

forming icicles on his snowy white beard.

'e tied the deer to the front gate and then, taking his sack from the back of the sleigh,

climbed from his high seat to the to! bar of the fence, and in a moment was down in the

yard. 'e sto!!ed to listenC not a sound could be heard but a few shutters banging in the

wind and the sighing of the big !ines.

:;






'e cre!t over to the side of the house, where a sort of !orch covered one door and made

an e"cellent ladder to the roof. 'e had a hard time, fat and bulky as he was and

encumbered by the sack on his backC but he finally !uffed his way u! to the to! of the

!orch, and in a few minutes was crouched on the slo!ing roof of the house.

ow was the dangerous !art. he roof was sli!!ery with the sleet and rain that had fallenC

he had to take out his little knife and hack away the ice, to form wedges where he could

get a foothold. *nce he !aused breathless, when he thought he heard footste!s in the

darkness below. 'e listened intently, but discovered it was only the im!atient stam!ing of one of his reindeer.

/inally a big sha!e loomed u! above himFit was the chimney. icholas sto!!ed to rest a

moment, then leaned over the wide edge and looked down into inky blackness.

HJust as I thought,H he murmured in a satisfied tone. H he old miser lets his fire go out

nights, even such a bitter cold one as this.H

'e climbed over the edge and then began his slow, !erilous descent, feeling carefully

with his feet for %utting bricks, !ressing one hand flat on the sides, and bracing his back

firmly against the walls, and so slowly made his way through the sooty chimney until he

finally felt solid earth beneath his feet.

:>






'e ste!!ed out of the fire!lace into a room which was only slightly lighter than the black

chimney. 8hen his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he made out the dim

outlines of a table and, gro!ing around, found the stub of a candle, which he lit. hen he

set to work swiftly. 'e drew out from his !ack a bright blue woolen stocking, which he

filled to the brim with little toys and nuts and raisins, for he thought the hungry little girl

might like a few sweets. hen he hung the fat stocking right on the fire!lace, weighted

down with a heavy brass candlestick. 'e stood back a moment to survey his work and

was %ust leaning over the candle to blow it out and make his difficult way back u! the

chimney, when he was startled by the sudden o!ening of a door, and a furious figuredashed into the room.

H-neaking into my house, ehK fter my gold, I su!!ose( IGll show you how I treat

thievesC IGll show you(H

he old man !icked u! a heavy !air of iron fire#tongs and made a lunge at icholas, who

ra!idly s!rang aside, so that the table was between him and the mad old miser.

H<onGt be such a fool, man,H he said uickly, reali=ing that the other was in such a rage he

was dangerous. HI havenGt come here after your gold. +ook . . .H

H ou havenGt, ehK hen what brings you here, if it isnGt some thieving !ur!oseK 8hy do

you break into an honest manGs house in the dead of night if it isnGt for the wealth IGm

su!!osed to haveKH

;0






H8hat brings me hereK +ook behind you at that stocking there. he other children in the

village leave theirs outside their doors, but you have that !oor child so frightened sheGs

afraid to ask you for anything. I only wanted to make her feel she was %ust as good as the

others, that she could get gifts the same as they find on $hristmas morning.H

H ifts,H e"claimed the old man, bewildered, lowering his dangerous#looking wea!on.

H ou give things awayKH 'e looked at icholas as though he were some strange kind of

animal.

H es,H answered icholas, relieved to see the fire#tongs out of sight. HIGll even give you a

$hristmas gift, you foolish old man. 'ere, if goldGs all you care for, hereGs moreFand

moreFand more, to add to your hoard(H

nd he reached into his dee! !ockets and !oured a stream of bright gold on the table

under old $arlGs astonished eyes.

H here, thatGs %ust to show you how unim!ortant I think money is com!ared to the love of

a little child, which you might have. <id you ever try to make AatieGs eyes twinkle at

youK o, you only see the bright glitter of this stuff, and so her eyes are sad, !itiful things

when you look into them. <id you ever feel her warm little hand tuck itself into yoursK

o. our fingers are satisfied with the cold touch of gold. I !ity you, old man, but donGt

you dare touch that stocking or IGll make you sorry for yourself as well. nd now,H he

;1






finished his tirade and brushed some soot from one eye, H now, will you !lease show me

the way to the door. I donGt intend to climb u! that chimney. IGll never get this suit clean

again(H

'e marched out of the room, a ridiculous, stout figure, covered with soot from head to

toe, and yet somehow a very im!ressive !erson to old $arl, who hastened ahead of him

and silently let him out into the black, stormy night.

he village bu==ed with e"citement during the following week. -omething had stirred u!the old miser on the hill( 'e had ri!!ed off the boards from his doors and windowsC P>9Q

he had bought a new horse and sleighC he had stocked his larder with huge uantities of

food#stuffs. e"t, he interviewed the schoolmaster, and within a few days, Aatie and her

grandfather were seen on the road leading to the school, the little girlGs face beaming u! at

the old man, her feet ski!!ing along to catch u! with his long strides and her warm little

hand tucked close in his gnarled old fist.

nd all because icholas had climbed down a chimney to fill a stocking(

;2






;






?ery close to icholasG cottage was a thick grove of !ine trees,Ftall, beautiful dark green

trees which lifted their branches high u! into the sky and formed a !erfect shelter for the

ground beneath. -cattered in among the larger trees were clusters of firs, brave little trees,

which ke!t their sturdy branches green all through the cold northern winter and came

through each heavy snowstorm with their shiny needles still !ointed to the sky.

he children used to love to !lay in this grove, because no matter how stormy the

weather was outside, here they could find a warmer, more sheltered s!ot away from the

bitter winds on the hills and roads. nd in the summer time, it was a charming !lace, with

the shar!, keen scent of the !ine trees, and the soft murmuring of their branches in the bree=e.

icholas loved this little grove, for in order to get there, the village children had to !ass

his cottage, and hardly a grou! went by his door without one or more of their number

dashing in to say H ood#dayH to their old friend and to watch him work at his fascinating

little toys.

*ne winter day, toward the end of the year, icholas looked out of his cottage window

and noticed an entire grou! of children, all running for dear life away from the grove. t

first he thought it was some sort of game, but as they drew nearer, he saw that something

must have frightened them. few of the smaller ones were crying loudly, and the larger

boys and girls were dragging them along, not one !ausing for breath until they reached

the wood#carverGs cottage, where they all flocked in and stood still for a minute, !anting

for breath.

;






icholas !icked u! one of the babies and tried to soothe him. H8hy, whatGs all this aboutK

ll you big boys looking so frightened( <id you see a bogie#man in the woodsKH

he larger children began to look a little ashamed of themselvesC then all began

e"!laining why they had run so fast.

H8e were !laying robbers in the !ine grove, and it was ikiGs turn to take his side hiding

so that they could s!ring out at us. 8e were the travelers who were going to be robbed,you see,H the s!eaker e"!lained to icholas, who nodded his white head understandingly.

H8ell,H the boy went on, HI was leading the band of travelers, so I took them back a little

way so we wouldnGt see where iki had hidden his robbers. 8e waited long enough for

them to get away, then we started marching back. nd %ust as we reached the s!ot where

we had left the othersHFhere the boyGs voice seemed to tremble a little, and the other

children shivered and drew closer to icholasFHI saw a clum! of evergreens move a

little, so I shouted, G obbers(G and we all ran over there, andF and . . .H

H nd a big black man walked out(H shrieked a little fellow hysterically.

H'e wasnGt really all black, you know, icholas,H said iki. H8e heard the other fellows

say, G obbers(G so we ran out of our hiding !lace, and we saw him too. 'e had long black

hair and a terrible#looking mustache, and he had gold rings in his ears. nd he looked at

us and said something we couldnGt understand. -o we turned around and started to run,

;6






and we ran right into a whole lot more black men, and there were women and babies with

them too.H

H es, and when they saw us running, they all laughed at us, and said things to us in a

strange language,H added a little girl. HI wasnGt afraid after I saw the babies. eally bad

men donGt go around with babies, do they, icholasKH

H o, I e"!ect not, -onya. hey may have looked bad because they were different from

the men you see in the village, but I think I know who they might be. <id they have anyhorses or carts with themKH

H es,H answered one boy. HI saw three or four thin#looking horses standing by a big

covered wagon.H

HI saw the wagon, too,H said iki. HIt was big, but one of the wheels had rolled right off,

and it looked as though that cart would stay in the snow for a long time.H

H ou know, I think they might be gy!sies,H said icholas.

H y!sies(H e"claimed all the children at once. H8e never had any in the village beforeC

are they robbers, icholasK 8ill they live hereKH

;9






HI donGt know, children. y!sies usually donGt wander north in the winter timeC this tribe

may have lost their way. t any rate, they canGt get any farther south now until the s!ring.

?ery few travelers can get over the !ass in the mountains, and if their horses are old and

their wagons broken down, they would be foolish to attem!t it.H

HBut where will they live, icholasKH asked gentle little -onya in a worried tone. H hose

!oor little babies and their mothers canGt stay out in the cold all winter, can theyK nd

there arenGt any houses in the village where they can stay.H

icholas shook his head. H hatGs true, my dear. But I guess gy!sies areused to all sorts of weather. 8hy, I bet those babies would cry if they woke u! at night

and saw a roof over their heads instead of the stars.H

HIGd like to live out in the o!en all the time like that,H said one of the little boys who had

been the most frightened. H*nly, how can they hang u! their stockings if they have no

doorsKH

his uestion drew forth an eager stream of still more uestions. H es, icholas, you

couldnGt visit those children, could youKH H hey havenGt even a chimney like the old

miserGs grandchild, but theyGd like toys too, wouldnGt theyK heyGre like other children,

arenGt they, icholasKH

H es, those little gy!sies out there in the !ine grove are real children %ust like you, even if

their curls are black and yours are yellow.H nd icholas tweaked the locks of the

;:






nearest fla"en#haired child, and then ?i"en !oked his head through the window to see if

he was missing anything. -o the children forgot the bad scare they had received and

started to !lay robbers with the naughty little reindeer, who was a s!lendid !laymate,

because he was always willing to be the one to do the chasing.

It was a band of gy!sies the children had seen, and %ust as icholas had su!!osed, they

had been caught in an une"!ectedly early winter storm which closed all the roads and

!revented them from reaching the warmer southlands. few of the men talked the

language of the village and tried to e"!lain their troubles to the sym!athetic townsfolk,who generously gave them as much food as they could s!are. -o the gy!sies were not in

any danger of starving to death, but there was no chance of anyone having shelter to offer

them. hey would %ust have to make the best of their few wagons and tents in the

sheltered !ine grove, with the thick little evergreens kee!ing out the bitter blasts of the

winter winds.

*nce the children of the village had recovered from their first fright they soon made

friends with the little black#haired gy!sies, and there were many gay times in the cam!.

he gy!sy fathers would build big fires, then all would gather round, yellow heads

shining in the firelight close to gleaming dark heads. nd the children would teach each

other new words, and the gy!sy youths and maidens would dance strange wild dances

and sing their sweet haunting songs.

;;






icholas handed the man some white ob%ects. H'ere are the candles, rinka. emember

what I said youGre to doKH he man nodded. H ood( ou do your !art, and IGll follow

along with these things.H

H hese thingsH consisted of icholasG sack, which he carried along with him as he

followed rinka. he gy!sy !aused at every little fir tree in the grove, deftly twisting a

!iece of cord around the base of each candle, and so tying it to a branch. hen icholas

would finish decorating the tree, tying to the green branches shiny red a!!les, brownnuts, and of course, a sam!le of every one of his hand#carved toys. It was a long task,

because there were over ten of the little evergreens to be trimmedC but icholas insisted

on having a tree for every family of gy!sy children. -o it was almost dawn when they

finally finished their work.

H ow for the lights,H said icholas.

hey both went around uickly from tree to tree, touching a ta!er to each candle, until the

whole dark grove was twinkling and glowing like the center of a warm hearth#fire.

HI think thatGs the !rettiest !art of it all,H said icholasH and you must be sure to awaken

the children before the sun gets through the !ine trees and s!oils the effect.H

H ll right,H said rinka, HIGll go and wake them u! now, before you go.H

>0






>2






'olvig was one of those timid little agirls who hated to go to bed, not %ust because it was

bedtime, but because it was so dark in her little room after the cheery living room of her

!arentsG cottage. -he would shriek with fear when a tiny mouse ran across her !ath, and

she would walk miles to avoid going by the village !asture, where terrifyingly big yet

gentle cows were gra=ing. -he was a somewhat lonely little girl, too, because certain of

the big boys in the village, after discovering how timid she was, used to tease her by

making sudden noises behind her back or by %um!ing at her from dark corners. -o, mostof the time, she !layed by herself or with the smaller children of the neighborhood.

'er father used to grow im!atient with his daughter. H8hat is to become of herKH he

would ask his wife. H8hy, sheGs afraid of almost every living thing and makes u! a few

e"tra ghosts and hobgoblins from the other world as well. IGm really worried. -ometimes

I think the child must be daft.H

H hat sheGs not,H returned his wife warmly. H'olly has a good sound little head on her

shoulders, and itGs only this streak of timidity that makes her seem different from other

children. -ome day something will ha!!en that will make her forget her fearsC I feel sure

of it. -heGs such a good, affectionate child, sheGd do anything for someone she loved, even

if it took the last ounce of her courage.H

H8ell, !erha!s youGre right,H answered her husband, Hbut I hate to see her going on like

this. It isnGt natural for a child her age to go about alone all the time.H

>






H s long as 'olly has her flowers, sheGll never be alone,H said the mother. H-he has such a

way with them, our garden is the loveliest in the village, even for the short summer we

have.H

H/lowers(H e"claimed the big man in disgust. H8e have them in the yard in the summer,

and then she !utters over those flower !ots all winter in the house. -illiness, I call it(H

'e stam!ed im!atiently out of the cottage and left his wife smiling half#sadly at a littlewindow#bo" of the HsillyH blossoms.

'ollyGs love for flowers and the luck she had in raising them in the harsh northern climate

were really remarkable. s her mother had said, the little yard around the cottage was

lovely all through the summer with flowers of every hue. hen, when the first shar! frost

of the autumn was felt in the air, 'olvig tenderly trans!lanted into bo"es and %ars those of

the flowers and !lants which would kee! in the house, and carefully gathered seeds from

the others for the s!ring !lanting.

*f course, like all the other children of the village, 'olvig hung her stocking on the door

every $hristmas )ve and every $hristmas morning discovered the same lovely gifts and

sweets. Being an affectionate child, she became !assionately devoted to good old

icholas, an affection second only to her love for her flowers. But, unlike the other

children in the village, she couldnGt take for granted the o!en#handed generosity of the

>






wood#carver. -he wanted to e"!ress in some way her gratitude and a!!reciation that

someone did not think her ueer and odd because she didnGt run about with the other

children.

But what could she doK -he thought and thought, and finally hit u!on something which

might !lease icholas. -he would give him something that gave her more !leasure than

anything else in the world4 she would share her flowers with him. -he always had

enoughC in the summer the garden was a riot of color, and in the winter she usually had

such a careful way of handling her !lants, that there were always some in blossom.

-o, thoroughly !leased with her idea, the little girl selected a small bou uet of bright

blossoms from her window#bo"es, for it was now winter, and bundled herself u! in her

cloak and ca! and started for icholasG cottage.

HIGm glad he lives at the edge of the wood,H 'olvig thought to herself, as she trudged

along the road through the dee! snow. HI donGt think IGd ever get to see him if he lived

way in the wood. I never could bear to go that far from the village.H

s she a!!roached the wood#carverGs cottage, she was wondering what would be the best

way of !resenting her offering.

HIGd like so much to see him and talk to him,H she said to herself. HIGm sure he doesnGt

know me, for they say heGs getting so old now he doesnGt remember all the children in the

>6






village, but %ust fills a stocking wherever he sees one. But I think it would be more fun

%ust to leave the flowers outside the door, the way he leaves his gifts. hatGs what IGll do,H

she decided, and ski!!ed along until she reached the gateway to the cottage. -he stole

silently across the yard, and was %ust about to leave her !osies on the doorste! when she

was startled by a loud crash from the near#by stable. 'er heart almost sto!!ed beating,

then raced and !ounded with fear as she saw a big animal rushing right towards her. -he

was too terrified to moveC her feet remained rooted in the snowC her icy hands held

des!erately to the little bou uet of flowers. he awful thing made his way straight to herC

she shut her eyes and thought wildly, HIGm going to die. 'eGll surely kill me.H momentwhich seemed like a year !assed, while she waited silently for death, and then finding

herself still alive and not hearing a sound from the wild beast, she slowly o!ened her eyes

and stared straight into a !air of beautiful soft brown ones, which were ga=ing at her with

mild curiosity.

H*h, itGs a reindeer,H she said to herself, losing a little of her fear. HIt must belong to

icholas, only it might be dangerous, %ust the same.H

-he was still too frightened to move, and finally the reindeer, growing tired of standing

still, came nearer and nearer, until his nose touched the little bou uet. 'e o!ened his

mouth and nibbled a !osy. 'e seemed to like the taste of it, for he started to nibble

another. 'olvig, too astonished to save the first flower, awoke from her frightened trance

when she saw her whole bou uet in danger of being devoured. -he flew into a rage. -he

snatched her flowers away from the deerGs mouth and held them behind her back with one

>9






hand, while with the other she !ushed the sur!rised head away from her and started to

deal shar! ra!id blows on his shoulders and back. he reindeer stood his ground for a

moment, then turned and fled, followed closely by 'olvig, who was still so angry she

su!!osed she could catch the fleet#footed animal.

-uddenly she heard a voice behind her. H'ere, hereC what are you doing to my ?i"enK

ouGre frightening him(H

'olvig turned and saw icholas standing in the doorway, fat and rosy, his white hair standing like a halo around his head.

HI frightened him(H gas!ed 'olly. HI frightened somethingKH

H es, of course you did,H said icholas. H<onGt you know deer are timid creatures and

you shouldnGt chase themKH

HBut he was eating your bou uet, and I became angry, andFdo you really mean to say he

was frightened of meKH

icholas laughed a little im!atiently. H es. &y goodness, child, why do you kee! saying

thatK <idnGt you think you could frighten an animal like thatKH

H o,H stated 'olvig in a wondering tone. HI never scared anybody in my life.

-omebodyGs always frightening me, you know.H

>:






icholas looked gravely down into the solemn little face. H$ome into my work#room and

talk awhile,H he said uietly. HI think we shall have to get ac uainted.H

hen, after they were comfortably installed in the cheery little room and 'olvig had been

given a bowl of warm milk, icholas continued, H8hat is your name, my dearKH

H'olvig is my real name, but everyone calls me 'olly,H the little girl answered. H*h, I

almost forgot(H she e"claimed, and she dashed out in the yard again and returned in a fewseconds bearing a somewhat bedraggled bunch of flowers.

H hey look terrible now,H she said sadly. H ou see, that ?i"en ate some of them, and then

I dro!!ed them in the snow when I started to chase himC but I guess thereGs enough left, if

youGd like them. I brought them for you,H she finished shyly.

icholas was so !leased by this offering, that he wanted to know all about 'ollyGs

garden, and her winter !lants, and her house, and her !arents, and everything. -o

gradually the story came out, and the kind#hearted old wood#carver soon had a good

!icture of the kind of life the little girl had led,Ftimid, always shrinking away from

something, never uite ha!!y unless she was alone among her flowers.

H8hy, IGd never think you were a timid little girl,H he said encouragingly. HI think you did

a very brave thing to save my bou uet.H

>;






H*h, do youKH asked 'olly eagerly.H I was really afraid at first,H she confessed truthfully.

H es, !erha!s you were, 'olly. But to do something you think is dangerous when youGre

really afraid is more courageous than if you didnGt feel any fear at all. lways remember

that, my dear,H he said kindly, laying a hand on the yellow curls.

H es, icholas, I will,H !romised the child solemnly, Hand IGll bring you some more

flowers ne"t week.H

hen 'olly said good#by and left the cottage. s she crossed the yard, she noticed ?i"en

!oking his head at her from behind a tree. 'er heart ski!!ed a little, but she shut her li!s

together firmly, and walked over to the reindeer.

HBoo(H said 'olly to ?i"en.

nd ?i"en turned and ran for deer life.

>>






100






*ften after that, 'olly brought a bou uet of her flowers to icholas, and she and the

wood#carver soon became very good friends. icholas would sit at his bench and work at

his little toys, and 'olly would sit on a stool at his feet and talk and talk. 8ithout the

little girlGs sus!ecting it, her old friend would lead her to tell him of her fears, and she

discovered that talking about them here in this cosy little room made them seem

somehow less im!ortant.

H<id a mouse ever sit still and look at youKH asked icholas.

H*h, no,H said little 'olly terrified. HIGd die if he did that.H

H8ell now, why do you su!!ose he runs when he sees youK <oes he ever run at youKH

!ursued the old man, with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

H o, he always runs the other way,H said 'olly.

H ow I wonder why he does that,H remarked icholas. 'olly laughed,Fa somewhat

ashamed little laugh. HI su!!ose heGs afraid of me,H she said slowly, discovering a new

idea.

H)"actly,H said wise old icholas.

101






nother time he said in a conversational tone, H ow take rabbits, for instance. re you

afraid of rabbits, 'ollyKH

H*h, no,H answered the little girl !roudly. H hatGs one thing I know to be even more timid

than I am. 8hy, theyGd even run at my shadow(H

H hatGs trueC they are fearful little creatures,Hsaid icholas. hen he continued, H<id you

ever see where rabbits live, 'ollyKH

H es, they go down into little holes in the ground, donGt theyKH

H&mmm,H answered icholas, seeming to be busy e"amining a little dollGs face he was

carving. H hey must be terribly dark, those little holes, donGt you think so, 'ollyKH he

little girl nodded her head. H nd yet those little animals you think are so timid go way

down there to bed every night and !robably donGt think anything of it.H

'ollyGs forehead wrinkled. HI see what you mean, icholas. But if my room were really

as dark as a rabbitGs hole, maybe I wouldnGt mindC but you see, itGs only half dark, and the

chairs and tables look so terrible in the dim light that comes through the window. I

sometimes think they are goblins.H

icholas !ut down his toy and turned a sur!rised face towards the little girl. H oblins(H

he e"claimed. H ow here am I well !ast si"ty years old, and I never heard of goblins.

8hat are they, 'ollyKH he asked in an interested tone.

102






'olly looked confused, then a doubtful e"!ression cre!t into her voice. H8hy, I donGt

e"actly know,H she confessed. HBut IGve always heard of them,H she ended firmly. H ou

little silly,H laughed icholas tenderly, drawing the child u! on his knee. H ow, you listen

to me, 'olly,H he went on seriously. H8eGre friends, arenGt weKH

he little girl smiled lovingly at the kind, rosy face so close to hers and nodded her head

vigorously.

H nd you believe I wouldnGt tell you something that wasnGt true, donGt youKH 'olly

nodded again.

H8ell, IGm going to tell you something. here arenGt any goblins, and there arenGt any

bogie#men, and there arenGt any terrible creatures who %ust run around trying to harm little

children. If youGre a good girl, and say your !rayers before you go to bed every night,

nothing can harm you. <o you hear meK othing.H

'olly looked very much im!ressed. HItGll be hard at first,H she said. HBut if I think I see a

goblin in my room, IGll %ust say to him, G icholas says you %ust arenGt, you old goblin(G H

hey both laughed, and icholas hugged the little girl and told her it was time to run

home to her su!!er.

10






wo boys were !assing the gate and !aused to wave kindly at her. 'olly waved back and

wi!ed her eyes. -he !ushed o!en the casement a little and called out, H8hatGs that green

stuff you have under your arm, AarlKH

he boys came over to the window. Aarl held u! an armful of beautiful branches,F

lovely little warm red berries scattered among shiny !ointed green leaves.

H8hy, itGs beautiful(H e"claimed 'olly, clas!ing her hands, and her dull eyes beginning to

s!arkle a little. H8hat is itK 8here did you get it, AarlKH

H8e got it in the woods,Fway back in the !art they call the Black /orest. It grows like

this, right in the middle of the winter. I donGt know what the name of it is.H

H*h, itGs !retty,H said 'olly again. HButFbutFdid you say the Black /orestKH

H es,H answered Aarl, Hand itGs black all right. he sun hardly ever gets through those

trees, and if you get lost there, I guess youGd stay lost.H

H es, sir,H added the other boy. HI wouldnGt go there alone, I can tell you. 8ell, come on,

Aarl. 8eGve got to go.H

he two boys went on their way, leaving 'olly with the !icture of the bright red berries

and shiny green leaves still in her mind. 'ow icholas would love that cheery little !lant(

106






he warm little berries somehow reminded her of him, so bright and rosy. But the Black

/orest( -he shuddered.

H here must be all kinds of terrible things in that !lace,H she thought.H 8ild animals and

strange noises, and maybe, behind the trees,Fgoblins(H

-he shook a littleC then, suddenly, she had a mental !icture of herself in icholasG cottage,

saying, HIGll %ust look at him and say, G oblin, icholas says you %ust arenGt(G H

'olly buried her tortured little face in her hands. H*h, if I only dared to do it,H she almost

sobbed.H 'e says to do a thing when you are really afraid is braver than if you felt no fear

at all. But thatGs a horrible !laceC even the boys are afraid to go there alone. But I havenGt

any flowers for him( nd heGs so kind to us children, and s!ring is so far away(H

-o she sat there for a long time, her mind turning from one decision to the other. HIGve got

to do it, to show him. o, I canGt, I canGt( -omething terrible would ha!!en to me. But he

said nothing could harm a good child, and IGve tried to be good. ItGs a bright dayC maybe

there would be some sun in the forest. If I hurried and found the berries uickly, maybe I

could be back again before nightfall. IFthinkFIGm going to do it(H

nd she almost ran for her cloak, before she had a chance to change her mind, and before

her mother returned from the village.

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icholas looked u! from his work and saw a little figure flying along the road, right !ast

his cottage and into the woods.

H hat looked like 'olly,H he thought startled. H o, it canGt be. -heGs not well yet,F

besides,H he shook his head sadly, Hthe !oor little thing would be too terrified to go into

the woods. It must be some other village child.H

n hour later, however, he was interru!ted in his work by a frantic woman. It was 'ollyGs

mother. H*h, I thought she was here,H the woman said distracted. H8hen I came homeand found her gone, I was angry that she had gone out while she was still so weak, but I

was sure IGd find her with you. *h, where has she goneK -heGs lost( nd itGs beginning to

storm(H

icholas was ra!idly !ulling on his bright red coat and fur#trimmed ca!. HIGll find her,

donGt you worry.H 'e looked out at the gray afternoon sky, filled with leaden#colored

clouds. lready the air was filled with millions of snowflakes, scurrying and tumbling in

every direction, and striking fear in the heart of the man and woman who knew there was

a little girl out somewhere in the storm.

HI know where to look,H said icholas. HIGll take the small sled and ?i"enC heGs the best

one for narrow !assing, and heGs sure#footed over rocks and stee! !laces. ou sit down

here and get comfortable, and IGll have your 'olly here before the snow covers my front

walk.H

10:






-o the round little figure bustled about, energetic and sound in s!ite of his si"ty#odd

years, and in a few moments was lost in the wild flurry of snow.

'olly, meanwhile, had found the red berries with the shiny green leaves, and her %oy on

seeing the cheerful little !lant almost chased away the thoughts of what awful things

might be lurking behind the huge tree trunks or hiding on the boughs waiting to s!ring

down at her. -he gathered a large armful of the !lants, and then started back again, her

heart beginning to !ound once more as the light inside the forest grew dimmer anddimmer.

HI canGt understand it,Hshe murmured, her knees trembling as she tried to find the

narrow !ath. HIt canGt be any later than three oGclock and the sun was uite bright when I

came in here. *h(H she finished in a terrified tone, as she felt the cold touch of a

snowflake on her cheek, then another, then another.H I donGt mind the snow so much,H she

continued as she hurried along in the dim light. H he trees grow so thick I donGt think

there would be enough snow to block my way, but itGs getting darker and darker.H

-he started to run now, as the snow whirled in white mists around her, wra!!ing the trees

in its ghostly mantle and making little white s!irits out of low bushes and shrubs. he

wind whistled through the branches and moaned high u! in the tree#to!sC it caught at

'ollyGs cloak and whirled it around her head. In her terrified fancy, it seemed that some

ghostly hand was !lucking at her and trying to kee! her in this terrible !lace.

10;






-he began to run, her arms clutching her bundle of berries, her head bent to breast the

storm, her feet tri!!ing over rocks and stum!s hidden in the snow. -he breathed heavilyC

in s!ite of the biting wind, she felt her head grow hotter and hotterC her heart was

!ounding so hard she thought it would burst through her ribs.

HI canGt see anything,H she sobbed. HItGs getting darker and darkerC I canGt lift my feetC the

trees are falling on me. *'(H she shrieked aloud as her terrified eyes saw a huge form

looming at her through the clouds of snow. -he closed her eyes and fell face down infront of icholas and ?i"en.

8hen she ne"t o!ened her eyes, she was in the wood#carverGs cottage. 'er mother was

holding her in her armsC icholasG kind face was bent over her.

H8here are my flowersKH was her first uestion. HI went in the Black /orest alone to get

them for you. 8here are theyKH

icholas !ut the red berries in her arms. H'ere they are, dear. <id you bring them to meKH

H es, icholas. nd I was afraidC but I never will be again. I know that now.H

icholas wi!ed his eyes. H ou shouldnGt have gone so soon after you were sick. But I

love the little blossom. 8hat is its nameKH

10>






HI donGt know, but I liked it because it reminded me of youC itGs so round and red and

shiny,H said the little girl with a mischievous laugh.

H hatGs funny,H answered icholas, Hit reminded me of you, somewhat. ItGs so brave and

gay growing out there in the darkness and the cold, and the little berries have the blood#

red of courage in them. -o I think IGll christen your little flower. /rom now on weGll call it

R'olly.GH

110






111






en more years !assed, and every $hristmas morning the children found their stockings

filled with toys and candy and nuts. @oor families found baskets filled with good things

to eat,Fwild fowl, vegetables, flour, and meal. -ometimes even bundles of clothing for

every member of the family were !laced on the doorste!s. /or icholas was now a

!ros!erous old man and shared all he had with the less fortunate townsfolk.

But as the years went on, and his good deeds increased, he was growing more and more

feeble. he villagers, who loved and venerated him, grew sad when their children !rattled

ha!!ily on $hristmas morning over their toys, and the fearful thought in every !arentGsheart was,Fmaybe ne"t $hristmas he wonGt be with us.

*ne year, a grou! of men and women called on icholas at his cottage with a suggestion.

H8e thought, icholas,H said one man a little hesitantly, Hwe thought that since itGs so

cold filling stockings outside the door, and sometimes there are five or si" to each family,

why couldnGt the children leave their stockings inside by the fire!laceKH

H hen you could come in and get warm and take your time about it,H added one woman

kindly.

icholas raised his white head from the work he was always doing and smiled all over

his rosy face. 'e !laced one gnarled hand, grown old in service for others, on a manGs

shoulder.

112






H he idea of you coming here to tell me how to do my work,H he %oked. H 8hy, I

remember filling an embroidered bag for you when you were tinier than your own

children are now. nd then they started !utting stockings out instead of bags, and now

youGre going to !ull the stockings in. 8ell, times change, I su!!ose, and I must kee! u!

with the times. -o indoors I will go, and I thank you all for your warm fires.H

-o after that year, icholas would cree! into houses on $hristmas )ve, and would settle

his bulky old form comfortably before the fire and fill the stockings leisurely. he

firelight would lea! u! merrily as if to hel! him at his work, and the !eaceful old facewith the halo of white hair and beard would beam warmly at the little toys he stuffed into

the stockings, and the wrinkled hands would caress lovingly the little boats and dolls that

a childGs hands would fondle the ne"t morning.

*ne $hristmas )ve, old icholas found it more and more difficult to leave each fire!lace

for the ne"t house. he warm bla=e made him drowsy, and his old bones !rotested as he

heaved himself u! wearily to be on with his work. It was slow !rogress he made from

house to house, but he finally reached his last sto!, his back tired from the bulky sack, his

head droo!ing with slee!iness, and his heart heavy as he reali=ed how old he must be

when the task he had done for so many years was now beginning to wear him out.

he last house was reached, and icholas dro!!ed in the settle by the fire with a dee!

sigh of relief. It was a long time before he recovered sufficiently to start filling the

stockingsC even then he did it slowly, reaching !ainfully down to his sack, and each time

11






straightening himself with growing difficulty. 'e filled four of the five stockings that

were hanging over the fire!laceC then, with the fifth one still em!ty in his hands, the old

head droo!ed drowsily, and icholas was fast aslee!.

'e awoke with a start an hour later when a man an"iously shook him by the shoulder.

H re you all right, icholasKH asked a worried voice. HI got u! to see if the fire had gone

out and found you still here, and look, itGs almost dawn(H

icholas shook himself, then stood u! wearily. H es, lad, itGs $hristmas morning, and I

havenGt finished my work,H he said sorrowfully.

HIGll do the last one for you, icholas,H answered the man kindly. H ou %ust leave the toys

and things here and go home to bed. IGll finish it. o along now, before the children get

u! and see you.H

icholas, thinking of his warm comfortable bed, handed the stocking to the man and

went out into the gray dawn.

/ive minutes later, a little night#gowned boy stood in the doorway of the living room.

H8hy, /ather,H he e"claimed in a disa!!ointed tone, HI thought it was icholas who gave

us the toys, and here you are filling my stocking(H

11






he child looked ready to cry, but his father, caught with the half#filled stocking in his

hand, hastened to reassure him.

H our icholas is getting old, my boy,H he said, Hand sometimes he gets so tired we

!arents have to hel! him in his work. But donGt you forget, itGs always icholas who

leaves you the toys.H

H hatGs all right then(H said the little fellow. HIt isnGt half so much fun when you think

your mother and father !re!are the gifts.H

HI should say not,H said the father sternly, Hand you must never doubt icholas. 8hy, he

might be so hurt at a little boy thinking he didnGt fill the stockings that he might never

come to his house again. hink how terrible that would be(H

H es,H whis!ered his son in a frightened voice. H8hat would $hristmas be without

icholasKH

116






119






'olly was no longer little 'ollyC she was a lovely slender young girl and led a ha!!y life,

her childish terrors long forgotten. -he hummed a gay little carol that $hristmas morning,

as she walked along the road towards icholasG cottage, her arms filled with the bright

red berries that bore her own name. -he still continued the !ractice of bringing flowers all

year round to her old friend, and every $hristmas )ve she would go into the Black /orest

to gather holly with which to decorate his cottage on $hristmas morning.

It was almost noon, and as she a!!roached the house, she noticed how silent and em!ty it

looked without icholasG head at the window, bent over his work, and with no smokecoming from the chimney.

H@oor thing,H thought the girl affectionately. H'eGs !robably all tired out from his tri! last

night. I wonGt waken him. IGll %ust go in and make his fire and !ut the holly around.H

-he stole silently into the cold little cottage, and soon had a warm bla=e crackling on the

hearth. -he cast an an"ious glance now and then towards the closed door that led to

icholasG bedroomC she was so afraid of disturbing his slumber. But she heard no sound

and busied herself decking the walls and windows with gay branches. hen, with one

s!ray still in her hand, she looked around uncertainly, and not finding another bare s!ot in

the living#room, she decided to bring it in to !lace beside icholas, so the branch of holly

would be the first thing heGd see when he o!ened his eyes.

11:






-he o!ened the door uietly and stole over to the bed. H8hy, the darling was so tired he

fell aslee! with his clothes on,H she murmured tenderly.

/or the fat round figure lay there, still dressed in the bright red suit with the white fur and

the shiny black leggings and close#fitting stocking ca!.

H'ereGs your holly,H whis!ered the girl, bending over icholas. hen, with a startled

e"clamation, she dro!!ed the blood#red blossoms all over the still figure and s!rang back,

frightened.

H icholas, icholas(H she screamed. H*h, heGs dead( 'eGs dead(H

-he ran bareheaded out into the snow, stumbled blindly down the road into the village,

and with tears streaming down her face, called loudly for the townsfolk.

hey gathered in little grou!s to listen to her story. he women murmured in broken

tones, between sobs, H'eGs dead(H and clas!ed their wondering little children closer, as if

to comfort them for the loss of their dearest friend. he men looked down to the ground

and u! at the sky and every !lace but into each otherGs eyes, for no man wanted to see the

tears that stood there. H es, heGs dead,H they all sighed dee!ly.

H8hoGs dead, &otherK Is it icholasKH asked the children. H8onGt he come to us any more

on $hristmas )veKH

11;






120






It was a sad year that followed the $hristmas morning of icholasG death. ll through the

long cold winter and brief summer the villagers were reminded of the old friend who had

left them every time they saw his closed cottage, with a holly wreath still in the window.

hey had tenderly !ut him to rest in the !ine grove close to the friendly little evergreens

and near the s!ot where the village children came to !lay. he eight reindeer were no

longer in the stalls behind the cottageC they had been taken back to the big stables on the

to! of the hill by Aatie <insler. &any a time in the months that !assed, a mother would

!ick u! a little carved doll from the floor and gently wi!e the dirt from its face, with asuddenly tear#dimmed eye for the generous heart who had given the toy.

It gradually entered even the most babyish mind that icholas was dead and would come

to fill their stockings no more. hey cried a little, then the image of the fat, cheer ful old

man faded from their forgetful childish memories, and so the year !assed until it was

again $hristmas )ve.

H&other, are we going to hang u! our stockingsKH

H o, no, child.'ave you forgotten that icholas is dead and canGt come to fill your

stockings any moreKH

his uestion was asked and answered sadly in almost every house in the village that

$hristmas )ve, so different from the other years, when every fire in every hearth glowed

121






warmly on ha!!y, e"!ectant little children who were busy choosing their best and longest

stocking to hang over the fire!lace. his year, the little boys and girls went des!ondently

to bed, and the night before $hristmas was %ust like any ordinary night, with the !arents

silently banking the fires and bolting the doors that once had been left o!en to receive a

merry, fat figure in a red suit.

nd icholas might have been forgotten if it hadnGt been for one boy, little lame -te!hen,

who had a still#warm memory of the kind old man and a childish faith that somehow a

big heart like his could never die. -o -te!henGs !arents were astonished when he calmlywent about hanging u! his stocking, %ust as he had done every $hristmas )ve since he

could remember.

HBut -te!hen,H his mother reminded him sadly, Hyou know icholas is dead. ou saw

him carried from the cottage to the little !ine groveC you saw his sleigh and reindeer

being taken u! to &istress AatieGs house. hereGs no icholas any more, childC donGt you

understandKH

HBut IGve got to hang u! my stocking, &otherC IGve got to. I donGt believe od would kee!

him away from the children on $hristmas )ve. I believe that he will come back . . .H

H'ush( ou mustnGt say things like that,H e"claimed the mother in a frightened tone. H he

dead must rest, my son, and itGs not for you to say what od is to do with them. But

you may hang u! your stocking if you want to,H she ended, feeling that even though her

122






son suffered a cruel disa!!ointment, the only way to convince him was to have him find

his stocking em!ty on $hristmas morningC then he wouldnGt s!end the rest of his life

thinking that his mother might have been wrong.

-o that was how, while all the other houses had fire!laces that were growing darker and

colder, and the doors were bolted and windows tightly locked, there was one cottage in

the village where the latch#string was left out, where the fire still burned warmly on the

hearth, and where a lone little stocking was hanging bravely, an emblem of faith in a

doubting world.

<uring the night an old, old woman awoke and moved restlessly in her bed, muttering

still half#aslee!, HI thought I heard the %ingling of silver bells and the tram!ing of

reindeerGs hoofs on the snow. o, it must have been a dream,H she sighed, and went back

to slee!.

$hristmas morning dawned bright and clear. It might have been the first $hristmas

morning of the world, the sun was so warm, the air was so !ure and fresh, the snow so

virgin#white and glistening as it lay !iled u! along the fences and doorways. he little

village street lay !eaceful in the early morning uiet.

-uddenly the tran uillity of the !lace was broken by a wild shout, the door of one cottage

burst o!en, and the figure of a boy dashed out into the snow, one thin bare leg dragging a

12






little as he lim!ed through the gateway, and one arm waving wildly in the air,Fa long,

fat, bulging woolen stocking(

H'e isnGt dead(H shrieked -te!hen, his thin face transfigured by a beautiful %oy. H+ook

at my stocking( ItGs filled, %ust the same as last $hristmas( nd thereGs a big new sled by

our fire!lace. I knew it( +ook, everybody( 8ake u!, wake u!( icholas isnGt dead(H

&en, women, and children lea!ed from their beds to see what all the noise was about,

and the children lea!ed right into the largest !iles of toys they had ever seen,Fall aroundthe fire!laces, on the tables and chairs, and even beside their beds. he entire village

o!ened its doors and !oured out into the street, the children dragging handsome new

sleds loaded with the most beautiful toys the village had ever seen.

H<id you see thisK +ook at my boat(H

H'e must have come down the chimney when he found the door locked. here was some

soot on the floor.H

HIsnGt it wonderfulK ItGs the ha!!iest $hristmas weGve ever had(H

H+ittle -te!hen found a fir#tree on his table, decorated with more gifts and fruit and

candles, %ust the way the gy!sy children had their gifts, many years ago.H

12






H es, and -te!hen says there is a big shining star way u! on the to!most bough.H

H hatGs because -te!hen believed in him,H they said, ashamed of themselves. HBut now,

we believe too. 'e isnGt dead(H

-o the bells !ealed out on $hristmas morning,Fa %oyful, ha!!y sound, so different from

the mournful tolling of a year agoC and the ha!!y villagers almost sang the universal

refrain, H'e isnGt dead(H

he children danced and ran around with their toysC the men looked at each other with

solemn, awe#filled eyesC the mothers held their babies close and murmured, H'e isnGt

dead, my !etC youGll grow u! and icholas will still come to us.H

*ne old woman, she who thought she had heard silvery bells in the midnight air, with her

eyes half on another world, said in her cracked old voice, H'eGs a saint, thatGs what he is(H

H es, heGs -aint icholas now(H hey all took u! the shout, and the whole town %oined the

glad cry, H-aint icholas( -aint icholas(H

babyGs voice tried to add his stumbling s!eech to the general shout. H-antG $los( -antG

$los(H he lis!ed.

126






H8e believe now,H the children and the fathers and the mothers all said to each other with

the light of faith that little lame -te!hen had ins!ired on their faces. H8e believe that

-aint icholas will always come to us as long as there is one child alive in the village.H

HIn the village(H echoed little -te!hen. HIn the whole world(H he shouted trium!hantly.

##############

129






12:






-anta $laus lives in the +aughing ?alley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which

his toys are manufactured. 'is workmen, selected from the ryls, knooks, !i"ies and

fairies, live with him, and everyone is as busy as can be from one yearGs end to another.

It is called the +aughing ?alley because everything there is ha!!y and gay. he brook

chuckles to itself as it lea!s rollicking between its green banksC the wind whistles merrily

in the treesC the sunbeams dance lightly over the soft grass, and the violets and wild

flowers look smilingly u! from their green nests. o laugh one needs to be ha!!yC to be

ha!!y one needs to be contentC and throughout the +aughing ?alley of -anta $lauscontentment reigns su!reme.

*n one side is the mighty /orest of Bur=ee. t the other side stands the huge mountain

that contains the $aves of the <aemons. nd between them the ?alley lies smiling and

!eaceful.

*ne would think that our good old -anta $laus, who devotes his days to making children

ha!!y, would have no enemies on all the earthC and, as a matter of fact, for a long !eriod

of time he encountered nothing but love wherever he might go.

But the <aemons who live in the mountain caves grew to hate -anta $laus very much,

and all for the sim!le reason that he made children ha!!y.

12;






he $aves of the <aemons are five in number. broad !athway leads u! to the first cave,

which is a finely arched cavern at the foot of the mountain, the entrance being beautifully

carved and decorated. In it resides the <aemon of -elfishness. Back of this is another

cavern inhabited by the <aemon of )nvy. he cave of the <aemon of 'atred is ne"t in

order, and through this one !asses to the home of the <aemon of &alice##situated in a

dark and fearful cave in the very heart of the mountain. I do not know what lies beyond

this. -ome say there are terrible !itfalls leading to death and destruction, and this may

very well be true. 'owever, from each one of the four caves mentioned there is a small,

narrow tunnel leading to the fifth cave##a co=y little room occu!ied by the <aemon of e!entance. nd as the rocky floors of these !assages are well worn by the track of

!assing feet, I %udge that many wanderers in the $aves of the <aemons have esca!ed

through the tunnels to the abode of the <aemon of e!entance, who is said to be a

!leasant sort of fellow who gladly o!ens for one a little door admitting you into fresh air

and sunshine again.

8ell, these <aemons of the $aves, thinking they had great cause to dislike old -anta

$laus, held a meeting one day to discuss the matter.

HIGm really getting lonesome,H said the <aemon of -elfishness. H/or -anta $laus

distributes so many !retty $hristmas gifts to all the children that they become ha!!y and

generous, through his e"am!le, and kee! away from my cave.H

12>






HIGm having the same trouble,H re%oined the <aemon of )nvy. H he little ones seem uite

content with -anta $laus, and there are few, indeed, that I can coa" to become envious.H

H nd that makes it bad for me(H declared the <aemon of 'atred. H/or if no children !ass

through the $aves of -elfishness and )nvy, none can get to & cavern.H

H*r to mine,H added the <aemon of &alice.

H/or my !art,H said the <aemon of e!entance, Hit is easily seen that if children do notvisit your caves they have no need to visit mineC so that I am uite as neglected as you

are.H

H nd all because of this !erson they call -anta $laus(H e"claimed the <aemon of )nvy.

H'e is sim!ly ruining our business, and something must be done at once.H

o this they readily agreedC but what to do was another and more difficult matter to settle.

hey knew that -anta $laus worked all through the year at his castle in the +aughing

?alley, !re!aring the gifts he was to distribute on $hristmas )veC and at first they

resolved to try to tem!t him into their caves, that they might lead him on to the terrible

!itfalls that ended in destruction.

-o the very ne"t day, while -anta $laus was busily at work, surrounded by his little band

of assistants, the <aemon of -elfishness came to him and said4

1 0






H hese toys are wonderfully bright and !retty. 8hy do you not kee! them for yourselfK

ItGs a !ity to give them to those noisy boys and fretful girls, who break and destroy them

so uickly.H

H onsense(H cried the old graybeard, his bright eyes twinkling merrily as he turned

toward the tem!ting <aemon. H he boys and girls are never so noisy and fretful after

receiving my !resents, and if I can make them ha!!y for one day in the year I am uite

content.H

-o the <aemon went back to the others, who awaited him in their caves, and said4

HI have failed, for -anta $laus is not at all selfish.H

he following day the <aemon of )nvy visited -anta $laus. 'e said, H he toy sho!s are

full of !laythings uite as !retty as those you are making. 8hat a shame it is that they

should interfere with your business( hey make toys by machinery much uicker than

you can make them by handC and they sell them for money, while you get nothing at all

for your work.H

But -anta $laus refused to be envious of the toy sho!s.

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HI can su!!ly the little ones but once a year##on $hristmas )ve,H he answeredC Hfor the

children are many, and I am but one. nd as my work is one of love and kindness I would

be ashamed to receive money for my little gifts. But throughout all the year the children

must be amused in some way, and so the toy sho!s are able to bring much ha!!iness to

my little friends. I like the toy sho!s, and am glad to see them !ros!er.H

In s!ite of the second rebuff, the <aemon of 'atred thought he would try to influence

-anta $laus. -o the ne"t day he entered the busy worksho! and said4

H ood morning, -anta( I have bad news for you.H

H hen run away, like a good fellow,H answered -anta $laus. HBad news is something that

should be ke!t secret and never told.H

H ou cannot esca!e this, however,H declared the <aemonC Hfor in the world are a good

many who do not believe in -anta $laus, and these you are bound to hate bitterly, since

they have so wronged you.H

H-tuff and rubbish(H cried -anta.

H nd there are others who resent your making children ha!!y and who sneer at you and

call you a foolish old rattle!ate( ou are uite right to hate such base slanderers, and you

ought to be revenged u!on them for their evil words.H

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HBut I donGt hate Gem(H e"claimed -anta $laus !ositively. H-uch !eo!le do me no real

harm, but merely render themselves and their children unha!!y. @oor things( IGd much

rather hel! them any day than in%ure them.H

Indeed, the <aemons could not tem!t old -anta $laus in any way. *n the contrary, he

was shrewd enough to see that their ob%ect in visiting him was to make mischief and

trouble, and his cheery laughter disconcerted the evil ones and showed to them the folly

of such an undertaking. -o they abandoned honeyed words and determined to use force.

It was well known that no harm can come to -anta $laus while he is in the +aughing

?alley, for the fairies, and ryls, and knooks all !rotect him. But on $hristmas )ve he

drives his reindeer out into the big world, carrying a sleigh#load of toys and !retty gifts to

the childrenC and this was the time and the occasion when his enemies had the best

chance to in%ure him. -o the <aemons laid their !lans and awaited the arrival of

$hristmas )ve.

he moon shone big and white in the sky, and the snow lay cris! and s!arkling on the

ground as -anta $laus cracked his whi! and s!ed away out of the ?alley into the great

world beyond. he roomy sleigh was !acked full with huge sacks of toys, and as the

reindeer dashed onward our %olly old -anta laughed and whistled and sang for very %oy.

/or in all his merry life this was the one day in the year when he was ha!!iest##the day he

lovingly bestowed the treasures of his worksho! u!on the little children.

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It would be a busy night for him, he well knew. s he whistled and shouted and cracked

his whi! again, he reviewed in mind all the towns and cities and farmhouses where he

was e"!ected, and figured that he had %ust enough !resents to go around and make every

child ha!!y. he reindeer knew e"actly what was e"!ected of them, and dashed along so

swiftly that their feet scarcely seemed to touch the snow#covered ground.

-uddenly a strange thing ha!!ened4 a ro!e shot through the moonlight and a big noose

that was in the end of it settled over the arms and body of -anta $laus and drew tight.Before he could resist or even cry out he was %erked from the seat of the sleigh and

tumbled head foremost into a snow#bank, while the reindeer rushed onward with the load

of toys and carried it uickly out of sight and sound.

-uch a sur!rising e"!erience confused old -anta for a moment, and when he had

collected his senses he found that the wicked <aemons had !ulled him from the snowdrift

and bound him tightly with many coils of the stout ro!e. nd then they carried the

kidna!!ed -anta $laus away to their mountain, where they thrust the !risoner into a

secret cave and chained him to the rocky wall so that he could not esca!e.

H'a, ha(H laughed the <aemons, rubbing their hands together with cruel glee. H8hat will

the children do nowK 'ow they will cry and scold and storm when they find there are no

toys in their stockings and no gifts on their $hristmas trees( nd what a lot of !unishment

they will receive from their !arents, and how they will flock to our $aves of -elfishness,

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and )nvy, and 'atred, and &alice( 8e have done a mighty clever thing, we <aemons of

the $aves(H

ow it so chanced that on this $hristmas )ve the good -anta $laus had taken with him in

his sleigh utter the yl, @eter the Anook, Ailter the @i"ie, and a small fairy named

8isk, his four favorite assistants. hese little !eo!le he had often found very useful in

hel!ing him to distribute his gifts to the children, and when their master was so suddenly

dragged from the sleigh they were all snugly tucked underneath the seat, where the shar!

wind could not reach them.

he tiny immortals knew nothing of the ca!ture of -anta $laus until sometime after he

had disa!!eared. But finally they missed his cheery voice, and as their master always

sang or whistled on his %ourneys, the silence warned them that something was wrong.

+ittle 8isk stuck out his head from underneath the seat and found -anta $laus gone and

no one to direct the flight of the reindeer.

H8hoa(H he called out, and the deer obediently slackened s!eed and came to a halt.

@eter and utter and Ailter all %um!ed u!on the seat and looked back over the track made

by the sleigh. But -anta $laus had been left miles and miles behind.

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H8hat shall we doKH asked 8isk an"iously, all the mirth and mischief banished from his

wee face by this great calamity.

H8e must go back at once and find our master,H said utter the yl, who thought and

s!oke with much deliberation.

H o, no(H e"claimed @eter the Anook, who, cross and crabbed though he was, might

always be de!ended u!on in an emergency. HIf we delay, or go back, there will not be

time to get the toys to the children before morningC and that would grieve -anta $lausmore than anything else.H

HIt is certain that some wicked creatures have ca!tured him,H added Ailter thoughtfully,

Hand their ob%ect must be to make the children unha!!y. -o our first duty is to get the toys

distributed as carefully as if -anta $laus were himself !resent. fterward we can search

for our master and easily secure his freedom.H

his seemed such good and sensible advice that the others at once resolved to ado!t it. -o

@eter the Anook called to the reindeer, and the faithful animals again s!rang forward and

dashed over hill and valley, through forest and !lain, until they came to the houses

wherein children lay slee!ing and dreaming of the !retty gifts they would find on

$hristmas morning.

1 9






he little immortals had set themselves a difficult taskC for although they had assisted

-anta $laus on many of his %ourneys, their master had always directed and guided them

and told them e"actly what he wished them to do. But now they had to distribute the toys

according to their own %udgment, and they did not understand children as well as did old

-anta. -o it is no wonder that they made some laughable errors.

&amie Brown, who wanted a doll, got a drum insteadC and a drum is of no use to a girl

who loves dolls. nd $harlie -mith, who delights to rom! and !lay out of doors, and who

wanted some new rubber boots to kee! his feet dry, received a sewing bo" filled withcolored worsteds and threads and needles, which made him so !rovoked that he

thoughtlessly called our dear -anta $laus a fraud.

'ad there been many such mistakes the <aemons would have accom!lished their evil

!ur!ose and made the children unha!!y. But the little friends of the absent -anta $laus

labored faithfully and intelligently to carry out their masterGs ideas and they made fewer

errors than might be e"!ected under such unusual circumstances.

nd, although they worked as swiftly as !ossible, day had begun to break before the toys

and other !resents were all distributedC so for the first time in many years the reindeer

trotted into the +aughing ?alley, on their return, in broad daylight, with the brilliant sun

!ee!ing over the edge of the forest to !rove they were far behind their accustomed hours.

1 :






'aving !ut the deer in the stable, the little folk began to wonder how they might rescue

their masterC and they reali=ed they must discover, first of all, what had ha!!ened to him

and where he was.

-o 8isk the /airy trans!orted himself to the bower of the /airy Lueen, which was

located dee! in the heart of the /orest of Bur=eeC and once there, it did not take him long

to find out all about the naughty <aemons and how they had kidna!!ed the good -anta

$laus to !revent his making children ha!!y. he /airy Lueen also !romised her

assistance, and then, fortified by this !owerful su!!ort, 8isk flew back to where utter and @eter and Ailter awaited him, and the four counseled together and laid !lans to rescue

their master from his enemies.

It is !ossible that -anta $laus was not as merry as usual during the night that succeeded

his ca!ture. /or although he had faith in the %udgment of his little friends he could not

avoid a certain amount of worry, and an an"ious look would cree! at times into his kind

old eyes as he thought of the disa!!ointment that might await his dear little children. nd

the <aemons, who guarded him by turns, one after another, did not neglect to taunt him

with contem!tuous words in his hel!less condition.

8hen $hristmas <ay dawned the <aemon of &alice was guarding the !risoner, and his

tongue was shar!er than that of any of the others.

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H he children are waking u!, -anta(H he cried. H hey are waking u! to find their

stockings em!ty( 'o, ho( 'ow they will uarrel, and wail, and stam! their feet in anger(

*ur caves will be full today, old -anta( *ur caves are sure to be full(H

But to this, as to other like taunts, -anta $laus answered nothing. 'e was much grieved

by his ca!ture, it is trueC but his courage did not forsake him. nd, finding that the

!risoner would not re!ly to his %eers, the <aemon of &alice !resently went away, and

sent the <aemon of e!entance to take his !lace.

his last !ersonage was not as disagreeable as the others. 'e had gentle and refined

features, and his voice was soft and !leasant in tone.

H&y brother <aemons do not trust me overmuch,H said he, as he entered the cavernC Hbut

it is morning, now, and the mischief is done. ou cannot visit the children again for

another year.H

H hat is true,H answered -anta $laus, almost cheerfullyC H$hristmas )ve is !ast, and for

the first time in centuries I have not visited my children.H

H he little ones will be greatly disa!!ointed,H murmured the <aemon of e!entance,

almost regretfullyC Hbut that cannot be hel!ed now. heir grief is likely to make the

children selfish and envious and hateful, and if they come to the $aves of the <aemons

today I shall get a chance to lead some of them to my $ave of e!entance.H

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H<o you never re!ent, yourselfKH asked -anta $laus, curiously.

H*h, yes, indeed,H answered the <aemon. HI am even now re!enting that I assisted in

your ca!ture. *f course it is too late to remedy the evil that has been doneC but

re!entance, you know, can come only after an evil thought or deed, for in the beginning

there is nothing to re!ent of.H

H-o I understand,H said -anta $laus. H hose who avoid evil need never visit your cave.H

H s a rule, that is true,H re!lied the <aemonC Hyet you, who have done no evil, are about

to visit my cave at onceC for to !rove that I sincerely regret my share in your ca!ture I am

going to !ermit you to esca!e.H

his s!eech greatly sur!rised the !risoner, until he reflected that it was %ust what might be

e"!ected of the <aemon of e!entance. he fellow at once busied himself untying the

knots that bound -anta $laus and unlocking the chains that fastened him to the wall.

hen he led the way through a long tunnel until they both emerged in the $ave of

e!entance.

HI ho!e you will forgive me,H said the <aemon !leadingly. HI am not really a bad !erson,

you knowC and I believe I accom!lish a great deal of good in the world.H

1 0






8ith this he o!ened a back door that let in a flood of sunshine, and -anta $laus sniffed

the fresh air gratefully.

HI bear no malice,H said he to the <aemon, in a gentle voiceC Hand I am sure the world

would be a dreary !lace without you. -o, good morning and a &erry $hristmas to you(H

8ith these words he ste!!ed out to greet the bright morning, and a moment later he was

trudging along, whistling softly to himself, on his way to his home in the +aughing

?alley.

&arching over the snow toward the mountain was a vast army, made u! of the most

curious creatures imaginable. here were numberless knooks from the forest, as rough

and crooked in a!!earance as the gnarled branches of the trees they ministered to. nd

there were dainty ryls from the fields, each one bearing the emblem of the flower or !lant

it guarded. Behind these were many ranks of !i"ies, gnomes and nym!hs, and in the rear

a thousand beautiful fairies floated along in gorgeous array.

his wonderful army was led by 8isk, @eter, utter, and Ailter, who had assembled it to

rescue -anta $laus from ca!tivity and to !unish the <aemons who had dared to take him

away from his beloved children.

1 1






nd, although they looked so bright and !eaceful, the little immortals were armed with

!owers that would be very terrible to those who had incurred their anger. 8oe to the

<aemons of the $aves if this mighty army of vengeance ever met them(

But lo( $oming to meet his loyal friends a!!eared the im!osing form of -anta $laus, his

white beard floating in the bree=e and his bright eyes s!arkling with !leasure at this !roof

of the love and veneration he had ins!ired in the hearts of the most !owerful creatures in

e"istence.

nd while they clustered around him and danced with glee at his safe return, he gave

them earnest thanks for their su!!ort. But 8isk, and utter, and @eter, and Ailter, he

embraced affectionately.

HIt is useless to !ursue the <aemons,H said -anta $laus to the army. H hey have their

!lace in the world, and can never be destroyed. But that is a great !ity, nevertheless,H he

continued musingly.

-o the fairies, and knooks, and !i"ies, and ryls all escorted the good man to his castle,

and there left him to talk over the events of the night with his little assistants.

8isk had already rendered himself invisible and flown through the big world to see how

the children were getting along on this bright $hristmas morningC and by the time he

returned, @eter had finished telling -anta $laus of how they had distributed the toys.

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H8e really did very well,H cried the fairy, in a !leased voiceC Hfor I found little

unha!!iness among the children this morning. -till, you must not get ca!tured again, my

dear masterC for we might not be so fortunate another time in carrying out your ideas.H

'e then related the mistakes that had been made, and which he had not discovered until

his tour of ins!ection. nd -anta $laus at once sent him with rubber boots for $harlie

-mith, and a doll for &amie BrownC so that even those two disa!!ointed ones became

ha!!y.

s for the wicked <aemons of the $aves, they were filled with anger and chagrin when

they found that their clever ca!ture of -anta $laus had come to naught. Indeed, no one on

that $hristmas <ay a!!eared to be at all selfish, or envious, or hateful. nd, reali=ing that

while the childrenGs saint had so many !owerful friends it was folly to o!!ose him, the

<aemons never again attem!ted to interfere with his %ourneys on $hristmas )ve.

#################

1






1






&y <ear /reda,

Because you are fond of fairy#tales, and have been ill, I have made you a story all for

yourself#a new one that nobody has read before.

nd the ueerest thing about it is#that I heard it in loucestershire, and that it is true#atleast about the tailor, the waistcoat, and the

H o more twist(H

$hristmas, 1>01

In the time of swords and !eriwigs and full#skirted coats with flowered la!!etsFwhen

gentlemen wore ruffles and gold#laced waistcoats of !aduasoy and taffetaFthere lived a

tailor in loucester.

1 6






'e sat in the window of a little sho! in 8estgate -treet, cross#legged on a table, from

morning till dark. ll day long while the light lasted he sewed and cut, !iecing out his

satin, and !om!adour, and lute stringC stuffs had strange names, and were very e"!ensive

in the days of the ailor of loucester. But although he sewed fine silk for his neighbors,

he himself was very, very !oorFa little old man in s!ectacles, with a !inched face, old

crooked fingers, and a suit of thread#bare clothes.

'e cut his coats without waste according to his embroidered clothC they were very small

ends and sni!!ets that lay about u!on the tableFH oo narrow breadths for noughtF e"ce!t waistcoats for mice,H said the tailor. *ne bitter cold day near $hristmastime the

tailor began to make a coatFa coat of cherry#colored corded silk embroidered with

!ansies and roses, and a cream#colored satin waistcoatFtrimmed with gau=e and green

worsted chenilleFfor the &ayor of loucester.

he tailor worked and worked, and he talked to himself. 'e measured the silk, and turned

it round and round, and trimmed it into sha!e with his shearsC the table was all littered

with cherry#colored sni!!ets. H o breadth at all, and cut on the crossC it is no breadth at

allC ti!!ets for mice and ribbons for mobs( for mice(H said the ailor of loucester. 8hen

the snow#flakes came down against the small leaded window#!anes and shut out the light,

the tailor had done his dayGs workC all the silk and satin lay cut out u!on the table.

here were twelve !ieces for the coat and four !ieces for the waistcoatC and there were

!ocket fla!s and cuffs and buttons, all in order. /or the lining of the coat there was fine

1 9






yellow taffeta, and for the button#holes of the waistcoat there was cherry#colored twist.

nd everything was ready to sew together in the morning, all measured and sufficientF

e"ce!t that there was wanting %ust one single skein of cherry#colored twisted silk. he

tailor came out of his sho! at dark, for he did not slee! there at nightsC he fastened the

window and locked the door, and took away the key. o one lived there at night but little

brown mice, and they run in and out without any keys(

/or behind the wooden wainscots of all the old houses in loucester, there are little

mouse staircases and secret tra!#doorsC and the mice run from house to house throughthose long, narrow !assagesC they can run all over the town without going into the streets.

But the tailor came out of his sho!, and shuffled home through the snow. 'e lived uite

nearby in $ollege $ourt, ne"t the doorway to $ollege reenC and although it was not a

big house, the tailor was so !oor he only rented the kitchen. 'e lived alone with his catC it

was called -im!kin.

ow all day long while the tailor was out at work, -im!kin ke!t house by himselfC and he

also was fond of the mice, though he gave them no satin for coats(

H&iawKH said the cat when the tailor o!ened the door, H&iawKH

he tailor re!liedFH-im!kin, we shall make our fortune, but I am worn to a ravelling.

ake this groat Mwhich is our last four !enceN and, -im!kin, take a china !i!kinC buy a

!ennGorth of bread, a !ennGorth of milk, and a !ennGorth of sausages. nd oh, -im!kin,

with the last !enny of our four !ence buy me one !ennGorth of cherry#colored silk. But do

1 :






not lose the last !enny of the four !ence, -im!kin, or I am undone and worn to a thread#

!a!er, for I have D * &* ) 8I- .H

hen -im!kin again said H&iaw(H and took the groat and the !i!kin, and went out into

the dark. he tailor was very tired and beginning to be ill. 'e sat down by the hearth and

talked to himself about that wonderful coat.

HI shall make my fortuneFto be cut biasFthe &ayor of loucester is to be married on

$hristmas <ay in the morning, and he hath ordered a coat and an embroidered waistcoat Fto be lined with yellow taffetaFand the taffeta sufficedC there is no more left over in

sni!!ets than will serve to make ti!!ets for mice3H

hen the tailor startedC for suddenly, interru!ting him, from the dresser at the other side

of the kitchen came a number of little noises3

Tip tap, tip tap, tip tap tip!

H ow what can that beKH said the ailor of loucester, %um!ing u! from his chair. he

dresser was covered with crockery and !i!kins, willow !attern !lates, and tea#cu!s and

mugs. he tailor crossed the kitchen, and stood uite still beside the dresser, listening,

and !eering through his s!ectacles. gain from under a tea#cu!, came those funny little

noises3


1 ;






H his is very !eculiar,H said the ailor of loucester, and he lifted u! the tea#cu! which

was u!side down. *ut ste!!ed a little live lady mouse, and made a curtsey to the tailor(

hen she ho!!ed away down off the dresser, and under the wainscot. he tailor sat down

again by the fire, warming his !oor cold hands, and mumbling to himself3

H he waistcoat is cut out from !each#colored satinFtambour stitch and rose#buds in

beautiful floss silk. 8as I wise to entrust my last four !ence to -im!kinK *ne#and#twenty

button#holes of cherry#colored twist(H But all at once, from the dresser, there came other

little noises3Tip tap, tip tap, tip tap tip!

H his is !assing e"traordinary(H said the ailor of loucester, and turned over another

tea#cu!, which was u!side down. *ut ste!!ed a little gentleman mouse, and made a bow

to the tailor(

nd then from all over the dresser came a chorus of little ta!!ings, all sounding together,

and answering one another, like watch#beetles in an old worm#eaten window#shutter3


nd out from under tea#cu!s and from under bowls and basins, ste!!ed other and more

little mice, who ho!!ed away down off the dresser and under the wainscot. he tailor sat

down, close over the fire, lamentingFH*ne#and#twenty button#holes of cherry#colored

silk( o be finished by noon of -aturday4 and this is uesday evening. 8as it right to let

1 >






loose those mice, undoubtedly the !ro!erty of -im!kinK lack, I am undone, for I have

no more twist(H

he little mice came out again and listened to the tailorC they took notice of the !attern of

that wonderful coat. hey whis!ered to one another about the taffeta lining and about

little mouse ti!!ets.

nd then all at once they all ran away together down the !assage behind the wainscot,

s ueaking and calling to one another, as they ran from house to houseC and not one mousewas left in the tailorGs kitchen when -im!kin came back with the !i!kin of milk( -im!kin

o!ened the door and bounced in, with an angry H #r#r#miaw(H like a cat that is ve"ed4 for

he hated the snow, and there was snow in his ears, and snow in his collar at the back of

his neck. 'e !ut down the loaf and the sausages u!on the dresser, and sniffed.

H-im!kin,H said the tailor, Hwhere is my twistKH But -im!kin set down the !i!kin of milk

u!on the dresser, and looked sus!iciously at the tea#cu!s. 'e wanted his su!!er of little

fat mouse(

H-im!kin,H said the tailor, Hwhere is my 8I- KH

But -im!kin hid a little !arcel !rivately in the tea#!ot, and s!it and growled at the tailorC

and if -im!kin had been able to talk, he would have asked4 H8here is my &*O-)KH

160






H lack, I am undone(H said the ailor of loucester, and went sadly to bed.

ll that night long -im!kin hunted and searched through the kitchen, !ee!ing into

cu!boards and under the wainscot, and into the tea#!ot where he had hidden that twistC

but still he found never a mouse(

8henever the tailor muttered and talked in his slee!, -im!kin said H&iaw#ger#r#w#s#s#

ch(H and made strange horrid noises, as cats do at night.

/or the !oor old tailor was very ill with a fever, tossing and turning in his four#!ost bedC

and still in his dreams he mumbledFH o more twist( no more twist(H

ll that day he was ill, and the ne"t day, and the ne"tC and what should become of the

cherry#colored coatK In the tailorGs sho! in 8estgate -treet the embroidered silk and satin

lay cut out u!on the tableFone#and#twenty button#holesFand who should come to sew

them, when the window was barred, and the door was fast lockedK But that does not

hinder the little brown miceC they run in and out without and keys through all the old

houses in loucester(

*ut of doors the market folks went trudging through the snow to buy their geese and

turkey, and to bake their $hristmas !iesC but there would be no dinner for -im!kin and

the !oor old ailor of loucester.

161






he tailor lay ill for three days and nightsC and then it was $hristmas )ve, and very late at

night. he moon climbed u! over the roofs and chimneys, and looked down over the

gateway into $ollege $ourt. here were no lights in the windows, nor any sound in the

housesC all the city of loucester was fast aslee! under the snow.

nd still -im!kin wanted his mice, and he mewed as he stood beside the four#!ost bed.

But it is in the old story that all the beasts can talk in the night between $hristmas )ve

and $hristmas <ay in the morning Mthough there are very few folk that can hear them, or

know what it is that they sayN.

8hen the $athedral clock struck twelve there was an answerFlike an echo of the chimes

Fand -im!kin heard it, and came out of the tailorGs door, and wandered about in the

snow.

/rom all the roofs and gables and old wooden houses in loucester came a thousand

merry voices singing the old $hristmas rhymesFall the old songs that ever I heard of,

and some that I donGt know, like 8hittingtonGs bells.

/irst and loudest the cocks cried out4 H<ame, get u!, and bake your !ies(H

H*h, dilly, dilly, dilly, dilly(H sighed -im!kin. nd now in a garret there were lights and

sounds of dancing, and cats came from over the way.

162






H'ey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle( ll the cats in loucesterFe"ce!t me,H said

-im!kin.

Onder the wooden eaves the starlings and s!arrows sang of $hristmas !iesC the %ack#daws

woke u! in the $athedral towerC and although it was the middle of the night the throstles

and robins sangC the air was uite full of little twittering tunes.

But it was all rather !rovoking to !oor hungry -im!kin. @articularly he was ve"ed with

some little shrill voices from behind a wooden lattice. I think that they were bats, becausethey always have very small voicesFes!ecially in a black frost, when they talk in their

slee!, like the ailor of loucester.

hey said something mysterious that sounded likeF

HBu=, uoth the blue flyC hum, uoth the beeC

Bu= and hum they cry, and so do we(H

-im!kin went away shaking his ears as if he had a bee in his bonnet.

/rom the tailorGs sho! in 8estgate came a glow of lightC and when -im!kin cre!t u! to

!ee! in at the window it was full of candles. here was a sni!!eting of scissors, and

sna!!eting of threadC and little mouse voices sang loudly and gailyF

H/our#and#twenty tailors

8ent to catch a snail,

16






he best man amongst them

<urst not touch her tailC

-he !ut out her horns

+ike a little kyloe cow,

un, tailors, run(

*r sheGll have you all eGen now(H

hen without a !ause the little mouse voices went on againF

H-ieve my ladyGs oatmeal,

rind my ladyGs flour,@ut it in a chestnut,

+et it stand an hourFFH

H&ew( &ew(H interru!ted -im!kin, and he scratched at the door. But the key was under

the tailorGs !illowC he could not get in.

he little mice only laughed, and tried another tuneF

H hree little mice sat down to s!in,

@ussy !assed by and she !ee!ed in.

8hat are you at, my fine little menK

&aking coats for gentlemen.

-hall I come in and cut off your threadsK

*h, no, &iss @ussy,

ouGd bite off our heads(H

16






H&ew( &ew(H cried -im!kin. H'ey diddle dinkettyKH answered the little miceF

H'ey diddle dinketty, !o!!etty !et(

he merchants of +ondon they wear scarletC

-ilk in the collar, and gold in the hem,

-o merrily march the merchantmen(H

hey clicked their thimbles to mark the time, but none of the songs !leased -im!kinC he

sniffed and mewed at the door of the sho!.

H nd then I bought

!i!kin and a !o!kin,

sli!kin and a slo!kin,

ll for one farthingFF

and u!on the kitchen dresser(H added the rude little mice.

H&ew( scratch( scratch(H scuffled -im!kin on the window#sillC while the little mice

inside s!rang to their feet, and all began to shout at once in little twittering voices4 H o

more twist( o more twist(H nd they barred u! the window shutters and shut out

-im!kin.

But still through the nicks in the shutters he could hear the click of thimbles, and little

mouse voices singingF

166






'e unlocked the door of the little sho! in 8estgate -treet, and -im!kin ran in, like a cat

that e"!ects something.

But there was no one there( ot even one little brown mouse(

he boards were swe!t cleanC the little ends of thread and the little silk sni!!ets were all

tidied away, and gone from off the floor.

But u!on the tableFoh %oy( he tailor gave a shoutFthere, where he had left !laincuttings of silkFthere lay the most beautiful coat and embroidered satin waistcoat that

ever were worn by a &ayor of loucester(

here were roses and !ansies u!on the facings of the coatC and the waistcoat was worked

with !o!!ies and corn#flowers.

)verything was finished e"ce!t %ust one single cherry#colored buttonhole, and where that

button#hole was wanting there was !inned a scra! of !a!er with these wordsFin little

teeny tiny writingF D * &* ) 8I- E

nd from then began the luck of the ailor of loucesterC he grew uite stout, and he

grew uite rich. 'e made the most wonderful waistcoats for all the rich merchants of

loucester, and for all the fine gentlemen of the country round. ever were seen such

16:






ruffles, or such embroidered cuffs and la!!ets( But his button#holes were the greatest

trium!h of it all.

he stitches of those button#holes were so neatFso neatFI wonder how they could be

stitched by an old man in s!ectacles, with crooked old fingers, and a tailorGs thimble.

he stitches of those button#holes were so smallFso smallFthey looked as if they had

been made by little mice(

################

16;






16>






*nce, long ago, there lived near the ancient city of -trasburg, on the river hine, a young

and handsome count, whose name was *tto. s the years flew by he remained unwed,

and never so much as cast a glance at the fair maidens of the country roundC for this

reason !eo!le began to call him H-tone#'eart.H

It chanced that $ount *tto, on one $hristmas )ve, ordered that a great hunt should take

!lace in the forest surrounding his castle. 'e and his guests and his many retainers rode

forth, and the chase became more and more e"citing. It led through thickets, and over

!athless tracts of forest, until at length $ount *tto found himself se!arated from hiscom!anions.

'e rode on by himself until he came to a s!ring of clear, bubbling water, known to the

!eo!le around as the H/airy 8ell.H 'ere $ount *tto dismounted. 'e bent over the s!ring

and began to lave his hands in the s!arkling tide, but to his wonder he found that though

the weather was cold and frosty, the water was warm and delightfully caressing. 'e felt a

glow of %oy !ass through his veins, and, as he !lunged his hands dee!er, he fancied that

his right hand was gras!ed by another, soft and small, which gently sli!!ed from his

finger the gold ring he always wore. nd, lo( 8hen he drew out his hand, the gold ring

was gone.

/ull of wonder at this mysterious event, the count mounted his horse and returned to his

castle, resolving in his mind that the very ne"t day he would have the /airy 8ell em!tied

by his servants.

190






'e retired to his room, and, throwing himself %ust as he was u!on his couch, tried to

slee!C but the strangeness of the adventure ke!t him restless and wakeful.

-uddenly he heard the hoarse baying of the watch#hounds in the courtyard, and then the

creaking of the drawbridge, as though it were being lowered. hen came to his ear the

!atter of many small feet on the stone staircase, and ne"t he heard indistinctly the sound

of light footste!s in the chamber ad%oining his own.

$ount *tto s!rang from his couch, and as he did so there sounded a strain of delicious

musicC and the door of his chamber was flung o!en. 'urrying into the ne"t room, he

found himself in the midst of numberless /airy beings, clad in gay and s!arkling robes.

hey !aid no heed to him, but began to dance, and laugh, and sing, to the sound of

mysterious music.

In the center of the a!artment stood a s!lendid $hristmas tree, the first ever seen in that

country. Instead of toys and candles there hung on its lighted boughs diamond stars, !earl

necklaces, bracelets of gold ornamented with colored %ewels, aigrettes of rubies and

sa!!hires, silken belts embroidered with *riental !earls, and daggers mounted in gold

and studded with the rarest gems. he whole tree swayed, s!arkled, and glittered in the

radiance of its many lights.

191






$ount *tto stood s!eechless, ga=ing at all this wonder, when suddenly the /airies sto!!ed

dancing and fell back, to make room for a lady of da==ling beauty who came slowly

toward him.

-he wore on her raven#black tresses a golden diadem set with %ewels. 'er hair flowed

down u!on a robe of rosy satin and creamy velvet. -he stretched out two small, white

hands to the count and addressed him in sweet, alluring tones4

H<ear $ount *tto,H said she, HI come to return your $hristmas visit. I am )rnestine, theLueen of the /airies. I bring you something you lost in the /airy 8ell.H

nd as she s!oke she drew from her bosom a golden casket, set with diamonds, and

!laced it in his hands. 'e o!ened it eagerly and found within his lost gold ring.

$arried away by the wonder of it all, and overcome by an irresistible im!ulse, the count

!ressed the /airy )rnestine to his heart, while she, holding him by the hand, drew him

into the magic ma=es of the dance. he mysterious music floated through the room, and

the rest of that /airy com!any circled and whirled around the /airy Lueen and $ount

*tto, and then gradually dissolved into a mist of many colors, leaving the count and his

beautiful guest alone.

hen the young man, forgetting all his former coldness toward the maidens of the country

round about, fell on his knees before the /airy and besought her to become his bride. t

192






last she consented on the condition that he should never s!eak the word HdeathH in her

!resence.

he ne"t day the wedding of $ount *tto and )rnestine, Lueen of the /airies, was

celebrated with great !om! and magnificence, and the two continued to live ha!!ily for

many years.

ow, it ha!!ened on a time, that the count and his /airy wife were to hunt in the forest

around the castle. he horses were saddled and bridled, and standing at the door, thecom!any waited, and the count !aced the hall in great im!atienceC but still the /airy

)rnestine tarried long in her chamber. t length she a!!eared at the door of the hall, and

the count addressed her in anger.

H ou have ke!t us waiting so long,H he cried, Hthat you would make a good messenger to

send for <eath(H

-carcely had he s!oken the forbidden and fatal word, when the /airy, uttering a wild cry,

vanished from his sight. In vain $ount *tto, overwhelmed with grief and remorse,

searched the castle and the /airy 8ell, no trace could he find of his beautiful, lost wife

but the im!rint of her delicate hand set in the stone arch above the castle gate.

19






ears !assed by, and the /airy )rnestine did not return. he count continued to grieve.

)very $hristmas )ve he set u! a lighted tree in the room where he had first met the /airy,

ho!ing in vain that she would return to him.

ime !assed and the count died. he castle fell into ruins. But to this day may be seen

above the massive gate, dee!ly sunken in the stone arch, the im!ress of a small and

delicate hand.

nd such, say the good folk of -trasburg, was the origin of the $hristmas tree.

##############

19






196






wo very shabby looking young men stood at the corner of @rairie avenue and )ightieth

street, looking des!ondently at the carriages that whirled by. It was $hristmas )ve, and

the streets were full of vehiclesC floristsG wagons, grocersG carts and carriages. he streets

were in that half#li uid, half#congealed condition !eculiar to the streets of $hicago at that

season of the year. he swift wheels that s!un by sometimes threw the slush of mud and

snow over the two young men who were talking on the corner.

H8ell,H remarked the elder of the two, HI guess we are at our ro!eGs end, sure enough.'ow do you feelKH

H@retty shaky. he windGs shar! tonight. If I had had anything to eat I wouldn’t mind it so

much. here is sim!ly no show. IGm sick of the whole business. +ooks like thereGs nothing

for it but the lake.H

H*, nonsense, I thought you had more grit. ot anything left you can hocKH

H othing but my beard, and I’m afraid they wouldnGt find it worth a !awn ticket,H said the

younger man ruefully, rubbing the weekGs growth of stubble on his face.

H ot any folks anywhereK owGs your time to strike Gem if you have.H

H ever mind if I have, theyGre out of the uestion.H

199






H8ell, youGll be out of it before many hours if you donGt make a move of some sort.

manGs got to eat. -ee here, I am going down to +ongtinGs saloon. I used to !lay the ban%o

in there with a cou!le of coons, and IGll bone him for some of his free lunch stuff. ouGd

better come alongC !erha!s theyGll fill an order for two.H

H'ow far down is itKH

H8ell, itGs clear down town, of course, way down on &ichigan venue.H

H hanks, I guess IGll loaf around here. I donGt feel e ual to the walk and the carsFwell,

the cars are crowded.H 'is features drew themselves into what might have been a smile

under ha!!ier circumstances.

H o, you never did like street cars, youGre too aristocratic. -ee here, $rawford, I donGt like

leaving you here. ou ainGt good com!any for yourself tonight.H

H$rawfordK *, yes, thatGs the last one. here have been so many I forget them.H

H'ave you got a real name, anywayKH

19:






H*, yes, but itGs one of the ones IGve forgotten. <onGt you worry about me. ou go along

and get your free lunch. I think I had a row in +ongtinGs !lace once. IGd better not show

myself there again.H s he s!oke the young man nodded and turned slowly u! the avenue.

'e was miserable enough to want to be uite alone. )ven the crowd that %ostled by him

annoyed him. 'e wanted to think about himself. 'e had avoided this final reckoning with

himself for a year now. 'e had laughed it off and drunk it off. But now, when all those

artificial devices which are em!loyed to turn our thoughts into other channels and shield

us from ourselves had failed him, it must come. 'unger is a !owerful incentive tointros!ection.

It is a tragic hour, that hour when we are finally driven to reckon with ourselves, when

every avenue of mental distraction has been cut off and our own life and all its

ineffaceable failures closes about us like the walls of that old torture chamber of the

In uisition. onight, as this man stood stranded in the streets of the city, his hour came. It

was not the first time he had been hungry and des!erate and alone. But always before

there had been some outlook, some chance ahead, some !leasure yet un#tasted that

seemed worth the effort, some face that he fancied was, or would be, dear. But it was not

so tonight. he unyielding conviction was u!on him that he had failed in everything, had

outlived everything. It had been near him for a long time, that @ale -!ectre. 'e had

caught its shadow at the bottom of his glass many a time, at the head of his bed when he

was slee!less at night, in the twilight shadows when some great sunset broke u!on him. It

had made life hateful to him when he awoke in the morning before now. But now it

19;






settled slowly over him, like night, the endless orthern nights that bid the sun a long

farewell. It rose u! before him like granite. /rom this brilliant city with its glad bustle of

uletide he was shut off as com!letely as though he were a creature of another s!ecies.

'is days seemed numbered and done, sealed over like the little coral cells at the bottom

of the sea. Involuntarily he drew that cold air through his lungs slowly, as though he were

tasting it for the last time.

et he was but four and twenty, this manFhe looked even youngerFand he had a father

some !lace down )ast who had been very !roud of him once. 8ell, he had taken his lifeinto his own hands, and this was what he had made of it. hat was all there was to be

said. 'e could remember the ho!eful things they used to say about him at college in the

old days, before he had cut away and begun to live by his wits, and he found courage to

smile at them now. hey had read him wrongly. 'e knew now that he never had the

essentials of success, only the su!erficial agility that is often mistaken for it. 'e was tow

without the tinder, and he had burnt himself out at other !eo!leGs fires. 'e had hel!ed

other !eo!le to make it win, but he himselfFhe had never touched an enter!rise that had

not failed eventually. *r, if it survived his connection with it, it left him behind.

'is last venture had been with some ten#cent s!ecialty com!any, a little lower than all the

others, that had gone to !ieces in Buffalo, and he had worked his way to $hicago by boat.

8hen the boat made u! its crew for the outward voyage, he was dis!ensed with as usual.

'e was used to that. he reason for itK *, there are so many reasons for failure( 'is was a

very common one.

19>






s he stood there in the wet under the street light he drew u! his reckoning with the

world and decided that it had treated him as well as he deserved. 'e had overdrawn his

account once too often. here had been a day when he thought otherwiseC when he had

said he was un%ustly handled, that his failure was merely the lack of !ro!er ad%ustment

between himself and other men that some day he would be recogni=ed and it would all

come right. But he knew better than that now, and he was still man enough to bear no

grudge against any oneFman or woman.

onight was his birthday, too. here seemed something !articularly amusing in that. 'e

turned u! a lim! little coat collar to try to kee! a little of the wet chill from his throat, and

instinctively began to remember all the birthday !arties he used to have. 'e was so cold

and em!ty that his mind seemed unable to gra!!le with any serious uestion. 'e ke!t

thinking about ginger bread and frosted cakes like a child. 'e could remember the

s!lendid birthday !arties his mother used to give him, when all the other little boys in the

block came in their -unday clothes and creaking shoes, with their ears still red from their

motherGs towel, and the !ink and white birthday cake, and the stuffed olives and all the

dishes of which he had been !articularly fond, and how he would eat and eat and then go

to bed and dream of -anta $laus. nd in the morning he would awaken and eat again,

until by night the family doctor arrived with his castor oil, and !oor 8illiam used to

dolefully say that it was altogether too much to have your birthday and $hristmas all at

once. 'e could remember, too, the royal birthday su!!ers he had given at college, and the

1:0






stag dinners, and the toasts, and the music, and the good fellows who had wished him

ha!!iness and really meant what they said.

nd since then there were other birthday su!!ers that he could not remember so clearlyC

the memory of them was heavy and flat, like cigarette smoke that has been shut in a room

all night, like cham!agne that has been a day o!ened, a song that has been too often sung,

an acute sensation that has been overstrained. hey seemed tawdry and garish, discordant

to him now. 'e rather wished he could forget them altogether.

8hichever way his mind now turned there was one thought that it could not esca!e, and

that was the idea of food. 'e caught the scent of a cigar suddenly, and felt a shar! !ain in

the !it of his abdomen and a sudden moisture in his mouth. 'is cold hands clenched

angrily, and for a moment he felt that bitter hatred of wealth, of ease, of everything that is

well#fed and well#housed that is common to starving men. t any rate he had a right to

eat( 'e had demanded great things from the world once4 fame and wealth and admiration.

ow it was sim!ly breadFand he would have it( 'e looked about him uickly and felt

the blood begin to stir in his veins. In all his straits he had never stolen anything, his

tastes were above it. But tonight there would be no to#morrow. 'e was amused at the way

in which the idea e"cited him. 8as it !ossible there was yet one more e"!erience that

would distract him, one thing that had !ower to e"cite his %aded interestK ood( 'e had

failed at everything else, now he would see what his chances would be as a common

thief. It would be amusing to watch the beautiful consistency of his destiny work itself

out even in that role. It would be interesting to add another study to his gallery of futile

1:1






attem!ts, and then label them all4 Hthe failure as a %ournalist,H Hthe failure as a lecturer,H

Hthe failure as a business man,H Hthe failure as a thief,H and so on, like the titles under the

!ictures of the <ance of <eath. It was time that $hilde oland came to the dark tower.

girl hastened by him with her arms full of !ackages. -he walked uickly and nervously,

kee!ing well within the shadow, as if she were not accustomed to carrying bundles and

did not care to meet any of her friends. s she crossed the muddy street, she made an

effort to lift her skirt a little, and as she did so one of the !ackages sli!!ed unnoticed from

beneath her arm. 'e caught it u! and overtook her. H)"cuse me, but I think you dro!!edsomething.H

-he started, H*, yes, thank you, I would rather have lost anything than that.H

he young man turned angrily u!on himself. he !ackage must have contained

something of value. 8hy had he not ke!t itK 8as this the sort of thief he would makeK 'e

ground his teeth together. here is nothing more maddening than to have morally

consented to crime and then lack the nerve force to carry it out.

carriage drove u! to the house before which he stood. -everal richly dressed women

alighted and went in. It was a new house, and must have been built since he was in

$hicago last. he front door was o!en and he could see down the hall#way and u! the

stair case. he servant had left the door and gone with the guests. he first floor was

brilliantly lighted, but the windows u!stairs were dark. It looked very easy, %ust to sli!

1:2






u!stairs to the darkened chambers where the %ewels and trinkets of the fashionable

occu!ants were ke!t.

-till burning with im!atience against himself he entered uickly. Instinctively he

removed his mud#stained hat as he !assed uickly and uietly u! the stair case. It struck

him as being a rather su!erfluous courtesy in a burglar, but he had done it before he had

thought. 'is way was clear enough, he met no one on the stairway or in the u!!er hall.

he gas was lit in the u!!er hall. 'e !assed the first chamber door through sheer

cowardice. he second he entered uickly, thinking of something else lest his courageshould fail him, and closed the door behind him. he light from the hall shone into the

room through the transom. he a!artment was furnished richly enough to %ustify his

e"!ectations. 'e went at once to the dressing case. number of rings and small trinkets

lay in a silver tray. hese he !ut hastily in his !ocket. 'e o!ened the u!!er drawer and

found, as he e"!ected, several leather cases. In the first he o!ened was a ladyGs watch, in

the second a !air of old#fashioned braceletsC he seemed to dimly remember having seen

bracelets like them before, somewhere. he third case was heavier, the s!ring was much

worn, and it o!ened easily. It held a cu! of some kind. 'e held it u! to the light and then

his strained nerves gave way and he uttered a shar! e"clamation. It was the silver mug he

used to drink from when he was a little boy.

he door o!ened, and a woman stood in the doorway facing him. -he was a tall woman,

with white hair, in evening dress. he light from the hall streamed in u!on him, but she

1:






was not afraid. -he stood looking at him a moment, then she threw out her hand and went

uickly toward him.

H8illie, 8illie( Is it you(H

'e struggled to loosen her arms from him, to kee! her li!s from his cheek. H&otherFyou

must not( ou do not understand( *, my od, this is worst of all(H 'unger, weakness,

cold, shame, all came back to him, and shook his self#control com!letely. @hysically he

was too weak to stand a shock like this. 8hy could it not have been an ordinarydiscovery, arrest, the station house and all the rest of itK nything but this( hard dry sob

broke from him. gain he strove to disengage himself.

H8ho is it says I shall not kiss my sonK *, my boy, we have waited so long for this( ou

have been so long in comingC even I almost gave you u!.H

'er li!s u!on his cheek burnt him like fire. 'e !ut his hand to his throat, and s!oke

thickly and incoherently4 H ou do not understand. I did not know you were here. I came

here to robFit is the first timeFI swear itFbut I am a common thief. &y !ockets are

full of your %ewels now. $anGt you hear meK I am a common thief(H

H'ush, my boy, those are ugly words. 'ow could you rob your own houseK 'ow could

you take what is your ownK hey are all yours, my son, as wholly yours as my great love

Fand you canGt doubt that, 8ill, do youKH

1:






hat soft voice, the warmth and fragrance of her !erson stole through his chill, em!ty

veins like a gentle stimulant. 'e felt as though all his strength were leaving him and even

consciousness. 'e held fast to her and bowed his head on her strong shoulder, and

groaned aloud.

H*, mother, life is hard, hard(H

-he said nothing, but held him closer. nd *, the strength of those white arms that heldhim( *, the assurance of safety in that warm bosom that rose and fell under his cheek(

/or a moment they stood so, silently. hen they heard a heavy ste! u!on the stair. -he led

him to a chair and went out and closed the door. t the to! of the staircase she met a tall,

broad#shouldered man, with iron gray hair, and a face alert and stern. 'er eyes were

shining and her cheeks on fireC her whole face was one e"!ression of intense

determination.

HJames, it is 8illiam in there, come home. ou must kee! him at any cost. If he goes this

time, I go with him. *, James, be easy with him, he has suffered so.H -he broke from a

command to an entreaty, and laid her hand on his shoulder. 'e looked uestioningly at

her a moment, then went in the room and uietly shut the door.

-he stood leaning against the wall, clas!ing her tem!les with her hands and listening to

the low indistinct sound of the voices within. 'er own li!s moved silently. -he waited a

1:6






long time, scarcely breathing. t last the door o!ened, and her husband came out. 'e

sto!!ed to say in a shaken voice,

H ou go to him now, he will stay. I will go to my room. I will see him again in the

morning.H

-he !ut her arm about his neck, H*, James, I thank you, I thank you( his is the night he

came so long ago, you rememberK I gave him to you then, and now you give him back to

me(H

H<onGt, 'elen,H he muttered. H'e is my son, I have never forgotten that. I failed with him.

I donGt like to fail, it cuts my !ride. ake him and make a man of him.H 'e !assed on

down the hall.

-he flew into the room where the young man sat with his head bowed u!on his knee. -he

dro!!ed u!on her knees beside him. h, it was so good to him to feel those arms again(

H'e is so glad, 8illie, so glad( 'e may not show it, but he is as ha!!y as I. 'e never was

demonstrative with either of us, you know.H

H*, my od, he was good enough,H groaned the man. HI told him everything, and he was

good enough. I donGt see how either of you can look at me, s!eak to me, touch me.H 'e

1:9






shivered under her clas! again as when she had first touched him, and tried weakly to

throw her off.

But she whis!ered softly, H his is my right, my son.H

@resently, when he was calmer, she rose. H ow, come with me into the library, and I will

have your dinner brought there.H

s they went down stairs she remarked a!ologetically, HI will not call )llen tonightC shehas a number of guests to attend to. -he is a big girl now, you know, and came out last

winter. Besides, I want you all to myself tonight.H

8hen the dinner came, and it came very soon, he fell u!on it savagely. s he ate she told

him all that had trans!ired during the years of his absence, and how his fatherGs business

had brought them there. HI was glad when we came. I thought you would drift west. I

seemed a good deal nearer to you here.H

here was a gentle unobtrusive sadness in her tone that was too soft for a re!roach.

H'ave you everything you wantK It is a comfort to see you eat.H

'e smiled grimly, HIt is certainly a comfort to me. I have not indulged in this frivolous

habit for some thirty#five hours.H

1::






-he caught his hand and !ressed it shar!ly, uttering a uick remonstrance. H<onGt say

that( I know, but I canGt hear you say it,FitGs too terrible( &y boy, food has choked me

many a time when I have thought of the !ossibility of that. ow take the old lounging

chair by the fire, and if you are too tired to talk, we will %ust sit and rest together.H

'e sank into the de!ths of the big leather chair with the lionGs heads on the arms, where

he had sat so often in the days when his feet did not touch the floor and he was half afraid

of the grim monsters cut in the !olished wood. hat chair seemed to s!eak to him of things long forgotten. It was like the touch of an old familiar friend. 'e felt a sudden

yearning tenderness for the ha!!y little boy who had sat there and dreamed of the big

world so long ago. las, he had been dead many a summer, that little boy(

'e sat looking u! at the magnificent woman beside him. 'e had almost forgotten how

handsome she wasC how lustrous and sad were the eyes that were set under that serene

brow, how im!etuous and wayward the mouth even now, how su!erb the white throat and

shoulders( h, the wit and grace and fineness of this woman( 'e remembered how !roud

he had been of her as a boy when she came to see him at school. hen in the dee! red

coals of the grate he saw the faces of other women who had come since then into his

ve"ed, disordered life. +aughing faces, with eyes artificially bright, eyes without de!th or

meaning, features without the stam! of high sensibilities. nd he had left this face for

such as those(

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'e sighed restlessly and laid his hand on hers. here seemed refuge and !rotection in the

touch of her, as in the old days when he was afraid of the dark. 'e had been in the dark so

long now, his confidence was so thoroughly shaken, and he was bitterly afraid of the

night and of himself.

H h, mother, you make other things seem so false. ou must feel that I owe you an

e"!lanation, but I canGt make any, even to myself. h, but we make !oor e"changes in

life. I canGt make out the riddle of it all. et there are things I ought to tell you before I

acce!t your confidence like this.H

HIGd rather you wouldnGt, 8ill. +isten#between you and me there can be no secrets. 8e are

more alike than other !eo!le. <ear boy, I know all about it. I am a woman, and

circumstances were different with me, but we are of one blood. I have lived all your life

before you. ou have never had an im!ulse that I have not knownC you have never

touched a brink that my feet have not trod. his is your birthday night. wenty#four years

ago I foresaw all this. I was a young woman then and I had hot battles of my own, and I

felt your likeness to me. ou were not like other babies. /rom the hour you were born

you were restless and discontented, as I had been before you. ou used to brace your

strong little limbs against mine and try to throw me off as you did tonight. onight you

have come back to me, %ust as you always did after you ran away to swim in the river that

was forbidden you, the river you loved because it was forbidden. ou are tired and

slee!y, %ust as you used to be then, only a little older and a little !aler and a little more

foolish. I never asked you where you had been then, nor will I now. ou have come back

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to me, thatGs all in all to me. I know your every !ossibility and limitation, as a com!oser

knows his instrument.H

'e found no answer that was worthy to give to talk like this. 'e had not found life easy

since he had lived by his wits. 'e had come to know !overty at close uarters. 'e had

known what it was to be gay with an em!ty !ocket, to wear violets in his button hole

when he had not breakfasted, and all the hateful shams of the !overty of idleness. 'e had

been a re!orter on a big metro!olitan daily, where men grind out their brains on !a!er

until they have not one idea leftFand still grind on. 'e had worked in a real estate office,where ignorant men were swindled. 'e had sung in a comic o!era chorus and !layed

'arris in an Oncle omGs $abin $om!any, and edited a -ocialist weekly. 'e had been

dogged by debt and hunger and grinding !overty, until to sit here by a warm fire without

concern as to how it would be !aid for seemed unnatural.

'e looked u! at her uestioningly. HI wonder if you know how much you !ardonKH

H*, my !oor boy, much or little, what does it matterK 'ave you wandered so far and !aid

such a bitter !rice for knowledge and not yet learned that love has nothing to do with

!ardon or forgiveness, that it only loves, and loves and lovesK hey have not taught you

well, the women of your world.H -he leaned over and kissed him, as no woman had

kissed him since he left her.

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'e drew a long sigh of rich content. he old life, with all its bitterness and useless

antagonism and flimsy so!histries, its brief delights that were always tinged with fear and

distrust and unfaith, that whole miserable, futile, swindled world of Bohemia seemed

immeasurably distant and far away, like a dream that is over and done. nd as the chimes

rang %oyfully outside and slee! !ressed heavily u!on his eyelids, he wondered dimly if

the uthor of this sad little riddle of ours were not able to solve it after all, and if the

@otter would not finally mete out his all com!rehensive %ustice, such as none but he could

have, to his hings of $lay, which are made in his own !atterns, weak or strong, for his

own endsC and if some day we will not awaken and find that all evil is a dream, a mentaldistortion that will !ass when the dawn shall break.

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