A Christmas Story

tlt wais rvery cold, It was enowlnff hatrd, and it was Cbrtetmas Eve. As Davy brouglit in an armful of firewood and put It in the corner of the kitehen, he Baid aloud : "How will Santa Oaus get about to-night ?" "Santa Claus ! ha, ha, ha !" laughcd his brother Gilbert, wlio sat with liie chair tilted back against the wall and his Jiands in his pocketa. "If Santa Claus vislted anybody, do you suppose he'd come here ? ' he anked. "Of course he would," said Davy, Ktoutly. Iavy was a sturdy little fellow, with clieeks as ruddy as a winter apple, and brown eyes shlning with good hcalth and good spirits. '.'I know he'd be sure to keep some-. -tüiiiig for me ; enougli to puf in the 1oe of my etocking, at any rate," he .-vdded. v"PerhapB he'll put in that red cow that you've wnnted to buy for inolher íor a loog time," mhhtihI Gilbert. J'I don't know Tvhat he will put in, bnt if it were ever 8O little, it might help to buy the cow ; even a nickel would do to begin with, you know," said Davy stoutly. Gilbert lauehed and called him "a Btupid," to think it worth while to lx?gin to tray a cow by saving a nickel. As for himself, he had half a dollar, and he meant to spend it in bavlng a good time in the village on 1hristmas Day. But Davy didn't mind his brother's ridicule, lor he was used to it. After he had eaten his snpper, with a good appetite, of tvaked potatoes with a little ealt, he talked with his mother about the time when they would have a fine cow and have plenty of milk and Initter. Then thiiiírs would surely so mutíh better in their little home, which was so poor now. His mother s-milcd hopefully when she remembered 1liat it was Davy who liad cultivated fhe potatoes so carefully, that the erop was of the very best kind, and that they had plenty in the collar now to last all winter. He asked his mother for his very best gray woolen stock'.ngs, and hung them up by the.wWe, old-fashioned chimney before he went to bed. -Good nigrht, momkins," Jie said, oheerily, "it's very early to g'o to bd, but one must give Santa Claus a chance, you know." It was a long time bafore he could go to steep, and after a while he thought he heard Santa Clans calling : "N'ow Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer, now Visen. On Cornet, on ("upid, on Dunde and Blitzen !" and ihe ecanipering of 1he hoofs of the cight tiny reindëi r over the roof. Then he buried his head -loser in the pillow and went to eleep. It was yery early whien he awoke the next niornmg. So early that the stars were shining in the olear f-kjes, 'and the new-fallen snow lay light as down over every branch and twig of the great elin tree into which he lookdd f rom his window. But he did not spend mueh time at the window, both because it was so vcry cold and because he was anxious to see what was in his stocking. He pulled on his olothes hastily and liurried into the kitchen. There he found it very dark, but he knsw liis vajr to the ehimney, where he feit nbout for his stocking, which he soon found, and- oh, joy ! It was full to the very top. He quiek'.y raked the ashes ïrom the buried eoals and threw on tliem Home dry pipe cones, whteh at once leaped into a brigfrt blaze. Xow li e wou ld see what was in nis Btocklng. It was not heavy, luit it was very full. Pirat he pulled out a piece of crumpled brown paper. "I couldn't expect to find anything hut a bit of crumpled paper at the vcry top," Ji-o thought. Then lic pulled out another plece of paper exactly like the first. By the time lie had pulled out a third piece he heard a loud laugh, and, looking up, he eaw his brother Gilbert looking at him from the bed-room loor. "NJioe Santa Claus, ain't he, to mi .vuur Btocking wlth paper ?" said üilbert. Iavy did not re pi y at once, for by this tim? he had inited out a doisn liOL's of pap?r, n nd he was really disappointed. 1 am afraid theare were tearis tioth in hls voioe and in his vis when he finally stammered out: "I- I- guiess there really is soim-thing in the toe." He pull;d out a paikagj as he spoke, whWh was tiod up wlth many strings mul wrapped in paper aft-er paper. When he liad taken off the last wrapping, he tamc to a little box, and, opening it, he found- jnst a sprig of liright. shining red holly berrics wlth thelP dark reen leavee. It was suc a disappointnu-nt that even Gilbert did not laugb. "Poor Have," he said, "Sania Claus might have savcd himself the troubl?." But his mother, wlio had come into the kitehen now, kissed the little fellow, and told him he should have soine ggs to sell at the great house, and he wouW pin ti irpriK oí boily in tais coat, so that they would know he wias keíping Chriatmas. "It te very pretty holly anyway, momkims,": he Kfiid looking at It through his teare. The more he looted at it the prettler ít cveemed, until wheoi he was on his way to the reit houae with a basket of eggs he thought he had never geen anythinghalf so beautiful as the ehining TCd berries at illa button-hole. When he reached the Governor's house and showed the eggs to the cook in the kitchen, she tought them at onoe. She looked at the ho'.ly in his button hole and said it was very pretty, the prettiest she had ever sean. Th en eihe whispered to the butler, Who nodded hie head briskly and went away. He canie back quickly white Davy was still warming his hands ly the kitchen fire, and told him that the Governor's lady wanted to Sex him. "Want 's to see me !" excl&imed Davy, very much astonished. The butler assured him that there was no mistak?, and Davy, iull of wonder, followed him up stairs into the room. He never 'iiad been in sou-h a heantifnl plaee before, but it was not the fine room Irat the Governor's lady that attracted his attention, the was so pretty and smili'd down upon him so pleasantly. She asked him where he got the beautiml holly, and when lie told her Santa Claus had brought it, she seemed very niueh pleased. "W'ould yon sell it, then ?" she asked. Pavy eaid yes, "because I want to buy a red cow for my mother and that wíH lo to begin it." "So it Avill," said the lady, giving him a dollar, "and here's a golden orange for you, too," stoe added, picking out a large one from a dish of fruit. Wlwn Davy had thanked her, he etarted for home, very much pleased wlth the inoney and the orange. "I wonder wbat Oill would say now ?" he said to himself, triumphantly. He had ouly gone a little way, when he met a baker bringing some Christmas pudding on a tray to sell at the Govrnoi's house. He was singimg as he carne along, and walking eo carelessly that DaA'y saw him slip on a piece of ice and ran forward to eatch the tray before it feil. But as flie did so, he dropped nis basket and the golden orangs rolled over the snow. "Ah, ah !" said th baker, "what a fine orange ! 111 glve you a Christmas pudding for that." Davy had never eaten a real Christmas pudding with plums in it, and it had a most inviting odor of spices. "Wliat a fine dish that will make tor o u-r dinner," he thought, s he gave the oranige to the baker, and put the pudding in his basket. He rarc faster than ever after leaving the baker, nd would have been at home soon. if he had not overtaken two pnilors ■■wli o were quarreling. As soon as they saw Davy, they stopped wrangling between themselv-s to ask him what he had in his basket. "It is a Christmas pudding that I'm carrying hom for dinner," answr,il Iavy. "It's the very thing we want, Toni," said one of tlie sailors. "So it is," replied liis companioo, and then without more words they s-natched the basket trom Davy's hand and ram off, leaving the boy .crying liitiei-ly. White he was still sobbing and wijn ing away lus tears with . his coat ssleeve, he heard a queer, croaking voioe exelaim : "Whats' the matter ? It's awiul dark, what's the matter ? ' He looked about him, bat eould eee notoody. It was very strange, for the World was so white and so still everywhere that any moving thing could have boen seen for a long distanee. "lt'e awiul- dark !" tliis time Davy thought that the volde carne froin an oíd pea jacket that one of tlie sailors had thrown away as he ran. liut what was in it ? He was a littie afrald as h.? wem near it in curioelty. "Oh, dear me ! ■ Oh, di-ar me ! Oh, dear me ! Whafs the matter V ' said the voice. By thte time Davy was used to it, and stoo])ed over the jacket careiully to natie the strlng with whLh it was iasUnrc!, the talking still going on. As he öpwued it a l.eaui Lul ted and green parrot Ifew out and peihcd itsclï on his shoulder. Davy was hardly more deligiited than irightened. When the bird ïii-st ilnv out it loughed violently, 1ut in a few moments it began to fehiver and ci-y with the cold. "Hoo-li-oo," cried the parrot, climhing down from Davy's shoulder and iratting its lifad inside hls roat. "You'd better (go in the basket, and be covered up," said Davy, who feit quite at home with his prize by this time, and had arranged the sailro's jaüket in nis basket. The parrot made no objections, but just as Davy had him safely stowed away, he poked lii lifad .out to exdaiui : 'Pretty little boy ;" .and then sttled down, tering, "a-wful ilark ! awful dark j" Davy had been too bu6y with the parrot -to noticc that some one was approaching ; but -when he looked up now he noticed that Silas, the superintendent oí the Governor's farm, was close by. He wae driving a fine red cow, and wae hurrying home to be in time for liis ChrUtmas dinner. "Merry ChriBtmae, Davy, have you a turkey in your basket ?" he cried out. Davy ran up to Jiim, and opening the jacket, said eagerly : "But eee what I have got, Mr. Superintendent." "Whew, what a beauty ! ïhfi Governor's lady would give a hundred dollars for" that." 'Who are yon, wlio are yon ?"■' screamed the parrot, nestling closer in the basket. "Polly want a cracker- Polly want soine coffee ? ' asked the Superintendent, insinuatingiy. "Polly want a cracker- Polly want some colfee," replied the bird, doubtfully. Davy had teen thinking the mutter over, aind told the superintendent the wholc story, asking him if he woufl glve him the red coiv in exchange for the parrot. The superintendent wlio roniembered how the Governor's lady had grieved labout her parrot that had died a few days bef ore, feit sure she would give him more than the price of ihis cow for it. So he took the bird and gave Davy the cow, and told him that he would take the rik of the saitors returninsr. "He would have been no end of fun," said Davy regretiully, as he handed over the basket ; "Irat aiter all, it was a Ted cow that I wanted for mot her." Wtuen he topped befoie the door a few minutes later and shouted, "Here slie is, mother, here she is !" his mother could hardly believe her eyes. "Isn't she a beauty, momkins ?" Davy exclaiined. "I ishould think so ; sucH a "beauty ! I never saw so fine a cow," his mo'.her aiiswiTcd, ''But - Davy-? ' she added doubtfully. But Davy insisted upon putting t'fre cow in the Btable, white he told his story. His mottoer kept wiping the tears fnom her eyes wliile he talked, and wiii'ii he had finished, she could only exclaim between her laughter and her isobs, "Well, I never !" When Gilbert came home that night, with a black eye and torn clothes, from his day in the village, he found Davy niilking the cow under the .shed. "Where did yon get her ? ' hc asked in astonishniL'iit. "From tJie toe of ïny stocklng," replied Davy, laug-hing. Alter Gilbert had heard all about it, he liad to acknowledge that, though Santa Claus had only brought a sprig öf holly, Davy had made suth good uee of his present, and had euch good fortaine witih it, that the red (tow had come out of the toe of his stoeking after all. StHI ring on, glad Chriatmu Bell, Kweet the tale jour muslc teil. Christmu ia ó svreet. mr darllüg, ' Just because it Klng ís Love. Kinfl Sir, l've resd 70UT paper through, - And, fith to mr, 'tw rially uew I