, 1904-12-21

on a chair III a pretty room in
~ which a number of children
were in bed. A fire was burn
ing on the hearth. Stockings were
hanging to the mantel to be filled with
toys for the children who were sleep
ing soundly, doubtless dreaming of
what they were to receive in the morn
ing. The face of one of them, a deli
cate, fair haired boy, was turned to-
ward the doll, and she did not tire look
ing at it, for the face, though pale and
thin, was very delicately nodded.
On the mantel were two figures in
porcelain. One was a boy in an old
fashioned coat and knee breeches, with
a sash around his waist and a cooked
hat and feather. His right hand was
thrust into his coat in front, and he
looked like a figure of Napoleon. The
other was a girl, with a short dress
and a sailor hat. Her head was poised
one side, and she looked very well
satisfied with herself. Indeed, she was
very pretty.
How do you do?" said the girl i'm
age to the doll. Don't you think this
a pleasant room?"
Indeed it is, but I've not see many.
l was only BORN She paused to
think again when she vas born, but
couldn't remember, so she said instead,
isn't it a beautiful world?"
do you think sop said the boy.
"My sister and l have had a hard time
getting into it. We were baked in a
furnace, and it was so hot
"Well don't tell me about it," inter-
rupted the doll. I'D rather hear about
pleasant places"
The figures told her a great many
things, but the girl was very vain of
her beauty, and the boy was taken up
with what he knew about the world,
of which the doll knew nothing at all,
so she didn't listen long, but fell asleep
while they were talking.
Suddenly she awoke with a start.
What was that noise in the chimney?
She had scarcely time to think about
it when out on the hearth popped a lit
tie figure in fur. He unstrapped a pack
lie CdIIltu anu nilCd al llC otOShAhSo
with toys. Then he jumped back into
the chimney and vas gone in a twin
king. This set the doll to wondering
more than ever.
Everything was again silent except
the clock, which licked very loud.
There were the children asleep in bed,
the little pale faced boy with his head
resting ON his arm, the girl image on
the mantel with her head on one side
thinking how pretty she was and the
boy thinking how much he knew about
the world. The doll soon went to sleep
again.
In the morning she was awakened
by a shouting. The children were rum
ming about in their night clothes, TAX
ing their toys from their stockings and
chattering like monkeys. The fair hair
ed boy sat up in bed and looked on, for
he was to delicate to get up like the
other children. The doll noticed that
he had great blue eyes, which seemed
ever so large as he looked wonderingly
at all that was going on. Then there
came a knocking on the wall, and the
children knew that it was q signal fol
them to get back to bed and not take
cold. and back they scrambled, laugh.
ing and tumbling oyer II another,
and covered themselves up.
Presently the father and mother
came in and distributed the toys. The
doll was for one of the girls, but the
boy insisted on having it himself. Then
when all were loaded with presents
they carried them down to the break
Fast DON
What a day it was! The children
were racing about, playing with theil
toys, and people were coming in con
tinually to see the presents, and the
sun shone brightly on the out
side, and the fire shone brightly with
in on the brass andirons and fender,
and after dinner stories were told the
children till they were all ~aStOnished
by the number of wonderful things
that happen. The boy with the light
hair and blue eyes lay in his mothers
arms, hugging the doll with her breast
pressed against his, so that she could
hear his heart beat, and she wondered
why there was no such beating in her
own heart. This was the happiest mo-
ment she had ever known. She was
only a day old, but something told her
that nothing in the world could eyer
make her happier.
When the children went upstairs the
boy insisted on keeping the doll by
him till he got into bed, when his