Hans Brinker; Or, The Silver Skates

up to our housetops, and then bound down the chimney to fill the stockings so hopefully hung by the fireplace. His friends called him Santa Claus, and those who were most intimate ventured to s

r and his jeweled gloves. Here Santa Claus comes rollicking along, on the twenty-fifth of December, our holy Christmas morn. But in Holland, Saint Nicholas visits e

joy and expectation. To some of them it is a sorry time, for the saint is very candid, and if any of them have been bad during the past year, he is quite sure to

e king's palace and in the selfsame moment appeared in Annie Bouman's comfortable home. Probably one of our silver half dollars would have purchased all that his saintship left at the peasant

ould never cross a girl of fourteen from his list, just because she was tall and looked almost like a woman. On the contrary, he would probably exert himself to do honor to such an august looking damsel. Who could tell? So she sported and laughed and danced as gaily as th

ence only in bulk between grandfather and the baby. Indeed a shade of solemn expectation now and then flit

; but to-night it twinkled from end to end. Its handle of crimson glass sent reckless dashes of red at the papered wall turning its dainty blue stripes into purple. Passers-by halted to catch the merry laughter floating, through curtain and sash, into the street, then skipped on their way with a startled consciousness that the village was wide awake. At last matters grew so uproarious that the grandsi

rect, and looked with a sweet scowl at the company. With his lace and embroideries, and his crown of blu

and moved slowly around the little fellow, lifting their eyes, meanwhile, for the

no; soon the voices rose-gentle youthful voi

nd! Saint Nich

od for us,

oices bid t

t with joy

ery fault

r thy keene

ing-so

tell us e

nd! Saint Nic

o this me

ren greet t

lad'ning a

empty hand

ittle ones

ing-so

bring us e

me of the little ones, with a strange mixture of fear and delight, pressed against their mother's knee. Grandfather bent forward, with his chin resting upon his hand; grandmother lifted he

ing was h

said Mada

cholas, in full array, stood before

ious majesty in his voice! w

t thee, and thy honored vrouw Kathrine

. Mayken has failed of late in her lessons, and too many sweets and trifles have gone to her lips, and too few stivers to her charity-box. Diedrich, I trust, will be a polite, manly boy for the future, and Mayken will endeavor to shine as a student. Let her remember, too, that economy and thrift a

cry, the saint graciously remain

the habit of putting snuff upon the foot-stove of the school

r slowl

red and stared in

llent scholar, I shall mak

bird was swung before it to unsteady thine eye. I give thee credit for excelling in manly sport and exercise-t

ciousness of kindness to the poor, devotion in their souls, and c

your midst. Therefore, my blessing upon you-and may the New Year find all treading the paths of obedience,

ed over each other in their eagerness to fill their baskets. Madame cautiously held the baby down in their midst, till the chubby little fists were filled. Then

er of excitement, laid a shoe upon it. The door was then carefully locked, and its key hidden in the mother's bedroom. Next followed good-night

ened in the presence of the assembled household, when lo! a s

le. The table was heavy with its load of presents-candies, toys, trinkets, bo

e, and vowed, inwardly, that the cat s

th delight as she opened a crimson box and drew forth its glittering contents. The rest chuckled and

toward her parents and held up her beaming face for a kiss. There was such an earnest, t

father," she said, touching the top one wit

ughter learns his 'Moral Emblems' by heart, the mother and I may keep silent. The work you have th

ld have found certain things made by the elder children, and had actually placed them upon the table, labeled with parents' and grandparents' names. But all were too much absorbed in happiness to noti

ng in love with dusky Moors; no young fools sighing to be a lady's glove; no crazy princes mistaking respectable old gentlemen for rats. No, no. He writes only sense. It is great wisdom in little bundles, a bundle for every day of your life. You can guide a state with Cats' poems,

et me obtain

ence, and to die

was keeper of the Great Seal of Holland! He was a-Bah! there is too much noise here, I cannot talk"-and Mynheer, looking with

the increasing loudness of Mynheer's tones, had ventured a blast on his new trumpet, and Wolfert had hastily attempted an accompaniment on the drum. This had brought matters to a crisis, and well for the little creatures that it had. The saint had left no ticket for the

llanders, I, for one, am willing to acknowledge h

nfidentially, that not Saint Nicholas, but their own fathers and mothers h

isit the Brinker cottage that night? Why was t

TNO

Bull'

at my dat van uw

dult, en met ve