Part 16 (1/2)

”Look, Mamma!” said little Maggie Brown. ”What is that wagon stopping here for, and what is that funny thing in it?”

Mrs. Brown came to the window just as Mr. Home took the shoe out of the wagon.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

”Why, it is a big shoe,” laughed Mrs. Brown. ”I guess it is for me to keep you all in.”

Tommy, and Katie, and Mary, and Alice, all ran to see.

Oh, they were so happy when the shoe was brought in and they found it was something for them!

Mrs. Brown was happy, too, to think that her children would have such a merry Christmas.

She told Mr. Horne to wish all the children who sent the shoe a very, very happy Christmas.

”And tell them,” she said, ”to come and see 'the Old Woman in the Shoe'

and her children!”

Little Miss m.u.f.fet Sat on a tuffet, Eating her curds and whey; There came a big spider And sat down beside her, And frightened Miss m.u.f.fet away.

MISS m.u.f.fET

It was the Christmas vacation and Boy Blue and Mary were at home every day.

Boy Blue wished to go to his own home on the farm in his vacation.

He wished to see his father and mother, and little sister, and fire-cracker, and his eight s...o...b..a.l.l.s.

But one night he had a letter from his mother.

Of course he could read it himself, because he was seven years old and had been to school two years.

When he read the letter he danced up and down for joy.

He danced right through the hall into the dining-room and showed his letter to Mary.

Then she danced, too, because the letter said that Boy Blue's father and mother were coming to see him the very next day.

And, best of all, Little Sister was coming to stay two weeks.

When it was time to go to the station to meet Little Sister and her mother. Boy Blue could hardly wait for the train.

At last it came, bringing the two dearest people in all the world, and Boy Blue laughed, and cried, and asked questions, all in the same minute.

”Where is Papa?