Christmas Stories And Legends | Page 8

was fastened a
glittering star, made of gold tinsel. Oh, it was very beautiful. "This
evening," they all exclaimed, "how bright it will be!"
"Oh, that the evening were come," thought the tree, "and the tapers
lighted! Then I should know what else is going to happen. Will the
trees of the forest come to see me? Will the sparrows peep in at the
windows, I wonder, as they fly? Shall I grow faster here, and keep on
all these ornaments during summer and winter?" But guessing was of
very little use. His back ached with trying; and this pain is as bad for a
slender fir tree as headache is for us.
At last the tapers were lighted, and then what a glistening blaze of
splendor the tree presented! It trembled so with joy in all its branches,
that one of the candles fell among the green leaves and burnt some of
them. "Help! help!" exclaimed the young ladies; but there was no
danger, for they quickly extinguished the fire.
After this the tree tried not to tremble at all, though the fire frightened
him, he was so anxious not to hurt any of the beautiful ornaments, even
while their brilliancy dazzled him.
And now the folding doors were thrown open, and a troop of children
rushed in as if they intended to upset the tree, and were followed more
slowly by their elders. For a moment the little ones stood silent with
astonishment, and then they shouted for joy till the room rang; and they
danced merrily round the tree, while one present after another was
taken from it.
"What are they doing? What will happen next?" thought the tree. At
last the candles burned down to the branches, and were put out. Then
the children received permission to plunder the tree.
Oh, how they rushed upon it! There was such a riot that the branches
cracked, and had it not been fastened with the glistening star to the
ceiling, it must have been thrown down.
Then the children danced about with their pretty toys, and no one

noticed the tree, except the children's maid, who came and peeped
among the branches to see if an apple or a fig had been forgotten.
"A story, a story," cried the children, pulling a little fat man toward the
tree.
"Now we shall be in green shade," said the man, as he seated himself
under it, "and the tree will have the pleasure of hearing also; but I shall
only relate one story. What shall it be? Ivede-Avede, or
Humpty-Dumpty, who fell down stairs, but soon got up again, and at
last married a princess?"
"Ivede-Avede," cried some. "Humpty-Dumpty," cried others; and there
was a famous uproar. But the fir tree remained quite still, and thought
to himself, "Shall I have anything to do with all this? Ought I to make a
noise too?" but he had already amused them as much as they wished.
Then the old man told them the story of Humpty-Dumpty;--how he fell
downstairs and was raised up again, and married a princess. And the
children clapped their hands and cried "Tell another, tell another," for
they wanted to hear the story of Ivede-Avede; but this time they had
only Humpty-Dumpty. After this the fir tree became quite silent and
thoughtful. Never had the birds in the forest told such tales as
Humpty-Dumpty who fell down stairs, and yet married a princess.
"Ah, yes! so it happens in the world," thought the fir tree. He believed
it all, because it was related by such a pleasant man.
"Ah, well!" he thought, "who knows? Perhaps I may fall down too and
marry a princess;" and he looked forward joyfully to the next evening,
expecting to be again decked out with lights and playthings, gold and
fruit. "Tomorrow I will not tremble," thought he; "I will enjoy all my
splendor, and I shall hear the story of Humpty-Dumpty again, and
perhaps Ivede-Avede." And the tree remained quiet and thoughtful all
night.
In the morning the servants and the housemaid came in. "Now,"
thought the fir tree, "all my splendor is going to begin again." But they

dragged him out of the room and upstairs to the garret and threw him
on the floor, in a dark corner where no daylight shone, and there they
left him. "What does this mean?" thought the tree. "What am I to do
here? I can hear nothing in a place like this;" and he leaned against the
wall and thought and thought.
And he had time enough to think, for days and nights passed, and no
one came near him; and when at last somebody did come, it was only
to push away some large boxes in a corner. So the tree was completely