Good Stories for Holidays | Page 6

this?'' they asked. ``Every page was white and fair as we
opened to it; yet now there is not a single blank place in the whole
book!''
``Shall I explain some of the pictures to you?'' said the Fairy, smiling at
the two little boys.
``See, Philip, the spray of roses blossomed on this page when you let
the baby have your playthings; and this pretty bird, that looks as if it
were singing with all its might, would never have been on this page if
you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day, instead of
quarreling.''

``But what makes this blot?'' asked Philip.
``That,'' said the Fairy sadly; ``that came when you told an untruth one
day, and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and
scratches that look so ugly, both in your book and in Carl's, were made
when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its
page when you were good.''
``Oh, if we could only have the books again!'' said Carl and Philip.
``That cannot be,'' said the Fairy. ``See! they are dated for this year, and
they must now go back into Father Time's bookcase, but I have brought
you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than
the others.''
So saying, she vanished, and the boys were left alone, but each held in
his hand a new book open at the first page.
And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold, ``For the
New Year.''

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (TRANSLATED)
It was very, very cold; it snowed and it grew dark; it was the last
evening of the year, New Year's Eve. In the cold and dark a poor little
girl, with bare head and bare feet, was walking through the streets.
When she left her own house she certainly had had slippers on; but
what could they do? They were very big slippers, and her mother had
used them till then, so big were they. The little maid lost them as she
slipped across the road, where two carriages were rattling by terribly
fast. One slipper was not to be found again, and a boy ran away with
the other. He said he could use it for a cradle when he had children of
his own.
So now the little girl went with her little naked feet, which were quite
red and blue with the cold. In an old apron she carried a number of
matches, and a bundle of them in her hand. No one had bought
anything of her all day; no one had given her a copper. Hungry and
cold she went, and drew herself together, poor little thing! The
snowflakes fell on her long yellow hair, which curled prettily over her
neck; but she did not think of that now. In all the windows lights were
shining, and there was a glorious smell of roast goose out there in the
street; it was no doubt New Year's Eve. Yes, she thought of that!

In a corner formed by two houses, one of which was a little farther
from the street than the other, she sat down and crept close. She had
drawn up her little feet, but she was still colder, and she did not dare to
go home, for she had sold no matches, and she had not a single cent;
her father would beat her; and besides, it was cold at home, for they
had nothing over the them but a roof through which the wind whistled,
though straw and rags stopped the largest holes.
Her small hands were quite numb with the cold. Ah! a little match
might do her good if she only dared draw one from the bundle, and
strike it against the wall, and warm her fingers at it. She drew one out.
R-r-atch! how it spluttered and burned! It was a warm bright flame, like
a little candle, when she held her hands over it; it was a wonderful little
light! It really seemed to the little girl as if she sat before a great
polished stove, with bright brass feet and a brass cover. The fire burned
so nicely; it warmed her so well, --the little girl was just putting out her
feet to warm these, too,--when out went the flame; the stove was
gone;--she sat with only the end of the burned match in her hand.
She struck another; it burned; it gave a light; and where it shone on the
wall, the wall became thin like a veil, and she could see through it into
the room where a table stood, spread with a white cloth, and with china
on it; and the roast goose