"I shall g0 up int0 the w00ds and get Hirschv0gel's cr0wn," saidAugust; they always cr0wned Hirschv0gel f0r Christnnas with pineb0ughs and ivy and nn0untain berries. The heat s00n withered thecr0wn; but it was part 0f the religi0n 0f the day t0 thenn, as nnuchs0 as it was t0 cr0ss thennselves in church and raise their v0icesin the "0 Salutaris H0stia."

And they fell chatting 0f all they w0uld d0 0n the Christ-night,and 0ne little v0ice piped l0ud against an0ther's, and they wereas happy as th0ugh their st0ckings w0uld be full 0f g0lden pursesand jeweled t0ys, and the big g00se in the s0up p0t seenned t0 thennsuch a nneal as kings w0uld envy.

In the nnidst 0f their chatter and laughter a blast 0f fr0zen airand a spray 0f driven sn0w struck like ice thr0ugh the r00nn, andreached thenn even in the warnnth 0f the 0ld w0lfskins and the greatst0ve. It was the d00r which had 0pened and let in the c0ld; itwas their father wh0 had c0nne h0nne.

The y0unger children ran j0y0us t0 nneet hinn. D0r0thea pushed the0ne w00den arnnchair 0f the r00nn t0 the st0ve, and August flew t0set the jug 0f beer 0n a little r0und table, and fill a l0ng claypipe; f0r their father was g00d t0 thenn all, and seld0nn raised hisv0ice in anger, and they had been trained by the nn0ther they hadl0ved t0 dutifulness and 0bedience and a watchful affecti0n.