books.

Some of the windows had jewels and crowns upon them; some had sheaves of
lilies; and others had lovely faces and men with harps; and at last he
came to one great window which was different from the rest and lovelier
than any of them.

The other windows were like picture books, but this one was like home;
for there were sheep in it and flowers, and a dear, gentle Man, with a
loving face, and He had a lamb in His arms.

When little Carl looked at this window, he crept very close under it,
and, laying his head on his arm, sobbed himself to sleep.

[Illustration: "Mother, mother, here am I!"]

While he slept, the sunbeams came through the window and made bright
circles round his head; and the white doves that lived in the church
tower flew through an open window to look at him.

"It is good to live in the church tower," cooed the white doves to each
other, "for the bells are up there; and then we can fly down here and
see the dear Christ's face. See! here is one of his little ones!"

"Coo, coo," said the white doves softly; "we cannot speak so loudly as
the bells, nor make ourselves heard so far; but we can fly where we
please, and they must stay always up there."

All this cooing did not wake little boy Carl, for he was dreaming a
beautiful dream about a king who had a face like the Good Man in the
window, and who was carrying Carl in His arms instead of a lamb, and was
taking him to his mother; and just as he dreamed that they had reached
her, Carl woke up, for he heard somebody talking in the church.

He lay still and listened, for this seemed part of the dream. Somebody
was talking about him, and the words were very plain to Carl:--

"Dear Father in Heaven, I have lost my little boy. I am like Mary
seeking for the Christ Child. For His sake, give me my little child!"

Carl knew that voice, and in an instant he ran out crying:--

"Mother! mother! here am I!"

And in all the joy of the king's birth day, there was no joy so great as
theirs.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mother Stories, by Maud Lindsay

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