mother kept away from him as long as she could, for
she knew what Santa Claus had done.

Finally she heard him coming with slow steps to her room. Slowly he
opened the door and came towards her. He held in his hand a list very
much longer than the one he had made out. He put it in his mother's
hand, while tears of disappointment fell from his eyes.

"See what Santa Claus left for me; but I think he might have given me
one thing besides."

His mother opened the roll. It was a list of all the errands Bertie
had been asked to do for six months. At the end of all was written, in
staring capitals, "I FORGOT."

Bertie wept for an hour. Then his mother told him they were all
going to grandpa's. For the first time he would see a Christmas-tree.
Perhaps something might be growing there for him.

It was very strange to Bertie, but on grandpa's tree he found
everything he had written on his list. Was he cured of his bad habit?
Not all at once; but when his mother saw that he was particularly
heedless she would say, "Remember, Santa Claus does not forget."

M. A. HALEY

THE FAIRY CHRISTMAS.

It was Christmas Day, and Toddy and Tita were alone. Papa and mamma
had gone out West to see their big boy who was ill. They had promised
to be home for Christmas, but a big snow had blocked the railroad
track, and nurse was afraid the train would be delayed until the day
after Christmas. What a dull Christmas for two little girls, all alone
in the great city house, with only the servants! They felt so lonely
that nurse let them play in the big drawing-room instead of in the
nursery, so they arranged all the chairs in a row, and pretended
it was a snowed-up train. Tita was the conductor, and Toddy was the
passengers. Just as they were in the midst of it, they heard music in
the street, and, running to the window, they saw a little boy outside,
singing and beating a tambourine.

"Why," said Tita, "his feet are all bare!"

"Dess he hanged up bofe stockin's an' his shoes, too," said Toddy.

"Let's open the window and ask him."

But the great window was too high to reach, so they took papa's cane
and pushed it tip. The little boy smiled, but they could not hear what
he said, so they told him to come in, and ran to open the big front
door. He was a little frightened at first, but the carpet felt warm to
his poor bare feet.

He told them that his name was Guido, and that he had come from Italy,
which is a much warmer country