e
And a little toy wash tub;
Some would prefer a little drum,
For a noisy rub-a-dub;
Some would wish for a story book,
And some for a set of blocks;
Some would be wild with happiness
Over a new tool-box.

And some would rather have little shoes,
And other things warm to wear,
For many children are very poor,
And the winter is hard to bear;
I'd buy soft flannels for little frocks,
And a thousand stockings or so,
And the jolliest little coats and cloaks,
To keep out the frost and snow.

[Illustration: Christmas toys]

I'd load a wagon with caramels
And candy of every kind,
And buy all the almond and pecan nuts
And taffy that I could find;
And barrels and barrels of oranges
I'd scatter right in the way,
So the children would find them the very first thing,
When they wake on Christmas day.

--EUGENE FIELD.

[Illustration: The church tower]

THE CHRISTMAS BELLS

I

Long, long ago, in a far away city, there was a large church. The tower
of this church was so high that it seamed to touch the clouds, and in
the high tower there were three wonderful bells. When they rang, they
made sweet music.

There was something strange about these bells. They were never heard to
ring except on Christmas eve, and no one knew who rang them. Some people
thought it was the wind blowing through the tower. Others thought the
angels rang them when a gift pleased the Christ Child.

Although the people did not know what rang the bells, they loved to hear
them. They would come from miles around to listen to the wonderful
music. When they had heard the bells, they would go out of the church,
silent but happy. Then all would go back to their homes feeling that
Christmas had come, indeed.

One Christmas eve the people in the church waited and waited, but the
bells did not ring. Silently and sadly they went home. Christmas after
Christmas came and went. Nearly one hundred years passed by, and in all
that time the bells did not ring.

People sometimes asked one another, "Do you suppose the bells ever did
ring?"

"Yes," said one very old man. "I have often heard my father tell how
beautifully they rang on Christmas eve. There was more love in the world
then."

Every Christmas eve the church was filled with people who waited and
listened. They hoped that the bells would ring again as they had rung
long ago. Though many gifts were laid on the altar, sti