for this ball had been making an immense
sensation for the last three months. Placards had been up in the most
conspicuous points in the city, and all the daily newspapers had
at least a column devoted to it, headed with THE MAYOR'S CHRISTMAS
MASQUERADE in very large letters.

The Mayor had promised to defray the expenses of all the poor children
whose parents were unable to do so, and the bills for their costumes
were directed to be sent in to him.

Of course there was a great deal of excitement among the regular
costumers of the city, and they all resolved to vie with one another
in being the most popular, and the best patronized on this gala
occasion. But the placards and the notices had not been out a week
before a new Costumer appeared, who cast all the others into the shade
directly. He set up his shop on the corner of one of the principal
streets, and hung up his beautiful costumes in the windows. He was a
little fellow, not much larger than a boy of ten. His cheeks were as
red as roses, and he had on a long curling wig as white as snow.
He wore a suit of crimson velvet knee-breeches, and a little
swallow-tailed coat with beautiful golden buttons. Deep lace ruffles
fell over his slender white hands, and he wore elegant knee-buckles
of glittering stones. He sat on a high stool behind his counter and
served his customers himself; he kept no clerk.

It did not take the children long to discover what beautiful things he
had, and how superior he was to the other costumers, and they begun to
flock to his shop immediately, from the Mayor's daughter to the poor
rag-picker's. The children were to select their own costumes; the
Mayor had stipulated that. It was to be a children's ball in every
sense of the word.

So they decided to be fairies, and shepherdesses, and princesses,
according to their own fancies; and this new costumer had charming
costumes to suit them.

It was noticeable, that, for the most part, the children of the rich,
who had always had everything they desired, would choose the parts of
goose-girls and peasants and such like; and the poor children jumped
eagerly at the chance of being princesses or fairies for a few hours
in their miserable lives.

When Christmas Eve came, and the children flocked into the Mayor's
mansion, whether it was owing to the Costumer's art, or their own
adaptation to the characters they had chosen, it was wonderful how
lifelike their representations were. Those little fa