heir drama to themselves. All of these Seven
are the children of my brain, and I am somewhat loth to let them go so
far from me; but if they find no hospitable fireside to receive them,
they will at least always be welcome at mine.

CONTENTS

THE THREE WISHES
WISH THE FIRST--Under the Sea 11
WISH THE SECOND--On the Mountain 37
WISH THE THIRD AND LAST--In the Cottage 49

A CHRISTMAS STOCKING WITH A HOLE IN IT
I. The Stocking is Hung 57
II. Midnight 71
III. Kleiner Traum Visits Peter Mit 79
IV. Kleiner Traum Visits David Morgridge 88
V. Morgridge Klaus 92

THE LITTLE CASTAWAYS 99

A FAERY SURPRISE PARTY 133

THE ROCK ELEPHANT 149

THE OLD BROWN COAT
I. The Gift 175
II. The Sacrifice 199

NEW YEAR'S DAY IN THE GARDEN 219

THE THREE WISHES

BESSIE'S STORY

Wish the First.--Under the Sea.

[Illustration]

Little Effie Gilder's porridge did taste good! and so it ought; for
beside that Mother Gilder made it, and Mother Gilder's porridge was
always just right, Effie was eating it on her seat upon the sea-shore in
front of her father's house. The sun was just going down and the tide
was rising, so that the little waves came tumbling up on the beach, as
if they were racing, each one falling headlong on the sand in the
scramble to get there first; and then slipping back again, there would
be left a long streak of white foam just out of reach of Effie. She was
sitting on what she called her chair, but it was a chair without legs or
back or arms--only a great flat stone, where she used to come every
sunshiny afternoon and eat her bowl of porridge.

It was smoking-hot--that porridge! and she was eating away with a great
relish, holding the bowl in her lap and drumming upon it with her
drumstick of a spoon. I wish you could have seen her as she sat there,
with her hat falling off and the su