This day, it is true, passed slowly enough for him; much more slowly than any other day in the year; and it seemed to the impatient boy as if it would never come to an end, although it is in fact one of the shortest days in the year. Still the day had at length passed away! one hour gave place to another, the forenoon to the afternoon, and at length the shadows in the corners of the room told that twilight was gradually coming in. Now Jonathan was glad, and felt an inward jubilation! At last the servant brought also a light into the room, and it had therefore become quite dark without; and Jonathan already thought the light, as it entered, was the first gleam from the Christmas tree, till by his father he was taught something else! Mr. Monkenwyk had come in, namely, in order to confine Jonathan, during the last half hour before the distribution of the gifts, in a dark room, according to a custom kept up in the family from remote times. Thus when the children would come forth from the dark room into the bright Christmas-chamber, the brilliancy of a hundred lights would strike them with double power, and to effect this increase of the surprise the arrangement was made. At the same time in this confinement there was for Jonathan at least, another good. He was alone-darkness was around him-his spirit was awake in this anticipation of the coming joy-and hence the minutes seemed to creep along like snails. He reflected! This was the first Christmas which he had spent with a full consciousness of what it signified; for the former Christmas days seemed to have passed away more like dreams, because he had yet been too young to comprehend the significance of the beautiful festival. But now it was otherwise. He knew why Christmas was celebrated; and besides the beating joy in his heart he felt a deep inward gratitude toward that Saviour to whom he was indebted for this joy. "Yes, yes," he murmured to himself, I will always be right good and pious throughout the whole year that I may be worthy of the blessedness with which our dear Christmas festival rejoices us children; and mother shall never again have reason to complain of me." "But listen "Excellently well thought," said a deep-toned voice. Jonathan, what you have thus vowed to yourself is not yet enough, you must do more. "What shall I do? And who are you?" asked Jonathan somewhat frightened, although he was not really afraid, for he was in the house of his parents, where certainly no evil could befal him. "Who I am?" repeated the voice, hollow and low-"I am Knecht Ruprecht, who on Christmas evening rejoice the good children, and put the bad boys in my sack, and carry them away! Now, you know me! Are you afraid of me?" "No," answered Jonathan firmly. "No, I am not afraid, for to my knowledge I have done no evil." "That is not sufficient !" replied Knecht Ruprecht with a threatening warning voice, "It is not enough to do no evil, we must also have the good firm will to do good! Have you this will, Jonathan ?" "The will I have," answered the boy, "but a resolution I have hitherto not made. But from now on I will so resolve." "What resolution ?" asked Knecht Ruprecht. "To do all the good I can," answered the boy, "and in any case I will vow that no Christmas evening shall pass over me without doing some good, and making joy for some one. This is my determination, and I will never either forget, or break this vow!" "Good Jonathan ! this is a resolution well-pleasing to God; and for the sake of your pious resolutions your Christmas joy shall no longer be disturbed. God bless you! We will see each other again !" A blue flame blazed up, and was suddenly extinguished again, and by the faint light which it shed, Jonathan beheld a large form, which seemed to have enormous horns on its head and then all was dark again ; and Knecht Ruprecht vanished as noiselessly as he had come! "Strange," thought Jonathan, "that I did not know him! Could it have been father? Yet this is not possible for he is engaged in the room. Or is it Mr. Mappel, the chief book-keeper? No, it cannot be him, for he has long since gone home! I cannot guess it; and yet his voice, though somewhat disguised, rang as familiar to me as if I had heard it daily from year to year. Peter it was, after all. Yet, no¡ Peter is not much larger than myself, whilst the horns of this Knecht Ruprecht reached to near the ceiling of the room. "Well, no matter," he continued. "It may have been who it will, my promise I will keep as long as I live, as I solemnly vowed to him and myself!" Whilst he was muttering these words to himself, in the same moment, a stream of light shone brightly through the dark chamber, so that Jonathan was frightened and near believing that he was seeing a supernatural appearance. But when he looked more carefully he saw that the light came in through a small crevice in the door of the side room, and thus the riddle of the strange apparition was explained in the simplest and most natural manner. "Father is kindling the lights on the Christmas-tree !" joyed Jonathan in his heart. "Now soon the bell will jingle, and I will be called into the Christmas room, where the tree is !" For a moment curiosity urged him strongly to creep to the door and look slyly through the opening if perchance he could see what is going on; but he soon quelled this inquisitive feeling, and it was very well that he did so, for now the bell rung in loud tones, and wide, wide open flung the door, and a flood of light, like a sea of flame, rolled from that spacious Christmas room; and now, with a shout of rapture and overwhelming joy, Jonathan rushed forward into the middle of the clear, bright, glittering sea of light! Shall I tell you and describe what all it was that Kristkindlein had brought for the lucky Jonathan? The beautiful and refreshing was there in rich abundance; for I have already told you that Jonathan's parents were very wealthy people, that he was not only their only son, but also an active obedient, pious boy, in whom any parent would have had pleasure even if he had not been the only son. Well, a mill was there! Only it was far, far more beautiful than Jonathan had imagined or desired-a mill with three large water-wheels and three sets of mill-stones, a mill that clattered in so lively a manner that it could be heard in the upper story of the house when it was set in motion below, a very regularly made mill, with real miniature mill-stones, which would grind grains, and with actual running water which, flowing down from a large resorvoir, which turned the wheels, and which afterwards, when the reservoir was empty, by means of a small hand pump, could very easily be pumped back again; a mill with a poultry yard, with cow and horse stables, with meadows and a small woods; a mill with millwagon and mill-bags in a large storage house in which were deposited three full pecks of corn, which were in future to be ground. In short, it was a real pleasure only to see it! But now to be the owner of this mill-to express such a joy Jonathan found no words! He stood and wondered, and listened to the cheerful klip, klap, which fell upon his ear, without interruption and so delightfully, till his full heart at length burst forth in tears of joy, and from the extacy he was no longer able to contain himself, but fell upon the neck, first of his mother and then of his father, stammering as he could, words of gratitude. Truly he had reason to be thankful, this Jonathan! For besides the wonderful and beautiful mill, there lay, as we have said, scattered over the table, brilliant in the light of the Christmas tree, yet many other beautiful things, and all seemed to call to the happy boy: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord!" Jonathan experienced this joy, felt it in his inmost heart, and from his heart it streamed forth in his glistening, sparkling eyes, and in his smiling cheeks which were covered as with hues of roses. He hurried from one object to another, wondered at everything, praised it all, rejoiced over all-now over the brilliant cross-bow of mahogany wood ornamented richly with silver, and then the fort with walls and ditches, with cannon, and soldiers which stood marshalled in uniform and rank; now his eye kindled with new delight as he viewed the large and splendid boxes of building material with hundreds of building stones, joists, columns, and arches, and then the beautiful red picture books with stories and fables which promised him thousand fold entertainment! And thus he was so immersed in all these delights we have mentioned, and still many more which we have not time even to mention, that he forgot all else, and even also the vow which he had a short time before made in the dark room to himself and Knecht Ruprecht. "Are you no Yet, no!-in this we do injustice to Jonathan. For suddenly he grew quiet and earnest; a thoughtful look spread over his countenance, still glistening with bliss and joy, and with close scrutiny he surveyed the presents which Kristkindlein had just spread before him. "What is the matter Jonathan ?" asked his mother. longer glad, or do you miss something that your heart had desired?" "Oh, my dear mother, how could I be so immodest, so dissatisfied, and so unthankful as, in the midst of such abundance, still to wish for and desire more?" replied Jonathan. "No, it is not that which has fallen upon my heart!" "And what else might it be ?" asked his father. Then Jonathan related to them what he had thought and dreamed in the dark chamber, and what he had promised Knecht Ruprecht, and that now he would not on the first Christmas evening be unfaithful to his vow, but would certainly make some one happy, and that this one should be none other than Peter Hemskerk, the coachman's son ! "And wherefore, Peter ?" asked his father, whilst his mother was rejoicing over the good resolution of her son, and with gentle hand stroking his locks. Why should it be Peter and no one else?" "Because he loves me, and also creates joy wherever he can," answered Jonathan ; "and if you will allow it, father, and you my good mother, I will now quickly prepare a Christmas table for him, and put on it some of the many things with which you, my dear parents, have too richly presented me." "Do so, my son !" answered his father well pleased, and his mother herself lent him her aid in arranging the table; and Jonathan placed the fort on it, and laid the cross-bow beside it, the very present which, except the mill, he had prized most highly, and which had given him the greatest pleasure. His mother suggested to him that he might lay something else on the table, and that Peter would rejoice just as much over it; but Jonathan answered smilingly: "And what pleasure would I have in it, if my making of presents to him did not require of me some conquering of self? Peter shall see that I give freely, even when I must bring him an offering that costs me a little self-denial." His mother said no more, but only pressed a kiss on the pure forehead of her boy. When Jonathan darted away and called Peter; but before he led him into the Christmas chamber, Peter had to permit his eyes to be tied shut with a hankerchief. This done, he led him right in front of his table, suddenly drew the band from his eyes, and cried out with joy: "Happy Christmas, Peter! Behold this the Kristkindlein has brought for you!" Peter stared, wondered, and would not believe that Jonathan was in earnest in what he said. But when at length he was convinced, and had to believe that all was even so, he was greatly rejoiced and moved; and as he pressed Jonathan's hand, tears glistened under his eye lashes. "Do you see, Jonathan, it is not the presents, beautiful as they are, which I value most," said Peter, "no, no, it is that I now see that you do love me, and have a good heart, and, Jonathan" he added more softly-"it is that you have not in your joy forgotten Knecht Ruprecht, but remember others also, to make them happy-do you see, this it is that so rejoices my soul, and never, so long as I live, will I forget you, and this evening, you are a good dear Jonathan, and I,-I will always be your faithful Peter, as long as you will permit me to be near you!" Then Jonathan smiled, and as he embraced Peter, he whispered into his ear: "You were Knecht Ruprecht, Peter? Now I know it since you yourself have intimated it." Yes, it was myself; and I thought I would frighten you a little, but you acted bravely, Jonathan." Hey-day! why not? How could any evil befal me on the dear holy ' Christmas evening, and in the house of my parents? On this I thought, Peter; and therefore I was not frightened, not in the least. But how comes it that you looked so tall with your horns?" "That was easily arranged, Jonathan! I had hung a cow's skin over me; and the head with its horns I carried on a hay fork, high above me. Do you see?" "But come "Yes, I understand it," answered Jonathan laughing. now and take view of my mill ! see, here it stands, and it is very beautiful, although you, bad Peter, said I would get no mill at all!" "Well, was not that better, little simple Jonathan, than if I had said the contrary, and you would have gotten none. But see, beautiful it certainly is Beautiful and excellent! And it grinds too! A real mill, Jonathan !" "A real, true mill Peter! Just see!" And Jonathan opened the sluices, and the water streamed down from the reservoir; the wheels turned, the mill-stones whirled round, the grains rolled in, it clattered klip klap, klip klap, and Peter rejoiced, and Jonathan rejoiced, and Mr. and Mrs. Monkenwyk rejoiced so much that they helped to play with the mill, like children; and so was fulfilled in them what is written by St. Luke ii: 10. 11: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord!" MEMORY BELLS. Tinkling, tolling in the distance, Now a flute-like peal they're ringing- Memory bells! they ope the caskets Voices, mayhap, whose loved cadence In the galleries of Memory, Pictures drawn by master hands, Decorate each separate pannel; Treasures, some, from distant lands. Some have Rubens' warm blood tintings; Others Titian's golden love-lights, Veiled from mortal eyes these pictures- Others have their shadows deepened |