“I don’t know, Emma. _I_ would fill their stockings if _I_ were Santa
Claus. But, Emma,” she continued, after a short pause, “you know there
is not really any such person as Santa Claus. It is our father and
mother, and other kind friends, who fill our stockings.”
“I know that, Carrie; and this makes me afraid that the _poor_ children
do not have their stockings filled; because, you know, their friends
have no money to spend for toys and pretty presents. Don’t you think it
would be a good plan for every rich child to be a Santa Claus to some
poor child?”
“O, yes, Emma!” exclaimed Carrie; “I think it would be a _beautiful_
plan. How came you to think of it?”
“I do not know, Carrie; but I suppose the good angels whispered it to
me. You know mother says that all our good thoughts are from the
angels.”
“Well, that is a good thought, I am sure,” replied Carrie; “and I am
very glad that our father is rich, so that we can play Santa Claus. And
then it is very pleasant to live in such a handsome house, and have such
nice clothes and playthings; don’t you think so, Emma?”
“Yes, I do,” answered Emma; “and I always feel sorry for poor little
children, who have none of these good things. You know little Mary and
Ellen Drayton? Their mother is very poor.”
“I know she is, Emma; but she always seems cheerful, and the little
girls look very happy. How neat and clean they always look!”
“Yes, Carrie: but their clothes are very old and patched; and they have
very few books, and no playthings but one rag baby. When mother sent me
there, the other day, to ask Mrs. Drayton about doing some work for her,
I stopped a few moments to talk to the little girls.”
“Let us be their Santa Claus, if mamma is willing,” said Carrie. “I have
got two little gold dollars that I will spend for them.”
“And I have two more,” added Emma. “I meant to have bought a large doll;
but I would rather give the money to Mary and Ellen.”
The little girls now hastened to dress themselves, that they might go to
their mother, and tell her of their plan, and ask her consent to spend
their money in the way that they proposed.
Mrs. Meredith was quite willing, and, indeed, she was much pleased that
her little daughters had thought of a way in which they might do good
and give pleasure to others; and she said that she would add two more
gold dollars to theirs, and would go with them to buy the gifts for Mary
and Ellen.
After breakfast was over, she talked a little more with them on the
subject, and told them that it would not be best to spend all the money
for books and toys, because the little girls were much in need of warm
clothing, and it would be doing them more good to buy some things of
that kind.
Caroline and Emma were willing to do as their mother thought best; but
they begged her to buy a _few_ books and toys, because they thought it
would make the little girls so happy. They felt very happy to find that
six dollars would buy so many things. There was not only a pretty dress
for each little girl, and some warm stockings and shoes, but also a
dress for Mrs. Drayton; and there was still money enough left for two
pretty books, two dolls, and some other toys. To these, Mrs. Meredith
proposed that Caroline and Emma should add some of their own books and
playthings, which they could well spare; and she said that she had
several articles, which would be useful to Mrs. Drayton, which she would
put with those they had bought.
The little girls could hardly contain their delight when they saw all
these nice presents packed in one large basket, and another one filled
with tea, sugar, pies, cakes, a roasted chicken, and some other articles
of food, that Mrs. Drayton and her children might have a good
Christmas-dinner.
Carrie and Emma were so happy that they could hardly wait for evening,
that they might play “Santa Claus,” as they called it; and they quite
forgot to think about the pretty presents which they hoped to receive
themselves, because they were so busy in thinking of the joy that Mary
and Ellen would feel when the baskets should be unpacked.
“Let us try to be patient, and wait until the girls have gone to bed,”
said Carrie. “Mrs. Drayton sits up very late to sew; and, if mother will
let John carry the baskets for us, we will go and knock softly at the
door, and give her the things, and ask her to put some of the toys into
Mary’s and Ellen’s stockings. How surprised they will be in the
morning!”
Emma readily agreed to this plan; and, as the house was very near, Mrs.
Meredith was quite willing that they should do so.
We will now leave them to pass a happy afternoon in assisting their
mother in some preparations which she wished to make for the
entertainment of the young friends whom they expected to spend Christmas
with them, while we take a peep into Mrs. Drayton’s neat but humble
dwelling.
Mary and Ellen were seated close by the side of their mother, who was
sewing busily on a pair of coarse overalls,—the last of a dozen pairs
which she had engaged to make. Mary had learned to sew neatly enough to
be of some assistance, and her mother had just given her leave to hem
the bottom of one of the legs of the overalls; while little Ellen was
reading aloud from a story-book, which had been given to her at school
as a reward for her good behavior. The story which she was reading was a
Christmas-tale; and it told of a happy family of children who gathered
around the beautiful Christmas-tree.
When Ellen had finished her story, she laid down the book, and seemed
very thoughtful for a few minutes. Presently she looked up in her
mother’s face, and said, very gently,—
“Will you please to let us hang up our stockings to-night, dear mother?
This is Christmas Eve. I should like a pretty tree like the one in the
story; but it will be just as pleasant to hang up our stockings. Don’t
you remember the pretty things that we found in them one year, Mary, a
good while ago, when father lived in this world with us?”