ight use the deer, knowing it would cause
you to lose an entire year."

"If I only had the toys the Awgwas stole from me," said Claus, sadly,
"I could easily fill my sack for the children."

"Where are they?" asked the Master.

"I do not know," replied Claus, "but the wicked Awgwas probably hid
them in the mountains."

Ak turned to the Fairy Queen.

"Can you find them?" he asked.

"I will try," she replied, brightly.

Then Claus went back to the Laughing Valley, to work as hard as he
could, and a band of Fairies immediately flew to the mountain that had
been haunted by the Awgwas and began a search for the stolen toys.

The Fairies, as we well know, possess wonderful powers; but the cunning
Awgwas had hidden the toys in a deep cave and covered the opening with
rocks, so no one could look in. Therefore all search for the missing
playthings proved in vain for several days, and Claus, who sat at home
waiting for news from the Fairies, almost despaired of getting the toys
before Christmas Eve.

He worked hard every moment, but it took considerable time to carve out
and to shape each toy and to paint it properly, so that on the morning
before Christmas Eve only half of one small shelf above the window was
filled with playthings ready for the children.

But on this morning the Fairies who were searching in the mountains had
a new thought. They joined hands and moved in a straight line through
the rocks that formed the mountain, beginning at the topmost peak and
working downward, so that no spot could be missed by their bright eyes.
And at last they discovered the cave where the toys had been heaped up
by the wicked Awgwas.

It did not take them long to burst open the mouth of the cave, and then
each one seized as many toys as he could carry and they all flew to
Claus and laid the treasure before him.

The good man was rejoiced to receive, just in the nick of time, such a
store of playthings with which to load his sledge, and he sent word to
Glossie and Flossie to be ready for the journey at nightfall.

With all his other labors he had managed to find time, since the last
trip, to repair the harness and to strengthen his sledge, so that when
the deer came to him at twilight he had no difficulty in harnessing
them.

"We must go in another direction to-night," he told them, "where we
shall find children I have never yet visited. And we must travel fast
and work quickly, for my sack is full of toys and runnin