While we our watch without are keeping.

"Blest be the house wherein thou liest.
Happiest on earth, to heaven the highest."

The children listened, while a solemn joy filled their hearts; then they
stepped softly to the window to see who might be without.

In the east was a streak of rosy dawn, and in its light they saw a group
of children standing before the house, clothed in silver garments,
holding golden harps in their hands. Amazed at this sight, the children
were still gazing out of the window, when a light tap caused them to
turn round. There stood the stranger-child before them clad in a golden
dress, with a gleaming radiance round his curling hair. "I am the little
Christ-child," he said, "who wanders through the world bringing peace
and happiness to good children. You took me in and cared for me when you
thought me a poor child, and now you shall have my blessing for what you
have done."

A fir tree grew near the house; and from this he broke a twig, which he
planted in the ground, saying: "This twig shall become a tree, and shall
bring forth fruit year by year for you."

No sooner had he done this than he vanished, and with him the little
choir of angels. But the fir-branch grew and became a Christmas tree,
and on its branches hung golden apples and silver nuts every
Christmas-tide.

Such is the story told to German children concerning their beautiful
Christmas trees, though we know that the real little Christ-child can
never be wandering, cold and homeless, again in our world, inasmuch as
he is safe in heaven by his Father's side; yet we may gather from this
story the same truth which the Bible plainly tells us--that any one who
helps a Christian child in distress, it will be counted unto him as if
he had indeed done it unto Christ himself. "Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

THE PEACE EGG.

BY JULIANA HORATIA EWING.

Every one ought to be happy at Christmas. But there are many things
which ought to be, and yet are not; and people are sometimes sad even in
the Christmas holidays.

The Captain and his wife were sad, though it was Christmas Eve. Sad,
though they were in the prime of life, blessed with good health, devoted
to each other and to their children, with competent means, a comfortable
house on a little freehold property of their own, and, one might say,
everything that heart could desire. Sad, though they were goo