s neck was
tied a red ribbon. It had evidently been hung on the tree for one of the
children. The little stranger stopped before this window and looked long
and earnestly at the beautiful things inside, but most of all was he
drawn toward the white lamb. At last creeping up to the window-pane, he
gently tapped upon it. A little girl came to the window and looked out
into the dark street where the snow had now begun to fall. She saw the
child, but she only frowned and shook her head and said, "Go away and
come some other time. We are too busy to take care of you now." Back
into the dark, cold streets he turned again. The wind was whirling past
him and seemed to say, "Hurry on, hurry on, we have no time to stop.
'Tis Christmas Eve and everybody is in a hurry to-night."

Again and again the little child rapped softly at door or window-pane.
At each place he was refused admission. One mother feared he might have
some ugly disease which her darlings would catch; another father said he
had only enough for his own children and none to spare for beggars.
Still another told him to go home where he belonged, and not to trouble
other folks.

The hours passed; later grew the night, and colder grew the wind, and
darker seemed the street. Farther and farther the little one wandered.
There was scarcely any one left upon the street by this time, and the
few who remained did not seem to see the child, when suddenly ahead of
him there appeared a bright, single ray of light. It shone through the
darkness into the child's eyes. He looked up smilingly and said, "I will
go where the small light beckons, perhaps they will share their
Christmas with me."

Hurrying past all the other houses, he soon reached the end of the
street and went straight up to the window from which the light was
streaming. It was a poor, little, low house, but the child cared not for
that. The light seemed still to call him in. From what do you suppose
the light came? Nothing but a tallow candle which had been placed in an
old cup with a broken handle, in the window, as a glad token of
Christmas Eve. There was neither curtain nor shade to the small, square
window and as the little child looked in he saw standing upon a neat
wooden table a branch of a Christmas tree. The room was plainly
furnished, but it was very clean. Near the fireplace sat a lovely faced
mother with a little two-year-old on her knee and an older child beside
her. The two children were looking int