u are not. But we must
not talk or move much more, for I see Santa Claus coming this way, and
even he is not allowed to see us pretend to be alive, so that we move
and talk. He is coming to pick us up, I guess."

And then both toys had to keep quiet, for Santa Claus came stalking
along in his big leather boots. St. Nicholas was wiping some snowflakes
out of his eyes, his breath made clouds of steam in the frosty air and
his cheeks were as red as the reddest apple you ever saw.

"Oh, ho! Here are some of my toys!" cried the jolly old gentleman as he
saw the Nodding Donkey and the Jumping Jack. "I was afraid I had lost
you. We nearly had a bad accident," he went on, speaking to himself, but
loudly enough for the Nodding Donkey to hear. "My reindeer got off the
road and ran into a snow cloud and the sleigh was upset."

"It's just as the Jumping Jack told me," thought the Nodding Donkey.

"Steady there, Comet! Keep quiet, Prancer!" called St. Nicholas to his
animals, who, stamping their legs, made the bells jingle. "We shall soon
be on our way again. Nothing is broken."

Santa Claus picked up the Donkey and the Jumping Jack and carried them
back to the sleigh. There the two toys could see their friends, some
lying on the seat of the sleigh and others resting in the big bag,
through the hole of which the Nodding Donkey had slipped out, falling
into the snow.

"Ha! I must fix that hole in the bag," cried Santa Claus, as he noticed
it.

St. Nicholas tied some string around the hole in the sack, and then,
having again wrapped the tissue paper around the Donkey, the Jumping
Jack, and the other toys that had fallen out, the red-cheeked old
gentleman put them in the bag and fastened it shut.

"Now we're off again!" cried Santa Claus, as he took his seat in the
sleigh. "Trot along, Comet! Fly away, Prancer! Lively there, Donner and
Blitzen! We must get down to Earth with these toys, and then back again
to North Pole Land for another load! Trot along, my speedy reindeer!"

The reindeer shook their heads, which made the bells jingle more merrily
than before, they stamped their feet on the hard, frozen road that led
from the North Pole to Earth, and then away they darted. Santa Claus
drove them carefully, steering away from snow clouds, and soon the
motion was so swift and smooth that the Nodding Donkey went to sleep,
and so did most of the other toys in the big sack.

And what a funny dream the Nodding Donkey had! He imagi