like you. Your mother,
Margaret and Sally, and your father, Jack and Tom and Helen, and your
father, Isabel, and your mother, Ned and Frank, were my little boys and
girls, you know; and on Christmas Eve I used to sit with them in the
nursery, just as I am sitting with you now. That is why I told them
to go downstairs and leave me alone with you for a little while
tonight--for the sake of old times. Yes, they used to sit around me
just like this, and then I used to tell them a story.

A story! A story! _cry_ ALL THE CHILDREN.

_And_ GRANDMOTHER _says_: Shall I tell you one? _The
children all nod_. Let me think, _says she_.

_The Wind Fairies are heard outside, making the wind-noise, like
this_:

z--z--z z--z--z z--Z--Z--Z--z--z--z
z--z--z z--z--z z--Z--Z--Z--z--z--z

GRANDMOTHER _listens to them, then begins her story_: Well, once
there was a wicked king, who didn't like cold weather; so he sent his
soldiers, and told them to catch all the cold Wind Fairies and--

TOM _interrupts her to ask_: Are there really Wind Fairies, Grandmother?

GRANDMOTHER _answers_: Of course there are. I think I heard them a
moment ago. Listen!

_They all listen. The Wind Fairies are heard outside, like this_:

z--z--z z--z--z z--Z--Z--Z--z--z--z

Do you hear them? _asks_ GRANDMOTHER. _The children all nod_.
Yes, _she continues, going on with the story_, the king told his
soldiers to catch all the Wind Fairies, and all the Snow Fairies, and
Jack Frost himself, and to lock them all up in prison.

And did the soldiers do it? _asks_ HELEN.

Yes, _answers_ GRANDMOTHER. They locked up all of them except one
little Wind Fairy, and he was so small and so quick, that they couldn't
catch him; and what do you suppose he did? He rattled the windows so
hard that the king couldn't sleep, and he blew so hard down the chimney
and through the cracks around the doors, that he blew out all the lights
in the king's house, and gave the king such a bad cold in his head,
that--

_Here Grandmother herself sneezes. And the Wind Fairies are heard
outside, like this_:

z--z--z z--z--z z--Z--Z--Z--z--z--z

How the wind does blow tonight, _says_ GRANDMOTHER. Children, it
seems to me very cold in this room. _She looks around to see what
makes it so chilly._ Why, bless me, _she says_, they have forgotten
to light the fire. _She rises, the children also, and they all go
toward the fire-place._ Frank, _says_ GRANDMOTHER, hand me the