w."

He examined them carefully and ejaculating, "Well, I never," tossed them
all into a leather wallet that he had brought with him.

Mrs Herzchen poured forth such a storm of abuse, that he threatened her
with an action for libel; but she literally turned him out of doors. Her
parting words were: "Get out! Go along and make a fool of yourself if
you like."

Some days afterwards, the man took his treasures to the office and gave
them up with a self-important flourish, only to be laughed at for his
pains. The cones were just common, ordinary fir cones, and the silver
fish had turned into little dead trout, smelling very unpleasant.

He chucked them all away in the street, and this was an episode in his
dignified career that he did not like to be reminded of.

* * * * *

Although Hansi's mother still always preferred useful things to artistic
and ornamental ones, still she realised that the useful and ornamental
may often be combined, and as she dearly loved her children, and saved
up money merely on their account, she determined that they should have a
merry Christmas every year, without any special help from the kind
little Heinzelmen.

And did Hansi give the cake to her dwarf friends as she had promised to
do? Why, of course, she did. The children went all together to the
forest on New Year's Eve, and found the actual spot where the tree had
stood. They placed a large piece of cake on the old stump. But they did
not see the Heinzelmen or even the squirrel, although they repeated
seven times seven is forty-nine in the hope of attracting them.

Now a dear little Heinzelman, whom I met out for a walk, told me this
story "himself"; but he vanished at this point, and so must I. I wish
Hansi and all her brothers and sisters a very merry Christmas, and so, I
am sure, do you.

THE ENGINEER AND THE DWARFS

A tunnel had been dug through a crag which had hitherto been considered
as a serious obstacle in the railway route; the light now shone through
at the farther end. There was a shout of joy from the tired workmen. The
air had been stifling in the tunnel; the work was hard and dangerous;
several men had been killed in detaching portions of rock that had been
loosened by dynamite. It was a great relief to have got through. Now
the walls would have to be made smooth with cement--indeed the men had
already begun this work at the other end--and the tunnel tested for
greater securi