f you do, I'm afraid you won't see Santa Claus to-night."

"We'll be very careful," said Jack. "Come along, Margaret," and he
took his little sister's hand and they started across the plank.

They had almost reached the middle of it when Jack looked down.

"Oh!" he said, and gave Margaret a pull.

She looked down too, and cried "Oh, Oh!" and down, down, down they
went.

Suddenly they landed with a thump. They sat up and rubbed their eyes.
There they were right in their own beds at home. Mother opened the
door.

"Are you awake, children?" she said.

"Oh, Mother, we haven't been asleep. We've been to Santa Claus Land,
and we nearly saw Santa Claus!"

Then they told her all about it, and Mother just smiled.

* * * * *

THE GREEDY BROWNIE

There was once a little Brownie who lived in a hollow tree stump. He
had been busy all the day playing pranks. His pranks had taken him
far away from home to the house of a very important laird. Into the
laird's cup of wine he had dropped some sour berries which he had
picked on his way. He also put thistles into his boots, so that when
the laird had drawn them on he had screamed out with pain.

The Brownie had been away all the day, so that when at last he turned
to go back to his home he felt really very tired. On his way back to
the wood he passed by a cozy-looking farmhouse. The door of the dairy
was open. The Brownie thought this would be a very nice cool place
in which to rest for a few moments. So he slipped into the dairy, and
curled himself up underneath the bench to have a nice little doze.

He was so weary that once he had fallen asleep he never woke up again
until it was quite dark, when he was disturbed by two lassies who had
come into the dairy.

One was carrying a candle in her hand, and by its light the pair
espied a big bowl of cream on the shelf. The naughty girls thought
that they would drink it for supper. They could only find one spoon
on the shelf, so they decided they would each have a spoonful in turn.
Lassie Jean took the bowl and carried it to a bench in the corner, and
Lassie Meg followed it with the candle. No sooner had the two girls
settled themselves than the Brownie, who was now wide awake, and who
was himself feeling that some supper might not be out of place, crept
up behind them and blew out the candle.

The lassies at first were very much concerned at being in the dark;
nevertheless they determin