Mr. and Mrs. Payson had three little children, who were very dear to them, and whom they amused and instructed in many pleasant ways.

One Spring, just as the leaves were bursting open and the birds were filling the air with gay songs, Mr. Payson told the children he had bought a home for them in the country.

This pleased the little ones, and they talked from morning till night about what they would do in their new home.

In the pretty country they watched the birds building their nests, and saw them feeding their young and teaching them to fly; and then they saw them in great cawing, twittering, fluttering swarms moving off to warmer lands when the yellow Autumn leaves began to fall.

But when the Winter winds sung through the old pine trees, the children began to talk about Christmas.

"I wonder if Santa Claus will come away out here, with his great pack of toys," said Rebecca one day. "I am afraid he will forget us, he has so many children to remember."

"He may perhaps forget us," said Joshua; "for cousin Nelly says that he, one time, forgot to put any thing in her stocking, although she hung it where he could find it."

"But," said Rebecca, "Nelly said it was a very stormy night, and they lived on a hill, and the wind blew so hard they were afraid it would blow the house down. And I think Santa Claus was afraid the wind would upset his pack of toys if he went up on aunt Judd's roof."

"I think," said Joshua, "we had better send Santa Claus a letter, telling him that we have moved from town out into this pretty pine grove, then he will know where to find us."

"That will be a good way," said Rebecca; "for I remember when Mrs. White, who lives in our house in town, was here last week, she told mamma that many persons had called there since we left, and asked for Mr. Payson. Now, if the people do not know that we have moved away, Santa Claus may not; so he may go there and slide down the chimney, and, without asking any thing about it, put all the nice things, which he has in his pack for us, in Tommy and Jenny White's stockings."

"I will write to Santa Claus," said Joshua, "as soon as I can find time."

Joshua said this in rather of a large way, for he wished to talk like a man of business.

"I will run and get your slate now," said Rebecca; and she soon came with the slate and pencil.

They all sat down and Joshua took the pencil to write; but he found he could not do much, as his mamma was not there to spell the words for him.

"Let us ask papa to send word to Santa Claus," said Rebecca.

"And let us ask Mrs. White," said Newton, "to watch, and, when Santa Claus comes to her house, tell him where we live."

"But Mrs. White might watch all night, and then not see him," said Rebecca; "for I think Santa Claus never makes any noise till he is just going out of sight; then his eight tiny reindeers jingle their bells as they scamper away with the sleigh full of toys."

Mrs. Payson came into the nursery, and the children told her what they had been saying.

"Santa Claus shall be told where to find you," said Mrs. Payson, "and you will have a happy Christmas if you are happy in your own hearts. You shall have a Christmas tree, and we will invite some friends to come and enjoy its fruits with us. But I wish you to remember, my darlings, if you have naughty thoughts you can not have a happy Christmas."

"But if some naughty thoughts come, what can we do?" asked Rebecca.

"Try to think about something good and pleasant," said Mrs. Payson, "and ask God to help you. Yesterday, when I heard Joshua telling Newton, in an angry way, that he hoped Santa Claus would not bring him any thing, I thought my dear boy's thinker was wrong."

"I know, mamma," said Joshua, "that I wish to be good. But, if God lets me be naughty, what good does it do to ask him to help me?"

"God will help you if you ask him in the right way, and if you watch yourselves," said Mrs. Payson. "If we wished to be happy ourselves we must do something to make others so; and even little children can do much good if they try."

"When we are trying to make others happy," said Joshua, "we shall have good thoughts."

"A little verse which you repeat," said Mrs. Payson, "says truly that

Now I wish to hear what you, my children, have to do before Christmas."

"We must get our gifts ready for the tree," said Rebecca.

"And we must learn our lessons, every day," said Joshua.

"And I must learn all my letters, so papa will give me a rocking-horse," said little Newton.

"That is all right," said Mrs. Payson; "but have you not something more to do?"

"O, yes!" said Joshua, "we are to ride to town and invite our visitors to come and have a nice time with us in the holidays."

"But, are there not others whom you can help to be happy and good?" asked Mrs. Payson; "those whom we always have with us?"

"I don't know," said Joshua, "as there are any persons that are always with us. Bridget has been here only a few months, and she says she must go away after New-Year; so you do not mean her. And John will leave next Spring; so you can not mean him."

"When you were learning your Sunday school lesson a few weeks since," said Mrs. Payson, "I heard you repeating these words of Christ, 'Ye have the poor with you always; and whensoever ye will ye may do them good.'"

"O, yes, mamma, I did not think of that," said Joshua. "But, there are so many poor people, how can we do them good?"

"We can do our little," said Mrs. Payson, "and if we only make one sad heart glad we have done a good deed, and we shall be better and happier ourselves while we are helping others."

"When Mrs. Blake comes here to see you, mamma," said Rebecca, "she talks about poor people, and how much she does for them. But Mrs. Blake does not seem to be happy; and she says there is no use in helping the poor, for if one begins there is no end."

"Mrs. Blake," said Mrs. Payson, "has not a pleasant way of talking; but I think she enjoys doing good to others in her own cross way. Yet, if we would be happy ourselves in making others happy, we must love to do it. If you should give little Harry Grant a pair of mittens because I told you to do so, while you were fretting because you wished to keep them yourself, you would be neither better nor happier for doing it; and you would not speak gently and kindly to the poor little fellow, and so make his face and your own bright by pleasant words. Mrs. Blake spends much time and money in helping poor people; but she forgets that she should

"I have some toys, mamma," said Rebecca, "that I can give to Mrs. Grant's lame Harry; I am sure they will make his little pale face smile."

"And I should like to give Willie a pair of shoes," said Joshua; "for his are very ragged."

"Shall I give him my sled, mamma?" asked Newton.

Now Newton thought more of his sled than he did of any other plaything. It was painted green and yellow, and had a bright colored strap which he called the reins. The runners were very smooth, and he expected to have a gay time with it all Winter. So, when Newton asked about giving his sled, he knew he was giving what he liked best.

"No, my darling," said Mrs. Payson; "keep your sled. But, we will see what we all can do for Mrs. Grant and her children, by the time Christmas comes. She is a good woman, and we can do much to make her happy while her husband is gone to the war.

"Then there is Mrs. Fisher, who lives near town; can we do something for her?" asked Mrs. Payson.

"Mr. Fisher gets drunk," said Joshua; "and Mrs. Blake says it does no good to try to help them, for he sells things that are given to his wife to buy whisky."

"But shall we leave poor Mrs. Fisher to suffer?" said Mrs. Payson. "Shall we try to do nothing for her and her dear children? They are often cold for want of clothes and a fire. They are often hungry, because Mr. Fisher gets drunk, and is unkind to them.

"With so many good things around us, shall we not try to help the little hungry children who have an unkind father?"

"O, yes, mamma!" said all the children at once.

"May I give something to Martha Kelly," asked Rebecca, "who says she never has any presents?"

"Poor little Martha is not much older than you are, my daughter," said Mrs. Payson; "yet she is obliged to work quite hard; for her mother is sick and her father is poor. But she has a sweet, smiling face, and she lives in a happier home than many children of rich parents."

"I know, mamma," said Joshua, "Martha always looks pleasant, even in a shabby dress."

"Mr. Kelly is a very kind and good man," said Mrs. Payson; "and I hope, before another Christmas, he will be able to give his family a better home.

"They look happy because they have good thoughts and try to do their duty. None can be happy, even in beautiful homes, unless their thoughts are right.

"I hope you will select a pleasant book for little Martha, my daughter, and I will send some articles to her mamma."

"It is now your bedtime, my darlings. To-morrow we will begin to prepare our Christmas gifts for the poor."

The children kneeled down and thanked God for being so good to them, and asked him to help them to be kind and obedient, and to speak the truth.

After they had said their prayers, Newton ran to his mamma and kneeled down again by her side, and said, "Will God please to help the hungry little children to smile, for Christ's sake?"