THE
CHRISTMAS DREAM
OF
LITTLE CHARLES.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY J. S. REDFIELD
CLINTON HALL
THE CHRISTMAS DREAM
OF LITTLE CHARLES.
One Christmas eve, little Charles Estabrook hung hisstocking carefully by the chimney corner, and, after sayinghis prayers, got into bed, and soon fell asleep. Charles wasa good little boy; he was fond of horses, and took pleasurein feeding them and attending to their wants. On the dayprevious, a traveller came along; his horse was thirsty; solittle Charles got a pail, filled it withwater, and gave thehorse to drink, for which the traveller rewarded him bygiving him a shilling.
But, although so fond of horses, little Charles was notunmindful of the claims of his sister Lizzy, as she wasfamiliarly called, and, in pleasant weather, would go out towalk with her. In the engraving opposite, they are on theirway to school together, and have stopped that he may tie hershoe, which has become unfastened.
Charles dreamed that he was in bed, peeping at his stocking,over the bed-clothes, when he saw a very pleasant-lookingold gentleman come down the chimney, on a nice little pony,precisely like the one named Lightfoot, that his Uncle Benhad promised to give him. It was funny, indeed, to see thepony slide down feet foremost, and Charles could not helplaughing; but he laughed still louder, when he examined OldNicholas the rider. His hair was made of crackers, and as hecame nearer and nearer to the lamp, that stood on thehearth, pop went off one of the crackers, then another, andthen another. But St. Nicholas was not a bit frightened; heonly rubbed his ears with his coat-sleeve, patted the ponyto keep him quiet, and laughed till he showed the concave ofhis great mouth, full of sugar-plums.
Charles was excessively delighted, and shouted so loud thathis mother thought he had the nightmare. He watched the oldgentleman closely, and then looked at his stocking. It hungvery conveniently. “He can’t put the pony in it,” said he tohimself; “that’s a pity.”