STORY-TELLING 



5577 



STORY-TELLING 



"Oh, if I were only as tall as the others !" 

 sighed the little Fir. "Then I would spread my 

 branches far around and look out from my crown 

 into the wide world. The birds would then build 

 nests in my boughs, and when the wind blew I 

 would nod grandly." 



It took no pleasure in the sunshine, in the 

 birds, or in the red clouds that went sailing over 

 it morning and evening. 



When it was winter, and the snow lay all 

 around, white and sparkling, a hare would often 

 come jumping along and spring right over the 

 little Fir Tree. Oh, that made him so angry ! 

 But two winters went by, and when the third 

 came, the little Tree had grown so tall that the 

 hare was obliged to run around it. 



"Oh, to grow, to grow, and become old ; that's 

 the only fine thing in the world," thought the 

 Tree. 



In the autumn the woodcutters always came 

 and felled a few of the largest trees ; that was 

 done this year too, and the little Fir Tree, that 

 was naw quite well grown, shuddered with fear, 

 for the stately trees fell to the ground with a 

 crash, and their branches were cut off, so that 

 the trees looked quite naked, long and slender, 

 and could hardly be recognized. Then they 

 were laid upon wagons, and the horses dragged 

 them away out of the wood. Where were they 

 going? What destiny awaited them? 



In the spring, when the Swallows and the 

 Stork came, the Tree asked them, "Do you know 

 where the big firs were taken? Did you meet 

 them?" 



The Swallows knew nothing about it, but the 

 Stork looked thoughtful, nodded his head and 

 said: 



. "Yes, I think so. I met many new ships when 

 I flew out of Egypt ; on the ships were tall 

 masts ; I fancy these were the trees. They smelt 

 like fir. I can assure you they're stately very 

 stately." 



"Oh, that I were big enough to go over the sea. 

 What kind of a thing is this sea, and how does 

 it look?" 



"It would take long to explain all that," said 

 the Stork, and he went away. 



"Rejoice in thy youth," said the Sunbeams; 

 "rejoice in thy fresh growth, and in the young 

 life that is within thee." 



And the Wind kissed the Tree, and the Dew 

 wept tears upon it ; but the Fir Tree did not 

 understand. 



When Christmas time approached, quite young 

 trees were felled, sometimes trees . which were 

 neither so old nor so large as this Fir Tree, that 

 never rested, but always wanted to go away. 

 These beautiful young trees kept all their 

 branches ; they were put upon wagons, and horses 

 dragged them away out of the wood. 



"Where are they all going?" asked the Fir 

 Tree. "They are not greater than I indeed, 

 one of them was much smaller. Why do they 

 keep all their branches? Whither are they 

 taken?" 



"We know that ! We know that !" chirped the 

 Sparrows. "Yonder in the town we looked in at 

 the windows. We know where the fir trees go. 

 We have looked in at the windows and have seen 

 that they are planted in the middle of a warm 



room and dressed up in the greatest splendor 

 with the most beautiful things gilt apples, 

 honey cakes, playthings, and many hundreds of 

 candles." 



"And then?" asked the Fir Tree, trembling 

 through all its branches. "And then? what hap- 

 pens then?" 



"Why, we have not seen anything more. But 

 it was wonderful !" 



"Perhaps I may be destined to this glorious end 

 one day !" cried the Fir Tree, rejoicing. 



"That is even better than traveling across the 

 sea. How I long for it ! If it were only Christ- 

 mas ! Now I am great and grown-up, like the 

 rest who were led away last year. Oh, if I were 

 only on the wagon ! If I were only in the warm 

 room amidst all the pomp and splendor ! And 



"YONDER IN THE TOWN WE LOOKED IN 



AT THE WINDOWS" 



then? Yes, then something even better will 

 come, something far more charming, else why 

 should they adorn me so? There must be some- 

 thing grander, something greater still to come ; 

 but what? Oh! I'm suffering, I'm longing! I 

 don't know myself what is the matter with me !" 



"Rejoice in us," said Air and Sunshine. "Re- 

 joice in thy fresh youth here in the woodland." 



The Fir Tree did not rejoice at all, but it grew 

 and grew ; winter and summer it stood there, 

 green, dark green. The people who saw it said, 

 "That's a handsome tree !" and at Christmas 

 time it was felled before any of the others. The 

 ax cut deep into its marrow, and the tree fell to 

 the ground with a sigh ; it felt a pain, a sensa- 

 tion of faintness, and could not think at all of 

 happiness, for it was sad at parting from its 

 home, from the place where it had grown up ; it 

 knew that it should never again see the dear old 

 companions, the little bushes and the flowers all 

 around, perhaps not even the birds. 



The Tree came to itself only when it was un- 

 loaded in a yard, with other trees, and heard a 

 man say : 



