that which grows near the ground and 

 within reach of their tongues is fur- 

 nished with spiky leaves, while the up- 

 per ones, being well out of their reach, 

 are smooth." 



"I think you must have grown on a 

 lower limb," said Mabel, as she exam- 

 ined her sprig of Holly. How pretty 

 you will look on the pudding tomor- 

 row! Tell me, will you be afraid when 

 you see the fire?" 



''By no means ; I know full well that 

 it is only the brandy which burns. I'll 

 be safe upon the top of the pudding. Do 

 you know I've often heard of this cus- 

 tom and wished that I might one day 

 be chosen for the honored place. That 

 is the reason I pricked your fingers ; I 

 wanted you to notice me." 



''How lovely a tree of vou must 

 look!" 



"It does look fine, but to see it at its 

 greatest advantage you should look upon 

 it when the ground is covered with 

 snow which glistens and sparkles in the 

 sunlight as if strewn with diamonds, 

 while the gaunt and naked branches of 

 the other trees form a striking con- 

 trast. 



"We, as well as the mistletoe, have 

 always been connected with the blazing 

 yule-log and Christmas cheer of old 

 England." 



"Yes, I've seen the mistletoe of Druid 

 lore; but it is not nearly as pretty as 

 you are." 



"Our scarlet berries are the great 

 source of our beauty. We are of an'cient 

 lineage, for fossil remains of us have 

 been found in the tertiary rocks. There 

 are only two branches of our family — 

 the American, and the European — but 

 these have many species. In Europe 

 there are one hundred and seventy-five 

 varieties, North America has fourteen 



species, while South America is rich in 

 them. 



"We're a slow-growing tree, and nev- 

 er reach a great height. Our wood is 

 hard, white, .of fine grain and very valu- 

 able ; it is very pretty when made into 

 worktables and boxes, and is sometimes 

 used for cradles and cabinets. It is said 

 the cradle of Prince Arthur, the elder 

 brother of Henry VIII, and the first 

 husband of Queen Catherine of Arra- 

 gon, was made of Holly wood. The 

 panels of this cradle were painted with 

 incidents from the legendary life of 

 King Arthur and his Knights of the 

 Round Table." 



"How unique that would be. I think 

 I hear mother's footsteps. Yes, here 

 she is." 



"Well, Mabel, we're back; we were 

 much longer than I expected for the 

 stores were filled. Have you been 

 lonely?" 



"No, mother, dear, I've been listening 

 to the Holly talk, and mother, I can un- 

 derstand now what was meant when 

 sometime ago you quoted these words. 

 'Trees have voices of different tones, 

 and quick, trained ears know these tones 

 though it is only the hearing heart that 

 can understand what the trees say.' " 



"Yes, Mabel, and I've been told that 

 those who make a study of trees, not 

 only know these tones, but their ears 

 are so attuned to the hidden voices of 

 Nature that, in passing through a wood 

 at night, they can tell under what kind 

 of tree they are standing by the whisper- 

 ing of the leaves. Truly, Mabel, this 

 world of ours is both beautiful and won- 

 derful." 



"It is indeed, mother ; how much so, 



I never fully realized until I carried 



with me the 'ears of imagination.' Good 



night, Holly, and a Merry Christmas." 



Evelyn Singer. 



»io 



