his nose and mouth appear. He speaks more briskly: It feels as though there were something hot in there. Do you suppose those stupid people in the house down below have forgotten all about Santa Claus, and are lighting the fire on the hearth? I believe they are. I wish you'd just climb up on my shoulder, and shout down to them to stop. Do: there's a good fellow.

JACK FROST climbs up, puts his head over the chimney, then draws back coughing. Fire? cries he. I should say there was, and smoke, too; enough to choke a locomotive. He cautiously peers down. Hello there, you people, put that fire out. Do you hear? Put it out. Santa Claus is coming. Do you hear what I say? SANTA CLAUS IS COMING. Put out that fire.

There is a pause; then a hissing sound, loud at first, then dying away, like this:

S—S—S—s—s—s—s—s—s

There! says JACK FROST, they've thrown a pitcherful of water on it. He climbs down from the chimney.

THE CHIMNEY, who has now grown sleepy again, says to him, in a voice that grows fainter and fainter: Thank you, my dear fellow: you—real—ly (Here one eye closes) are—ver—y—ki—And he never finishes the sentence, for the other eye closes, and the nose and mouth "go out" at the same moment.

Asleep again, I declare, says JACK FROST, with disgust. Well, now for the Snow Fairies.

He walks to the edge of the roof at one side, and blows a shrill blast on a whistle. Almost at once snow begins to fall from the sky, slowly at first, then more and more. Jack Frost looks up at it and nods his head approvingly. When it is snowing very hard, in come on tip-toe, very softly, the Snow Fairies, dressed in snowy white, with white hoods and muffs. Some of them quietly spread snow on the boughs of the trees, taking it out of their muffs; others hang flakes on the Chimney, in such a way as to make eyebrows, mustache, and beard for the face. But this doesn't show at first, because the Chimney is still asleep. Then the Fairies, standing in front of the Chimney, so that they hide it, sing their song, which is called

THE CHIMNEY, who is still hidden behind the Snow Fairies, wakes up while they are singing the last line, and calls out: What's this, I'd like to know? Who's been decorating my face?

The Snow Fairies stand back on either side, so that his face can now be seen, with its white eyebrows and mustache and beard, all made of snow-flakes; and he goes on talking in a jolly voice: Oh, you sly ones, you are at your old tricks. Well, well, I'm really glad to see you. It seems like old times to have snow at Christmas. Now don't mind me; go on with your work; cover me up with your snowflakes as much as you choose—eyes, nose, mouth, and all; I don't mind it a bit.

So the Snow Fairies, moving softly about, hang more snow-flakes on the chimney, even over his eyes and nose and mouth, which show dimly through the snow. His eyes blink now and then.

And now, sleigh-bells are heard in the distance.

Hark! cries JACK FROST.

They all listen: the bells are still heard, a little nearer.

Then JACK FROST continues: There comes