Among the high and stately trees in the forest, there grew a spruce-tree that was no taller than a man, and when a spruce-tree is no taller than that, it looks very small indeed.

But the other trees round about were so large and spread their branches out so far on all sides that the little spruce could not have grown taller even if she had chosen.

Although she was little, she both heard and saw and listened gladly to the conversation of the other trees, which was very learned and also depressing for the little bush, which could never become great.

“I am the glory of the forest,” said the haughty oak ; ” look at my mighty trunk and my powerful branches, how they reach up towards heaven ! The little worms bite off my buds and think thereby to hinder my growth, but what impression can the insects make on my strength and hardiness ! I will upward, and upward I go, because it is my destiny to do so. I furnish planks for men, from which they build their ships, and then I defy the

storms on the ocean as I did the thunder in the forest before.”

” And I follow you on the foaming waves,” said the tall, graceful pine, and waved her proud crown. ” When the ships fly over the billows, I uphold the flapping sails ; without masts the fleets would be helplessly lost among the foaming breakers. Yes, my calling is a high one,” she ended.

“And we warm the dwellings of mankind when Winter comes hither from his summer palace at the North Pole,” said the white-stemmed birch, and smilingly shook her fine, delicate branches ; ” and in summer men throw themselves gladly at my feet and enjoy the shade and fragrance which my luxurious branches spread around them.”

” I flatter myself that I perform the same service to man that you do,” said a tall fir-tree, and grace- fully drooped her lovely branches towards the ground on which she had cast down many smooth, shining cones, which looked so beautiful on the new-fallen, white snow carpet, which Winter had spread there.

And so the wind sighed through the forest, which nodded to him, for he was a friend of their childhood, and gladly seen by the trees, although he sometimes caught them so quickly in his arms that he threw them down.

” That boy, that boy ! ” said those that would remain standing, ” he is always so wild ; but one

can afford to excuse him on account of his youth,” and so they continued to nod to him.

But the little spruce had heard how the other trees talked about their high destination, and so she thought : ” What destination have I, then ? ” But however much she thought about the thing, she never arrived at a clear understanding of it, and so she decided to ask the great trees about it.

So she questioned the oak, the pine and the fir, but they all bore their heads so high that they did not hear what the little one said. Only the birch took up her question.

” You have no vocation,” said the birch, ” be- cause you can never grow large enough ; you can only be a Christmas-tree,” added she.

can afford to excuse him on account of his youth,” and so they continued to nod to him.

But the little spruce had heard how the other trees talked about their high destination, and so she thought : ” What destination have I, then ? ” But however much she thought about the thing, she never arrived at a clear understanding of it, and so she decided to ask the great trees about it.

So she questioned the oak, the pine and the fir, but they all bore their heads so high that they did not hear what the little one said. Only the birch took up her question.

” You have no vocation,” said the birch, ” be- cause you can never grow large enough ; you can only be a Christmas-tree,” added she.

” And what is a Christmas-tree ? ” continued the little bush.

” That I cannot exactly say,” replied the birch, ” but sometimes when the days are the shortest, people come out here into the forest and when they see a spruce that is not of any use, they say, ‘ That will do for a Christmas spruce.’ Then they chop down the bush and carry it away from the forest. What they afterwards do with it, I cannot tell ; very likely throw it away, because it could not be used for anything.” And the little spruce bush asked the hares that hopped past, and the owls that sat in the pines, and the squirrels that came to carry away the fir cones, but no one could say

more than the birch ; no one knew what vocation a Christmas spruce-tree had.

Then the little spruce bush wept because it had no calling, and could not be of any use in the world. And the tears hardened into clear, trans- lucent drops, but we call them gum.

Then there came a boy into the forest with an axe in his hands, and when he saw the spruce-tree, he said :

” Perhaps that will do for a Christmas-tree.” He chopped it down, laid it on a sled and dragged

it home.

The boy, however, put a wooden foot under

the spruce-tree arid sold it and it was taken into a large handsome room and dressed up with fine paper and small colored candles ; candies and packages were tied on the branches, so the little tree became perfectly confused with the many new things she saw.

But along towards evening the spruce was put into a large room, all by itself. Here everything was silent and still, and the little tree, who stood there in the darkness, began again to think gloomy thoughts.

But presently the door opened, and a lady came in and lighted the candles. How light and glow- ing it was within then ! The little tree had never been able to think of anything so beautiful. From an adjoining room came the sound of clear, child-

ish voices, singing a beautiful Christmas song. They sang :

” Upon this day is born a child,
So was God’s plan and pleasure :

Its mother was a Virgin mild ;
Christ, Son of God, our Treasure.”

So ran the Christmas psalm, and the little spruce- tree stood spell-bound and listened. But the doors flew open, and a crowd of merry children rushed in.

” Oh ! how pretty, how fine ! ” cried the troop of young creatures, and danced in a ring around the tree, while the father played on a violin and the tiniest child sat nodding and cooing in its mother’s arms.

” Ah ! now I know what I was made for,” thought the little tree. ” I was intended to give joy to the little ones, because I myself am so small and humble.”