Just before Christmas day Santa Claus's sleigh was brought out into the
beautiful court I have described; eight lively young reindeer were
harnessed to it, and thousands of toys were packed in it; furs were
wrapped around Flaxie, who was now quite well, and Mrs. Christmas
herself made up a box of delicacies for her to eat on the way.
"Think of us often, dear child," she whispered, "and give my love to
_everybody_."
Then the dwarfs gave the sleigh a push from behind, the bells of the
harness rang out a merry peal, the reindeer pranced, Santa Claus snapped
his whip, and away they flew, with Boreas behind them on his snow-shoes.
"Now, Flaxie," said Santa Claus, after they had skimmed over the snow
with lightning speed for hours, "before you go to sleep, as I see you
are doing, I want to speak to you. I want you always to remember this
visit to my house with pleasure, and tell all the children you may meet
how much I love them, how much it pleases me to know that they are good,
and how it really distresses me when they are not; tell them, too, that
as long as Mrs. Christmas lives we will do all we can for their
happiness, and all we ask in return is a grateful spirit. Do you think
you can remember all this? Well, as you say you can, tell them also to
hang up an extra stocking, whenever there is room by the chimney, for
some little waif that hasn't a stocking to hang up for himself.
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