“Then Tip and Twinkle and Tony
And Pete and Chipper and Chase
Hurried and scurried the whole day through,
Till they’d put the tree in place.
They trimmed it with moss and holly,
And odd little colored stones,
And seeds and chestnuts and apples,
And feathers and leaves and cones.
And icicles hung upon it,
And crystals of snow gleamed white;
And soon as the sun rose on it,
It sparkled and flamed with light.
Then two birds perched in the tree top,
And half a dozen elves
Climbed gayly into the branches
And safely hid themselves.
“And the little girl came to the window,
And wide her shutters flew.
She cried, ‘I dreamed of a Christmas tree,
And here is my dream come true!’”
Then the presents were taken from the Christmas tree and given round among the little girls and boys who were present.
Just as the last gift was handed down, the last candles went suddenly out, and, at the same time, clocks began to strike all over the house.
The Journeying Man picked up his stick. “Time to go to bed!” he cried.
Amos and Ann were astonished. “To bed?” they repeated, unbelieving. “To bed, in Zodiac Town?”
“No, in your own home,” replied J. M. “Come along, Amos and Ann!”