To that group, bound together by a mutual sympathy in each other's joys and fleeting sorrows, it may not be uninteresting to recall the days of "Auld Lang Syne." The scene will be a chequered one, for amid the frolic and sunshine, some tears will have been shed; while with hours of hard and thoughtful study, the bitterness of failure will sometimes appear.
But the bright and beautiful so far prevail over the rest, that such only need be recalled; and while enjoying those sweet remembrances, let us be merry and glad together. With truth and goodness as our constant aim, let us strive to make daily progress in the school of life, and though we may be separated on Earth, we may hope for a blissful reunion in Heaven.
CONTENTS.
| Preface, | [5] |
| A Letter from Santa Claus, | [9] |
| Rigolette, | [14] |
| A Story for Minna, | [19] |
| A Story for Nellie and Molly, | [21] |
| The School-Teacher's Song, | [24] |
| Letter from the West, | [26] |
| A Sketch for the Members of the "Sunbeam Society," | [31] |
| Scraps about Dogs, | [34] |
| A Letter from a little Girl to a Sick Schoolmate, | [39] |
| Who is my Neighbour? | [46] |
| A Few Rhymes for Dan, | [51] |
| A Story for Little Emma, | [53] |
| A Story told under the Great Elm Tree, | [55] |
| A Letter, | [60] |
| A Conversation on Fairs, | [65] |
| A True Sketch for the Two Sisters, | [68] |
| Scraps from a Journal, picked up in a gale of Wind, | [71] |
| An Incident, | [76] |
| A Story for Willie, | [78] |
| A Letter, | [81] |
| A Parody on the Mower's Song, | [87] |
| A Few Rhymes for "Charlie Boy," | [89] |
| A Story for Lizzie, | [91] |
| The German Musicians, | [94] |
| Letter from a Little Girl to an Absent Schoolmate, | [102] |
| An Account of a Sea-Shore Visit, | [107] |
| A Tribute to the Memory of a Sunday-School Scholar, | [113] |
| A Simple Story for Georgy, | [118] |
| A Story for Sweet Little Fanny, | [121] |
| Sketches from a Fireside Journal, | [124] |
| Unda, or the Fountain Fairy, | [128] |
Leaves for a Christmas Bough.
A LETTER FROM SANTA CLAUS,
FOR CHRISTMAS, 1849.
My dear Children:
As I have always been in the habit of meeting with you on this Anniversary, and as I cannot expect to see you all together this year, for the sake of old times I am going to write you a letter. Perhaps you are not aware that I have been a silent spectator of your daily occupations, but so it is.
I generally take a nap from one year to another, so after our glorious celebration at the "Bee-Hive," I packed myself away in the stove-pipe for that purpose; but the hum of merry voices kept me awake, and thus I lay and listened to what was going on. The fairies, in whom you perhaps all believe, have also been quite numerous in your vicinity, and from my relationship to them, I have often heard of your excursions over hill and dale, and the many gay times you have enjoyed together.
I travel over many regions at this season of the year, and in order to accomplish all I wish, in my endeavors to please the young folks, I shall begin my preparations a little earlier than usual, so you need not wonder if I visit some of you a little before Christmas and New Year, with one of my gifts. This will consist of a few of the simplest little sketches, letters, and reminiscenses of the various occurrences in which you have participated, and I hope the contents of this "Christmas Bough" will give you as much satisfaction as those of by-gone seasons, when the festive pine-tree erected to my honor has been loaded with gay and glittering gifts.