“And the dear little Gretchen?” said St. Nicholas, patting the baby’s golden curls.
They all smiled, and the mother said, “The dear little Gretchen is always sweet and good.”
“Well, well, I shall certainly bring many beautiful gifts to this house,” said St. Nicholas.
“And don’t forget little Betty,” said Aunt Hilda.
So the good Saint took the oats, the rye and the apple, the lumps of sugar, and the bit of brown bread out of the sugar shoes and went out into the night. I suppose he gave them to his horse.
“St. Nicholas has eyes like Uncle Max,” said Thekla.
“He smiled like Uncle Max, too,” said her brother.
St. Nicholas kept his word. On Christmas Eve there was a Christmas tree in the parlor. On it there were many beautiful gifts, and little Betty was not forgotten.
The next night the children hung gifts on the same tree for father, mother, Uncle Max, Aunt Hilda, and the dear Grandfather.