Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/17

Rh brown-eyed beauty ; " she says I shall go with her into the hayloft to-night and give the brovvnie his Christmas porridge. But I vvon't go, I am afraid of the brownies!"

"Never mmd, my dear, Stine says it only to get rid of you; she dare not go into the hayloft herself, the foolish old thing, in the dark, for she knows well enough she was frightened once by the brownies herself," said Miss Mette; "but are you not going to say good evening to the lieutenant, children?"

"Oh, is that you, lieutenant?—I did not know you! How pale you are! It is such a long time since I saw you," shouted the children all at once as they flocked round me. "Now you must tell us something awful jolly! It is such a long time since you told us anything. Oh, tell us about Buttercup, dear Mr. Lieutenant, do tell us about Buttercup and Goldentooth!"

I had to tell them about Buttercup and the dog Goldentooth, but they would not let me off till I gave them a couple of stories into the bargain about the brownies at Vager and at Bure, who stole hay from each other and who met at last with a load of hay on their backs, and how they fought till they vanished in a cloud of hay-dust. I had also to tell the story of the brownie at Hesselberg, who teased the house dog till the farmer came out and threw him over the barn bridge. The children clapped their hands in great joyand laughed heartily.

"It served him right, the naughty brownie," they shouted, and asked for an other story.

"No, no, children] you bother the lieutenant too much," said Miss Cicely, "Aunt Mette will tell you a story now."

"Yes, do auntie, do!" was the general cry.

"I don't know exactly what I shall tell you," said Aunt Mette, "but since wc have commenced telling about the brownies, I think I will tell you something about them too. You remember