It was terribly cold; it snowed and was almost dark on this, the last evening of the year. In the cold and darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, went along the streets.

When she left home, she had slippers on her feet; but what of that? The slippers had once been her mother's; they were far too large for the child.

So the little girl lost them as she sped across the street to get out of the way of two carts driving furiously along.

One slipper was not to be found again, and a boy had caught up the other and had run away with it. And the little girl had to walk with naked feet, which were red and blue with cold.

In a red apron she carried a lot of matches, and held a box of them in her hand.

No one had

bought anything of her the livelong day; no one had given her a penny.

Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along, poor little thing, a picture of misery. The snowflakes covered her beautiful fair hair, which fell in long tresses about her neck; but she did not think of that now.

Lights were shining in all the windows, and there was a tempting smell of roast goose, for it was New Year's Eve. Yes, she was thinking of that.

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In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond the other, she crouched down in a little heap. Although she had drawn her feet up under her, she became colder and colder.

She dared not go home, for she had not sold any matches, nor earned a single penny. She would certainly be beaten by her father; and it was cold at home, too. Above them they had only the roof through which the wind whistled, although the largest cracks had been stopped up with straw and rags.

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Her hands were almost numb with cold. little match might do her good. If she dared take

only one out of the box, strike it on the wall, and warm her fingers!

She took one out and lit it. How it sputtered and burned! It was a warm, bright flame, like a little candle, when she held her hand over it; it was a wonderful little light, and it really seemed to the child as though she were sitting in front of a great iron stove.

How the fire burned up, and how nicely it warmed her! The little girl was already stretching out her feet to warm those, too, when out went the little flame, the stove vanished, and she had only the end of a burnt match in her hand.

She struck a second match on the wall. It threw a light, and where this fell upon the wall the wall became transparent like a veil. She could see right into the room.

A white table-cloth was spread upon the table, which was decked with shining china dishes, and there was a glorious smell of roast goose stuffed with apples and dried plums. Just at that moment out went the match, and only the thick, damp, cold wall was left.

Then the little girl lighted another match; and at once she sat under the beautiful Christmas tree. It was much larger and better dressed than the one she had seen through the glass door at the rich merchant's house.

The green boughs were lit up with thousands of candles; and gayly painted figures, like those in the shop windows, looked down upon her. The little girl stretched out her hands towards them and out went the match!

The Christmas candles rose higher and higher till they were only the stars in the sky. One of them fell, leaving a long fiery trail behind it.

"Now some one is dying," thought the little girl; for she had been told by her grandmother, the only person she had ever loved, and who was now dead, that when a star falls a soul goes up to heaven.