* * * * *

That the King may have pleasant travel,
And no stone hurt his royal toe,
Her Majesty spreads all over the earth,
A carpet of downy snow.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Fine mirrors the King delights in: 
None are finer than Jack can make: 
And in matchless sheets of crystal clear
He lays them on river and lake.

* * * * *

The trees, all naked and drear,
He robes in the purest white,
And with icicles shining with rainbow hues,
He makes their branches bright.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

And for want of buds and blossoms
To strew in his Majesty’s way,
With magic flowers of his own device
He makes the windows gay.

* * * * *

These wonders wrought in a single night
May well excite surprise;
Amazed is the sun when he gets up at dawn,
And he stares with all his eyes.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Then out come all the boys and girls,
Jack’s handiwork to view,
And their noses and cheeks turn red with cold,
Some of them even turn blue.

* * * * *

They pelt each other with snow,
Roll it up in a mighty ball,
And shout and laugh and scamper about,
And heels over head they fall.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

They make a huge man of snow,
As grand as a Russian Czar,
A wooden sword in his hand, in his mouth,
A carrot to serve for cigar.

* * * * *

His eyes, his hair, and his beard,
They paint as black as my shoe
With burnt stick, but they spoil his nose,
For they stick it rather askew.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Then what do you think?  For a cockshot
They take him; they pelt him and hit;
They knock of the snowman’s ears and nose,
But he does not mind it a bit.

* * * * *

Hurrah! for the good thick ice. 
Oh! isn’t it jolly?  They slide,
They skate, and in sleighs so fine they go,
And swift as the wind they glide.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

King Winter laughs at the sport,
Cries “Bravo!” and claps his hands,
And calling in haste for his man, Jack Frost,
He gives him these commands: 

* * * * *

“Go see the papas and mammas,
And bring me word what they say: 
Have the children been good and well behaved,
Since last I came this way?”

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

The King trims Christmas trees,
To give to good girls and boys,
With tapers and trinkets of silver and gold,
And all sorts of dainties and toys.

* * * * *