A moment more and the little girl, standing on tiptoe, had reached the windowsill and placed the shoe upon it, and was back again in the house beside Granny and the warm fire.

The two went quietly to bed, and that night as little Gretchen knelt to pray to the Heavenly Father, she thanked him for having sent the Christ-Child into the world to teach all mankind how to be loving and unselfish, and in a few moments she was quietly sleeping, dreaming of the Christmas angels.

The next morning, very early, even before the sun was up, little Gretchen was awakened by the sound of sweet music coming from the village.  She listened for a moment and then she knew that the choir-boys were singing the Christmas carols in the open air of the village street.  She sprang up out of bed and began to dress herself as quickly as possible, singing as she dressed.  While Granny was slowly putting on her clothes, little Gretchen, having finished dressing herself, unfastened the door and hurried out to see what the Christmas angels had left in the old wooden shoe.

The white snow covered everything—­trees, stumps, roads, and pastures—­until the whole world looked like fairyland.  Gretchen climbed up on a large stone which was beneath the window and carefully lifted down the wooden shoe.  The snow tumbled off of it in a shower over the little girl’s hands, but she did not heed that; she ran hurriedly back into the house, putting her hand into the toe of the shoe as she ran.

“Oh, Granny!  Oh, Granny!” she exclaimed, “you didn’t believe the Christmas angels would think about us, but see, they have, they have!  Here is a dear little bird nestled down in the toe of your shoe!  Oh, isn’t he beautiful?”

Granny came forward and looked at what the child was holding lovingly in her hand.  There she saw a tiny chick-a-dee, whose wing was evidently broken by the rough and boisterous winds of the night before, and who had taken shelter in the safe, dry toe of the old wooden shoe.  She gently took the little bird out of Gretchen’s hands, and skilfully bound his broken wing to his side, so that he need not hurt himself by trying to fly with it.  Then she showed Gretchen how to make a nice warm nest for the little stranger, close beside the fire, and when their breakfast was ready she let Gretchen feed the little bird with a few moist crumbs.

Later in the day Gretchen carried the fresh, green boughs to the old sick man by the mill, and on her way home stopped to see and enjoy the Christmas toys of some other children whom she knew, never once wishing that they were hers.  When she reached home she found that the little bird had gone to sleep.  Soon, however, he opened his eyes and stretched his head up, saying just as plain as a bird could say, “Now, my new friends, I want you to give me something more to eat.”  Gretchen gladly fed him again, and then, holding him in her lap, she softly and gently stroked his gray feathers until the little creature seemed to lose all fear of her.  That evening Granny taught her a Christmas hymn and told her another beautiful Christmas story.  Then Gretchen made up a funny little story to tell to the birdie.  He winked his eyes and turned his head from side to side in such a droll fashion that Gretchen laughed until the tears came.