hanging from the mantel above the fireplace. All he could see were four
long black things, so Johnny Cricket climbed up the bricks at the side
of the fireplace until he came to the mantel shelf, then he ran along
the shelf and looked over. The black things were stockings.

Johnny began to wish that he had stopped to put on his stockings, for he
was in his bare feet. He had removed his little red topped boots when
he decided to climb up the side of the fireplace and now his feet were
cold.

So Johnny started to climb over the mantel shelf and down the side of
the fireplace when there came a puff of wind down the chimney which made
the stockings swing away out into the room, and snowflakes fluttered
clear across the room.

There was a tiny tinkle from a bell and, just as Johnny hopped behind
the clock, he saw a boot stick out of the fireplace.

Then Johnny Cricket's little bug heart went pitty-pat, and sounded as if
it would run a race with the ticking of the clock.

From his hiding place, Johnny Cricket heard one or two chuckles, and
something rattle. Johnny crept along the edge of the clock and holding
the two feelers over his back looked from his hiding place....

At first all he could see were two hands filling the stockings with
rattly things, but when the hands went down below the mantel for more
rattly things, Johnny Cricket saw a big round smiling face all fringed
with snow-white whiskers.