Johnny drew back into the shadow of the clock, and stayed there until
the rattling had ceased and all had grown quiet, then he slipped from
behind the clock and climbed down the side of the fireplace as fast as
he could. Johnny Cricket was too cold to stop and put on his little red
boots, but scrambled through the crack in the fireplace and hopped into
bed. In the morning Mamma Cricket had a hard time getting Johnny Cricket
out of bed. He yawned and stretched, put on one stocking, rubbed his
eyes, yawned, put on another stocking and yawned again. Johnny was still
very sleepy and could hardly keep his eyes open as he reached for his
little red-topped boots.

Johnny's toe struck something hard, he yawned, rubbed his eyes and
looked into the boot. Yes, there was something in Johnny Cricket's boot!
He picked up the other boot; it, too, had something in it!

It was candy! With a loud cry for such a little Cricket, Johnny rushed
to the kitchen and showed Mamma, then he told her of his adventure of
the night before.

Mamma Cricket called Papa and they both had a laugh when Johnny told how
startled he had been at the old man with the white whiskers who filled
the stockings in front of the fireplace. "Why, Johnny!" said Mamma and
Papa Cricket. "Don't you know? That was Santa Claus. We have watched him
every Christmas in the last four years fill the stockings, and he saw
your little red topped boots and filled them with candy, too. If you
will crawl through the crack into the fireplace you will see the
children of the people who own this big house playing with all the
presents that Santa Claus left them!"

And, sure enough, it was so!