tall house with the steps going up from the street, and there sitting
on the bottom step he saw a little boy with soft curling hair and a
beautiful face, leaning his head against the stone house, fast asleep.
Somehow as Jean looked at the sleeping face, his own heart grew still
and quiet and warm, and he felt like he could look at it forever, and
suddenly he caught himself singing softly under his breath, "Peace on
earth, good will to men." And then he looked down at the little boy's
feet and he saw that he was barefooted and his little feet were purple
with the cold. As Jean looked at the feet, and then at the face of the
child, and thought of the sweet song in his heart, he said, "Oh! I
wish I could give him my shoes, for I have stockings to keep me warm,
but auntie would be so mad! And the more he looked and thought, the
more he longed to give his shoes away, until all at once he said, "I
know what I'll do, I'll give him one shoe and one stocking and then he
won't be so cold," and he felt as though he couldn't get his shoe and
stocking off fast enough to give them to the little child. So gently
and tenderly he lifted the little cold foot in his hand to put on the
shoe that he did not waken the sleeping boy, even when he had put the
stocking on the other foot, and then as he stood up again and took a
last look at the lovely face, before he knew it he was singing aloud,
"Peace on earth, good will to men." Then he hopped off home in the
snow with the happiest heart he had ever had.

Now, I wish the story turned out differently and that his auntie said
when he told her about it, "I'm so glad you did it, Jean." But she was
so very cross, that she slapped Jean and sent him off to bed without
any supper, saying, "You had no right to give away that shoe and
stocking for my money paid for them!" Somehow Jean didn't mind doing
without supper that night and he soon went fast asleep and dreamed a
beautiful dream, for he thought he was still singing "Peace on earth,