Once the teacher sent word to Mrs. Fischer that if she cared to have her
son learn to read she must supply him with a primer. Before doing as the
teacher had told her, Mrs. Fischer took up a primer belonging to one of the
other children, turned to a lesson well over in the book, and commanded
Edwin to read the paragraph to which she was pointing. Seeing that he was
unable to tell one letter from another, she shouted at him: "Ed, you
blockhead! there is no use for you to try to learn anything, and I will
never spend any money for books to help you to disgrace me any more." Then
so great was her cruelty that the child fell prostrate at her feet in a
swoon. But even this did not cause the heartless mother to be sorry for
what she was doing to her child. Almost before he had recovered from the
effects of this severe punishment, she ordered him, if he knew anything at
all, to tell her the time of day. When he could not do this, he was again
mistreated.

Shut away as he had been from the society of every one who could have
helped him, he was, of course, unable to unravel the untruth that had been
related to him about Blue Mountain; and when told that the time for St.
Nick to pay them another visit was drawing near, he looked upon the event
with increasing dread.

"No good thing, Ed, can you expect this year on Christmas eve," he heard
Elmer say a few days before that eventful night. "He never has remembered
you with any good, and I don't think he ever will."

Yes, Edwin knew all about the neglect. He remembered, too, that he had been
told that upon Christmas eve, instead of going to bed, he must sit before
the fireplace upon a certain chair in the sitting-room to await the arrival
of St. Nick. Perfect obedience being so impressed upon his mind, Edwin
obeyed, but imagined many things, one of which was that instant death would