Claus used to be consuming his dinner in the future while he heard a timid knock on his door. “Come in! ” he referred to as. not anyone entered, yet after a pause got here one other rapping. Claus jumped up and threw open the door. sooner than him stood a small woman keeping a smaller brother quickly by means of the hand. “Is you Tlaus? ” she requested, shyly. “Indeed i'm, my expensive! ” he responded, with fun, as he stuck either young ones in his hands and kissed them. “You are very welcome, and you've got come simply in time to proportion my dinner. ” He took them to the desk and fed them with clean milk and nut-cakes. after they had eaten adequate he requested: “Why have you ever made this lengthy trip to work out me? ” “I wishes a tat! ” responded little Mayrie; and her brother, who had now not but realized to talk many phrases, nodded his head and exclaimed like an echo: “Tat! ” “Oh, you will want my toy cats, do you? ” again Claus, enormously happy to find that his creations have been so well liked by little ones. The little viewers nodded eagerly. “Unfortunately,” he endured, “I have yet one cat now prepared, for I carried to kids within the city the day past. And the single i've got can be given in your brother, Mayrie, simply because he's the smaller; and the following one I make will probably be for you. ” The boy’s face used to be brilliant with smiles as he took the valuable toy Claus held out to him; yet little Mayrie coated her face together with her arm and started to sob grievously. “I—I—I desires a t—t—tat now! ” she wailed. Her unhappiness made Claus suppose depressing for a second. Then he without notice remembered Shiegra. “Don’t cry, darling! ” he acknowledged, soothingly; “I have a toy a lot nicer than a cat, and also you shall have that. ” He went to the cabinet and drew out clone of the lioness, which he put on the desk ahead of Mayrie. the lady raised her arm and gave one look on the fierce the teeth and evident eyes of the beast, after which, uttering a terrified scream, she rushed from the home. The boy her, additionally screaming lustily, or even losing his beneficial cat in his worry. For a second Claus stood immobile, being wondered and astonished. Then he threw Shiegra’s photo into the cabinet and ran after the kids, calling to them to not be anxious. Little Mayrie stopped in her flight and her brother clung to her skirt; yet they either forged frightened glances on the condo until eventually Claus had guaranteed them again and again that the beast have been locked within the cabinet. “Yet why have been you anxious at seeing it? ” he requested. “It is just a toy to play with! ” “It’s undesirable! ” stated Mayrie, decidedly, “an’—an’—just horrid, an’ now not a section great, like tats! ” “Perhaps you're right,” lower back Claus, thoughtfully. “But if you happen to will go back with me to the home i'm going to quickly make you a fine looking cat. ” in order that they timidly entered the home back, having religion of their friend’s phrases; and in a while they'd the enjoyment of observing Claus carve out a cat from a bit wooden and paint it in normal shades. It didn't take him lengthy to do that, for he had develop into skillful along with his knife through this time, and Mayrie enjoyed her toy the extra dearly simply because she had visible it made.