Show my 1 A r X rt ya IC I 1 HERB was once in a far ar away country few people have ever traveled e led a wonderful church it stood on a high hill in the midst of 0 a great city and every sunday and on sacred days like christinas inas thousands of 0 people climbed the hill bill to the church when you earn cam to the building itself you found stone columns and dark passageways eways and a grand entrance leading to the main room ot of the church this room was so long that one standing at the doorway could scarcely see the other end where the choir and the minister sat near the marble altar at the farthest corner was the organ which was so loud that when it began to play the people tar far oft could hear it the strangest thing about the whole building was the wonderful chime of 0 bells there stood at one corner ot of the church a gray stone tower with ivy growing over it as tar far as one could see it was so high that it was only in very fair weather that anyone claimed to see the top up and up climbed the stones and since the men who built the church had been dead for many hundreds of years everyone had forgotten how high the tower was supposed to be now all the wise people knew that at the top of the tower was a chime ot of christinas bells they had hung there ever since the church was finished and were the most beautiful bells in the world some thought it was because a great musician had cast them thena and arranged them in their place and others said it was because ot of the great height of 0 the tower reaching up to where the air was clear and pure however this may be no one who had bad heard the chimes denied that they were the sweetest in the world some 41 tt 4 4 laid hit his crown on the atar altar described them 11 ilka angels sounding far up in the sky but the fact was that no one had heard them ring tor for years and years there was an old man living not tar far from tho the church who said that his mother had spoken ot of hearing them when she was a little girl and he was the only one who could say as much as that they were christmas chimes you remember and were not meant to be played by men or on common occasions ca on christmas eve all ot of the people in the city brought their offerings to the church to otter offer to the christ child and when the greatest and best offering was laid on the altar there would come sounding through the music of 0 the choir the voices of the christmas chimes tar far up in the tower some said the wind rang them and others that they were so high angels angel a would I 1 set et them swinging but tor for many long rears ears as was said before they had never been heard the minister said that people had been growing less careful of 0 their gifts for the christ child or gave them rather to make a display tor for their own honor than tor for love of him so that no offering was brought good enough to deserve tho the music ot of tile tho chimes still every christmas eve the rich people of 0 the city crowded to the altar each one trying to give some gome better gift than anyone else and the church was filled with those who thought that perhaps tho the wonderful bells would ring again but although the music was sweet and nd the offerings were plenty only the roar of 0 the wind could be heard beard ar up in the old stone tower sow now a number ot of miles from tale city in a little village aln vh re nothing could bo be seen of 0 the preat great church save gave glimpses ot of the tower when the weather was fine lived a boy named pedro and his little brother they knew very little about the christmas chimes they had heard of the service in the church on christmas eve and had a secret plan that they had often talked over when by themselves tor for going to the beautiful celebration nobody can guess little brother pedro would say all the line fine things there are to see and hear in the church and have even heard it said that tho the christ child himself sometimes comes down to bless the meeting what if we could see him the day before christmas it was bitterly cold and a few lonesome snow flakes were flying in the air and there was a hard white crust on the ground sure enough pedro and little brother were able to slip quietly away early in the afternoon on their way to the celebration and although tho the walking was hard in the frosty air before nightfall they had trudged so far hand in hand that they saw the lights of 0 the big city just ahead ot of them indeed they were about to enter one of 0 the great gates in the war that hat surrounded it when they saw sav something dark on the snow near tb path and stepped aside to look at it etwas it was a poor woman who had fallen just outside ot oi the city too sick and tired and cold to get in where she might have found shelter the snow made a soft pillow for or her and she would soon be so sound round asleep in the winter air that no one could ever awaken her again all this pedro saw in a moment and he knelt down beside her and tried to rouse her he flo turned her face toward him so that he could rub some on it but ha soon sighed and said its no use little brother you will have to go on alone alone cried little brother and you will not see the christnia Christ nua mes festival no said pedro and he could not help a little choking sound of 0 dai bisp appointment in his throat sen see th poor woman she will freeze to death it if nobody cares tor for her you fou t cn bring someone to help her when hen you come back and I 1 can keep her alive you can easily find your way to the church and you must see and hear bear everything twice little brother once for you and once for me I 1 am sure the christ child must know how I 1 would love to come and worship him and oh it if you get a chance little brother slip up to the altar without getting in way and take this little silver piece of 0 mine and lay it down for my offering when no one la Is looking dont forget the place where you left me and hurry now so you wont 0 t be late he winked hard to keep back the tears as he heard the crunching footsteps ot of little brother sounding farther and farther away in the darkness it was also hard to lose the music and the splendor of the celebration that he had planned so long to lose the chance of offering his sliver silver piece that he had saved tor for the offering to the christ child and to spend the time instead in the lonesome snow outside the dreary walls but bat it nevor never occurred to him to leave the poor woman in the freezing cold the great church was truly a wonderful place that night every one said that it had never looked so bright and beautiful before when the organ played and the thotis thousands ands of people sang the hymns the walls shook with the sound and little pedro outside the walls ot of the city felt the earth tremble all around him at last came the procession to bear the offerings to the altar when great and rich men and women marched up to lay down their gifts to the christ child S some ome brought wonderful jewels some baskets of 0 gold so heavy that they could scarcely carry them theia down the aisle A great writer laid down a book that he had bad been making for years and last of 0 all walked the kingoff kinf cot the country hoping tu t win tor for himself the chimes ot of the christmas bells there was a great murmur through the chuch ahm A aa the people saw the king take from his aca acas tia royal crown all set with and ana orno ro r re o clous cious stones stone sand and laid it gleaming on the altar as his offering to the holy child r surely said every one we shall hear the bells now tor for nothing like this has hag ever been offered before and they all stood still to listen but bui only the cold cold wind was heard in the stone tower and the people shook their heads some ot of them saying as they had done before that they really never believed the story ot of the chimes anyway the procession was over imd and the gifts were all on the altar the choir had begun the closing hymn suddenly the organist stopped playing and every on ono looked at the minister who was standing in his place holding up his hand tor for silence not a sound could be ba heard from anyone in the church while all the people strained their ears to listen there came softly but distinctly swinging through the air tho the sound ot of the bells sn in the tower so tar far away and yet so clear seemed the music so much sweeter wore were the notes than had been heard before that the people in the tha church sat tor for a moment as still as though something held each ot of them by the shoulders then they all stood up together and stared straight at the tha altar to see what great gift had awakened tho the long silent bells but all that the nearest of them saw was the childish figure of little brother who had crept softly down the aisle when no one was looking and had laid Ped ralli little kocg of sil U TW on OIX the altar |