1. mercy and her little sister watched at the window for a minute or two more, but the creature did not move.[pg 54]

2. and mercy cried out, "oh, i quite forgot! of course, the shed door is shut! father has put his tools there, his spade and rake.

3. "when brownie was sold the straw which was his bed was taken out, and some sacks of corn and barley were kept there instead.

4. "poor brownie! i dare say he wonders why his nice old house is shut up so that he cannot get in!"

5. "i will give him some bread from my breakfast in the morning, because it is christmas day," said little nelly. "he will like that, won't he?"

6. her sister made no answer, but, moving from the window, she took down from a peg her hat and thick jacket. she put them on.

7. "why, mercy!" said nelly, who looked with much surprise at what her sister was doing; "what are you doing? you cannot be going out now in the snow?"

8. "do not make a noise," said mercy. "you know that mother is not well, and[pg 55] perhaps she is just dropping off to sleep. i cannot bear to leave him freezing out there all night,—christmas eve and all!

9. "i could not creep under the warm blanket and forget him. no one will see him but us, for only our window[pg 56] looks this way. so i am just going to run out and get the shed open for him."

10. "oh, sister, you will be so cold! cannot you ask father to go?"

"oh, you heard him say that he had pains in all his bones. now be a good child, nelly, and get quick into bed. i shall soon be back."

11. with these words mercy tied on a great scarf which was once her father's round her neck, crept down stairs without making the least noise, and out at the back door.

12. once out of shelter of the house, it was, as she thought with a shiver, "a bitter night." the snow was no longer falling, but a keen wind swept over the white face of the earth and stirred up the snow.

13. it piled heaps of it up into strange shapes. the frost was so hard that the feet of the child did not sink into it as she ran along.

14. very soon she reached the shed, outside of which the donkey stood, a picture of patient despair. she plunged through[pg 57] a great heap of drifted snow and reached its side. she patted his rough coat.

15. "oh, brownie," she cried, "how cold you are! i must get this door open for you somehow." she pulled it, she jerked it, she kicked it, she shook down showers of snow on herself, and that was all.

16. it was in vain to try. it was frozen hard, and do what she would, she could not stir it an inch. it was hopeless. "oh, what can i do for you, brownie?" she thought, ready to cry with grief.

17. "i do so wish you were not so big, and i could take you up the stairs into our bed-room!" and mercy half laughed at the idea of taking the donkey to bed with her.

18. she gave one last, hard hit and a rattle at the unkind door. "i cannot get it open, brownie, and i must go home again. it will not do you any good if i stay out here with you."

19. slowly the child moved away. if it had seemed cold when she first came out, it seemed ten times colder now. and she[pg 58] saw the sad look which the poor beast cast after her when she left him. mercy could not forget it.

write: mercy went out into the cold that she might open the shed door. she wished to let the donkey in. but she could not open it.

questions: 1. what did mercy remember about the shed? 2. what did she put on? 3. where did she go? 4. what was the weather like outside the house? 5. what did she find on trying to open the shed door? 6. what was it that mercy could not forget?