E-text prepared by David Edwards, Martin Pettit, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from digital material generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org/) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://www.archive.org/details/budgetofchristma00dick A BUDGET OF CHRISTMAS TALES. By Charles Dickens and Others. Published by The Christian Herald Louis Klopsch, Proprietor. Bible House, New York. Copyright 1895. by Louis Klopsch. Press and Bindery of Historical Publishing Co., Philadelphia. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE A Christmas Carol 13 CHARLES DICKENS. The Christmas Babe 73 MARGARET E. SANGSTER. A Western Christmas 74 MRS. W. H. CORNING. Joe's Search for Santa Claus 83 IRVING BACHELLER. Angela's Christmas 87 JULIA SCHAYER. The First Puritan Christmas Tree 100 (ANONYMOUS.) First New England Christmas 103 HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH. The Chimes 106 CHARLES DICKENS. Billy's Santa Claus Experience 170 CORNELIA REDMOND. Christmas in Poganuc 173 MRS. H. B. STOWE. The Christmas Princess 192 MRS. MOLESWORTH. Widow Townsend's Visitor 210 (ANONYMOUS.) The Old Man's Christmas 223 ELLA WHEELER WILCOX. The Christmas Goblin 239 CHARLES DICKENS. The Song of the Star 244 C. H. MEAD. Indian Pete's Christmas Gift 252 H. W. COLLINGWOOD. My Christmas Dinner 264 (ANONYMOUS.) The Poor Traveler 272 CHARLES DICKENS. The Legend of the Christmas Tree 287 (ANONYMOUS.) The Peace Egg 290 JULIANA HORATIA EWING. CHRISTMAS TALES. A CHRISTMAS CAROL. BY CHARLES DICKENS. STAVE ONE. MARLEY'S GHOST. Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was dead as a door-nail. Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnized it with an undoubted bargain. The mention of Marley's funeral brings me back to the point I started from. There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.