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3888 SKETCHES.
It is chiefly the domestic animals to which, according to
old Swedish custom, they give a treat at Christmas. But in
some parts of Sweden, and in the country throughout the
whole of Norway, it is usual to place outside the house and
barn doors, oat and barley sheaves on the top of high poles,
or pine-tree saplings, so that the little birds may eat their
fill. And when I was one year in Norway, I had two such
poles before my window, with large barley sheaves on the
top of them, and swarms of little sparrows, and green
finches and bull-finches had their Yule feast in them, and
seemed incessantly to be twittering “It’s Christmas! it’s .
Christmas ! ”
There was so much rejoicing, and they made such a
noise, that you could scarcely hear any thing else. But to
return to our cottage in Sweden.
May-rose and Doll did certainly not think of any thing
where they stood in their cribs, chewing their straw,
when the door of the cow-house was opened and a light
shone into their eyes. They turned their heads towards
that side, looked a little astonished, lowed and snorted a
little to signify that they knew those who entered, and that
they were welcome. But when the children in their zeal
ran forward, each holding out their cake, screaming in
May-rose’s and Doll’s ears: “It’s Christmas now!” they
stepped back a pace or two, shook their heads violently,
and stared at them with their large eyes as if they would
have said: “ Ah, what sort of a thing is that?”
But being both very sensible and good creatures — of
brown color, with white spots — they soon recovered from
their surprise, put out their tongues for the bread, smelt at
the Christmas ale, had both a good drink of it, and seemed
to be vastly pleased. And when mother had strewn fresh
straw under them, and filled their manger with the best
sweet hay, and had said to them, as she went away: “ God
bless you now, dearies ; now you have got your Yule fare!”
then they seemed to understand the matter, stared at the
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