TWILIGHT LAND

he saw Ill-Luck it came into his head to do a good turn
to poor sorrowful man.

“ Good-morning, Ill-Luck,” says he.

“ Good-morning, St. Nicholas,” says Ill-Luck.

“You look as hale and strong as ever,” says St.
Nicholas.

“Ah, yes,” says Ill-Luck, “I find plenty to do in this
world of woe.”

‘They tell me,” says St. Nicholas, ‘that you can go
wherever you choose, even if it be through a key-hole ;
now, is that so?”

“Yes,” says Ill-Luck, “ it is.”

“Well, look now, friend,” says St. Nicholas, “could
you go into this hazel-nut if you chose to?” -

“Yes,” says Ill-Luck, “I could indeed.”

“T should like to see you,” says St. Nicholas ; ‘ for
then I should be of a mind to believe what people say of
you.”

“Well,” says Ill-Luck, ‘‘I have not much time to be
pottering and playing upon Jack’s fiddle; but to oblige
an old friend”—thereupon he made himself small and
smaller, and—phst! he was in the nut before you could
wink.

Then what do you think St. Nicholas did? In his
hand he held a little plug of wood, and no sooner had
Til-Luck entered the nut than he stuck the plug in the
hole, and there was man’s enemy as tight as a fly in a
bottle. ;

“So!” says St. Nicholas, ‘that’s a piece of work well
done.” Then he tossed the hazel-nut under the roots of '
an oak-tree near by, and went his way.

And that is how this story begins.

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