THE GOOD NIGHT

By Ruth Sawyer
Christmas story told by the Finnish gypsies.

Do YOU still remember the story of the Good Night? There is only one good night in the long space of a year and that is Christmas Night. Of that night we know many tales. Every night the angels watch over good children, but there is not peace on every night. There is only one night of peace when the whole earth worships and prays to God. Then none shall talk evil of another.

There was once a wonderful expectation in the world. All knew that a new and great thing was to happen, but none knew what it was. The stars in the sky looked questioningly at one another.

"What is it?" asked Capella on the right side of the sky to Aldebaran on the left.

White rays flew to and fro; but Aldebaran answered quietly and secretly: "Sister, I do not know."

Vega in the northern sky asked Sirius in the lower sky: "When will this wonderful thing come to pass?"

But Sirius did not know when, and Aldebaran did not know what.

The stars on the side traveled around the Northern Star and they thought every time they passed: "This time will this new thing come into the world?" But a thousand years went by and no new thing happened.

Now in Bethlehem of Judea there lived a donkey driver who had grown rich. He had built himself a resting place for travelers; these rooms he let out to the rich; the poor could sleep where they found room to lay their heads. A great census and paying of taxes were to be taken where each would enroll himself for numbering in his own city; and as Bethlehem was King David's city the donkey driver knew that many would come there, and so he would make much money. Many came; all his rooms were taken except one-the finest and the best. This one he saved for a prince.

"Look!" shouted Capella across the sky to Aldebaran. "There are many people passing and repassing over the face of the earth. Can this great thing now be about to happen?"

And Aldebaran answered secretly and quietly: "Sister, I do not know."

Now there came to Bethlehem from Nazareth a carpenter, leading a donkey upon which sat a woman. He led it to the place kept by the donkey driver and found the yard outside crowded, many covering the ground. He went to the door and spoke: "Outside there waits one who is my wife. She has come far; she is spent; and this night she must have a place that is her own."

But the donkey driver could see nothing but poorness about the carpenter, and the room that was left was the best. It must be kept for a rich one, a prince. So he said: "There is still room on the ground."

But he had two children-a boy and a girl, kind children. They were holding the donkey on which the woman sat and they were wishing that their father would give the best place to her. Looking into her face, they found it lovely and there was something strange and altogether wonderful in her smile. For her the place seemed none too good. They heard what the father said to the carpenter, and they felt very sorry and looked one at the other. "There is the cave-our father stables his donkeys there," they said. "It is dry, and there is shelter from the wind. Also much hay. It is better than the ground. We will show you." And the woman smiled and laid her hand over theirs; and they led the donkey, the carpenter following. "King David slept often in caves. We are thankful for a resting place like this," he said. The children made the woman comfortable, spreading much hay between the mangers. "Sleep in peace," they said. And the woman answered them, smiling; "Sleep ye in peace."

Up in the sky a great star was blazing, which had never been there before. A thousand, thousand stars were lost in wonder at it. Regulus shouted to the king star, Orion: "What does it mean?"

"It means that now is the time when the great and new thing will come into the world. But as yet no one knows what it will be."

Capella shouted across the sky to Aldebaran: "Look! I see three kings, coming from the east."

And Aldebaran shouted back: "Look! I see Herod trembling upon the throne." Vega shouted below to Sirius: "Look! There are shepherds in the field keeping watch over their sheep, and they are made wondrously afraid of the star. They know now what it means."

And the Northern Star, around which the earth goes, cried aloud: "There is a new-born child in a Bethlehem manger; and harken, the angels are breaking into our midst with a great light and a singing of hallelujahs."

Each star asked of his neighbor star: "Is it the child that is born that we have been waiting for these thousand years? Has he come to fulfill our expectations?" And among themselves they whispered: "Let us ask Orion."

So they shouted across to the king of stars, and to the earth below it sounded as if they were singing together, while Orion sang above the rest: "Truly it is the child new-born that is the great thing prophesied."

That was the Good Night. It is the only good night the world has ever known. That is why men keep it as they keep no other night in the year. Some time, in another thousand years or less, there may come another good night. Even now the stars may be waiting for it. Who knows?