On a chilly day, a poor girl walked on the streets barefooted. She carried some bundles of matches. She had not sold even a single bundle of matches. She lighted a match to get some warmth! She felt as though she was sitting in front of a stove. But lo! The flame went out. She rubbed another match. This time, she imagined that she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. When she lit another match, she saw her dear old dead grandmother. Her grandmother took her in her arms, and both flew together, far above the earth. For them, there was neither hunger, nor cold, nor care–they were with God. But in the corner, in the morning, sat the poor girl frozen to death. No one imagined what sweet visions she had last night or how gloriously she had gone with her grandmother to enter upon the joys of a new year.
The Little Match Girl
