I am so very tired of being all alone here, and I declare it's too bad that it is. I wish I hadn't cried so much, said Alice as she swam about trying to find her way out. I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by being drowned in my own tears. That will be a queer thing, to be sure. I am very tired of swimming about here, oh mouse, cried Alice again, for this time the mouse was bristling all over, and she felt certain it must be really offended. We won't talk about her any more if you'd rather not. We indeed. Out in the woods stood a nice little fir tree. The place he had was a very good one. The sun shone on him. As to fresh air there was enough of that and round him grew many large sized comrades pines as well as firs He did not think of the warm sun and of the fresh air He did not care for the little cottage children that ran about and prattled when they were in the woods looking for wild strawberries But this was what the tree could not bear to hear In winter when the snow lay glittering on the ground a hare would often come leaping along and jump right over the little tree Oh that made him so angry To grow and grow to get older and be tall thought the tree That after all is the most delightful thing in the world In autumn the woodcutters always came and felled some of the largest trees This happened every year and the young fir tree that had now grown to a very comely size trembled at the sight For the magnificent great trees felled the earth with noise and cracking the branches were lopped off and the trees looked long and bare They were hardly to be recognized and then they were laid in carts and the horses dragged them out of the wood Have you not met them anywhere Rejoice in thy growth said the sunbeams And then what happens then I would fain know if I am destined for so glorious a career cried the tree rejoicing I am now tall and my branches spread like the others that were carried off last year Oh were I but already on the cart Were I in the warm room with all the splendor and magnificence Yes and something better something still grander will surely follow or wherefore should they thus ornament me Something better something still grander must follow but what rejoice in our presence said the air and the sunlight rejoice in thy own fresh youth but the tree did not rejoice at all he grew and grew and was green both winter and summer and towards christmas he was one of the first that was cut down the axe struck deep into the very pith the tree fell to the earth with a sigh he felt a pang it was like a swoon he could not think of happiness for he was sorrowful at being separated from his home from the place where he had sprung up He well knew that he should never see his dear old comrades the little bushes and flowers around him any more perhaps not even the birds the departure was not at all agreeable the tree only came to himself when he was unloaded in a courtyard with the other trees and heard a man say that one is splendid we don't want the others there too were large easy chairs silken sofas large tables full of picture books and full of toys worth hundreds and hundreds of crowns at least the children said so the servants as well as the young ladies decorated it this evening they all said how it will shine this evening Perhaps the other trees from the forest will come to look at me. It blazed up famously. Help help cried the young ladies and they quickly put out the fire. A story a story cried the children drawing a little fat man towards the tree. But I shall tell only one story. Humpty Dumpty fell downstairs and yet he married the princess. That's the way of the world thought the fir tree and believed it all because the man who told the story was so good looking. Well well I won't tremble to morrow thought the fir tree and the whole night the tree stood still and in deep thought. In the morning the servant and the housemaid came in but they dragged him out of the room and up the stairs into the loft and here in a dark corner where no daylight could enter they left him what's the meaning of this thought the tree and he leaned against the wall lost in reverie time enough had he to for his reflections for days and nights passed on and nobody came up and when at last somebody did come it was only to put some great trunks in a corner out of the way tis now winter out of doors thought the tree how kind man is after all if it only were not so dark here and so terribly lonely squeak squeak