The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-12-29

ID - = = no. .s77itssfi s7ss n5iZ
szkass sissneW bag sssssiad zsstl1 agss
ii pulled. It fiapped, it tore along
with the mind, F'Ili e holding
fast the handle. II raced down the
hill at full speed as if 'bewitched, car
rying her with IT. it, Z First her little
cap blew of. then the ribbon that
bound her hair. q he long eurfs blew
into. her eyes Blinded, confused, btt
never letting 60, she lost her BREATH
and was Just beginning to cry when,
/ before she knew her danger the nm
brella finished by twisting her sharp
| Iy to one side, aud over the edge of q
4 low ralyihe full of trees. She felt her
| self faifing4feit the umbrella snatch
| ed from her grasp, and then she knew
no more. All the world grew dark,
and she lay as If asleep. % -. -a.,. -
g 1t vas long before she woke. When
she did. her head and limbs felt heavy
and ached.t She did not know where
she was. Where were the basket and
umbrella? Gone, quite gone, and il
was dark, and the wind blew loudly
IN the trees overhead. Z Was not that
enough to make little girl feel frigh- : e,fhc
tened? - . = = e = = 2 90 = -. : =.
She sat up after a while, and then
she saw light twinklillgg, from little
| hollow Just below. 1t was bright and
| winking like million of little tapers,
| OF a whole. room full of glow-w orms,
and she thought she would creep for
ward and find out what it was. ,s.gli...s s...
81 She did so. Such a wonderful sight
| she had never seen before. The hol-
low was lined like anest with green
and brown moss and soft yellow grass
es. It,was so light that she could see
every blade, and the little fiery points
OF. the cup moses !; and the light came
from torches, each about the size of a
pin, worn in the caps of nlyriads and
1 myriads of tiny fays, who were flying
/ to and fro, and chattering and cluster
ing together like swarm of bees
Thousands, and thousands of them,
and every moment more came-ffrom
nowhere in particular that Ellie could
see. They just appeared and took
their part in the general hub -bub. =.
But by far the greatest stir. was go
ing on about a niossy nook at a little
distance where sat three old men,
i Great pine torches were. stuck into the
i trees above their heads and show them
plainly. One had a seat little high
er than the others, and was taller and
more dignifed. His face. was sweet
and solemn, and looked at least a
i thousand yearsoid. but his eyes had
4 all the fire of youth, and seemed new
er to have been weary or eyer shed a
tear. The other two u ere stout and
furry, with snoW-Whife boards, and
faces pink and round like "a school
boys. Che wore a queer Dutch
roundabout, trimmed with, lambs
wool. The other had a great fur-lined
wrapper, Both carried pointed caps
on, their heads, from under. which
their little eyes twinkled. Brightly
Around them on the ground lay, heaps
of thing clothes, books, sugar plums
rocking horses, dolls, drums, whistles
} great piles, of coal, fat turkeys, smok-
ing hot pies with saYory crusts-eVe-
: ry kind of thing you can think off,
All these they were, packing away as
hard as. they. could into. great bags
and as,soon as one was filed two OF
three thousand fays, would seize and
: drag it off to a place behind the bush.
es, from which came now, and then
The tihk ing af bells, and q sound q:
SIS 5Ifllai an 5iIfe he
lie iookedsYery hard, and thought ,she
L 4fcould make out in the dim light a pai
: Of horns above the bushes, but sLt
} was not sure. -, 20. ..,-,5.,r, o,Ik 4,
But neither the fays nor the torches
nor even the mysterious sounds at
|. traeted her as did the, face of the beau
e tiful old man in the, midst It was st
: or5 1-ip1 4Io{ -
sible to keep away from him, Al
most before she knew it she had mad'
t a few timid steps forward, and wa
standing in the niddl of the hollow
S The fays espied herJfrst. With erie
: and 7shrieks of laughter like tipse.
q bells, they clustered about and drew
: her gently along till she was, closer t
: the larger group. A myriad of tin,
: voices began explaining, but the CRANE
9 old man held out his hand. and wit
! a look commanded silence. ~ s-'i.
( shs' I know all, all dear little one,"'s b
e said: !" [ heard thy steps in the WOO,
: path, and sent the elves but now t
break thy fall. Thou knowest m
not, but 1 know. thee. Thou art on
p of my children. .Dost thou not CUES
e my name 2E4I am Father Christmas.
: sk Oh! yes, dear Father Christmas,
4 know thee well,D cried Ellie in rap
Q ture, as she kissed the hand SO aged
!, yet so UNIV rinkled. go '.1'51
is Father Christmas smiled we
2, pleased. S'''7 '''
1 '"And these are. my. sons, he wen
e on. 'This is Kris Krinkle. Tho
/ hast heard of him? He takes m
e gifts to, all the little beloved ones Q
u German land and to the Hollanderi
e Once, along time since, he used t
s carry toys across the, sea to the chi
le dfen in Manhattan, but it was far t
l. go, and dnoW my son Santa Claus take
70 that business off his hands. They al
L good.boys, both Of them, but they al
: yo1ng-quite young l''iI 's.-.g. q.
le you'P'basked Ellie. stAre You yer
le old, dear Father Christmas li7s2a .
lee Z sc Going on two thousand, ., replie
t. Father Christmas with genial laugl
20 "But l feel young as ever. Hast tho
l. not something in. thy pack for tht
dear child, Kris Kring gle ?''''s ;" o'
= .' Yes, indeed, mcrie1 the old "boy
"a at his side. ." See, 1littleI one-this-
Is and this--and this, and he. held up
le doll, a book of beautiful pictures, an
a fat goose with its legs tied ready fl
re the spit. And these, stockings al
ne for thy grandm other. he went on, :
he huddled them into his bag, H's.bl
e, neither she nor you must have the
US before the time comes, l shall lea1
&c e, them on my way back from town.
II. H. Many, many people are waiting f'
at n me slre there" sW .BzsfEos sd "a 3
% ,J lfs And for me, said Sante1 Clau
~ ~ "they are getting ready even now
IN IN England. The stockings are hung II
os o and the children have begged to {
vs.. W. early to bed that they may wake tt
= o sooner. The ringers are, collecting
# the church-towers and blowing upC
80 their fingers that they maybe war
% to make the bells peal merrily.diAI
ba the little American boys and girls,a a
ois 1s waiting Soon they too will be. tue
10 ed up I must be off," "sa-fl 5aioy ~
ia Il 4