Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-01-06
PLAYING SANTA CLAUS.
BY JOHN QUILL.

BY JOHN QUILL.
"THE fact is, Mrs. Phipps, the skepti-
cism and infidelity among the present gen
Grafton of children is awful"
eyes" said Mrs. Phipps, who always
seconded her husbands opinion, 'it is re-
ally awful"
"When was boy, believed in every
thing" continued Phipps. I" / would have
sworn that Robinson Crusoe actually did
live on a desert island Jack the Giant
Killer, was absolutely certain, was CORY
young butcher l would have taken my
oath on a stack of Bibles mile high that
Cinderella rode to court in a pumpkin
coach and wore glass slippers"
"So would l." said Mrs. Phipps.
"And there was Puss in Boots; l never
doubted his existence. | had no infidelity
on the question of the COW that jumped
over the moon; Jack actually climbed the
beanstalk as far as my belief extended.
But the children nowadays don't believe
in anything"
"Not single solitary thing" said Mrs.
Phipps
"And it's bad sign, Mrs. Phipps, bad
sign. A child who don't acknowledge
that there's fairy land will begin to deny
the existence of more serious places when
he grows up Infldelity in youth is the be-
ginning of skepticism in age, depend upon
it, Mrs. Phipps."
"That's just so" said Mrs Phipps, look
ing up from her knitting.
"There's our Bob, now he's only 12
years odd, and yet the little beggaf says he
knows well enough that no animals ever
talked, as the fables say they did, because,
he says, they can't. His minds been pois,
oned, Mrs Phipps, against those fictitious
holm op6 thpca tirtitiouc thin for w hinh
all children in old times had fancy"
" I'm afraid so" said Mrs. Phipps.
"And Bob says he knows all those
Fairy stories amt so, and he don't even
believe them when the book asserts they
are founded on fact"
ats too bad," calculated Mrs. Phipps,
picking up dropped stitch.
Its partly the fault of living in this
confounded boarding house. Here only
yesterday I heard that ridiculous old maid,
Miss Straggles, in the next room there,
tell Bob that there was no such person as
Kriss Kingle, and that his parents
were very wicked to deceive him with
such st ories."
ats scandalous," said Mrs. Phipps.
"I'll rip that false hair off her head the
very first chance l get and Bob he goes
and tells Tom and John, and William
Henry and Jane, and Emily and Maria,
and now none of them believe in it. It's
perfectly outrageous"
' Yes, it is, outrageous" said Mrs.
Phipps.
"For my part, go for keeping up the
old time customs, and so I've made up my
mind to teach the children that there is a
.Kriss Kingle"
And they ought to be taught" said
Mrs. Phipps
so to morrow night you just hang up
their stockings by the mantel piece and let
them sleep in this room, and I'll dress up
and come down the chimney into the fire
place with bag full of toys"
Capital" said Mrs. Phipps, laughing
and clapping her hands.
"And if you can manage to get old Miss
Straggles in when it happens, I'll give her
such scare that her false teeth will rattle
for week."
"And if she says much about it, I'll
po ison that cat of hers, and feed it to her
poodle. I'm sick of this caterwauling and
bowling anyhow.
"I'm sick of it myself" said Mrs.
Phipps.
so the next night-Christmas eve-the
seven little Phipps--his three shillings and
sixpence, as Old Phipps called em-werc
put to bed in the big room, with their
stockings hung around the great fireplace,
and their eyes wide open, on the lookout
for the coming of Kriss Kingle.
Old Phipps had stuffed them with
stories during the day, and said positively
that the good Saint would come that very
night Bob and Tom were open scoffers
The little ones trembled and hoped.
Old Rhipps was out in the hall He put
on bSilalo rope, fur tippet belonging to
Mrs. Phipps, fur cap and muffler, corked
his face, donned false beard, shouldered
his bundle of toys and went up to the
trap in the roof
1t was bitter cold night, and as the
first draught of air blew upon him, he felt
like backing out. But it was too late now.
AS his head emerged, he saw Miss Struggles
pet cat, with spine bent double, shaking
its tail around, yowling and splitting and
snatching fists full of hair out of another
cat which was conducting itself in precise
ly the same manner. They SHE'D over on
to the next roof as Phipps crawled out.
Phipps got to the chimney. He peeped
down. 1t looked black and ugly, and
smeIt of smoke. Then he thought he
would back out again. But no, if he didn't
go down that chimney that night, Bob and
Tom and all the children, down to the
very baby, would be more incredulous than
ever, and would have the laugh on him for
the balance of his life.
He put one leg over, then the other
Then he let himself down by the hands
Bracing his knees against the sides, he
found the descent easy enough, although
the falling SCOT blinded him. He hung the
bundle of toys around his neck.
Down, down, down he went, until he
saw light shining on the hearth beneath
him. Now for the grand coup. 1t should
be done dramatically. Slowly, slowly he
proceeded, until he reached the top of the
arch over the fireplace. Taking good,
long breath, he jumped to the hearth, and
sprang out into the room yelling like an
Arrapahoe Indian with the deItrEum tre-
mems
There was an answering yell!
Great Havens
He had come down the wrong flue
There stood Aurelia Struggles, dressed
in a complete suit of duplex elliptic hoops,
with her wig, her false teeth, and the bal
ance of her back hair, lying on the bureau,
amid pearl powders, complexion washes,
rouge, and a general collection of wire
work, soap, cologne water, hair tonic, and
so forth
Aumlia Straggles screamed
Phipps was petrihed.
Murder murderl fire thievesl muir
der fire fire fire ~" yelled the fragmen-
tary Aurelia, with one check pale and the
other red.
Madaml" exclaimed Phipps, scared
half TO death.
"Murder-r.r.r! fre-r-rr.rr-l Help!
halH ~ ~ o,1aI