Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-01-05

Z
ed myself hastily, not to lose tho Christmas
/ fun. My wife, in her mornings gown, was
already watching the children through the
crack of the door; and as l Joined her.
cast upon me look of perplexity, graft
tude and happiness that puzzled me
strangely "Ahm said she, ''you played
me cruel trick; but am so gladI'
"What do you mean?' said /. ''Now
/ you needn't make believe any longer, you
stern parent, she responded playfully,
"look thereW Whereupon posted my
self behind her, to get a good view over
her shoulder through the crack of the
door-in which position nothing was
more naturally accidental than the gentle
sliding of one arm around her waist, and
Il whisper of merry Christmas" in her
ear, followed with another slight ceremony
indicative of affection, but conducted
with the minimum of resonance (iust the
least little smack) so as not to inform the
children of our presence. After which
preliminaries, | peeped into the boys
room. There they sat, waist-deep in bill.
lows of bed-clothes, Harry's brown head
and Ernests yellow one close together,
and their eager eyes fixed on the stock.
ings, out of the depths of which our
naughty son was fishing treasures with
his nimble fingers for hook his whole
arm for a line, and his bending body for
pole.
"Hello Ern, what's this? 1t feels
round II is round ! 1t amt an orange!!
Here she comes!l Hooray--look here
it's a BALL!!l That's bully; we wanted a
ball, didn't we!'
Eyes" chimed Ernest, 81 like ball
better than anything. Two can play at
ball 1t takes two" Meanwhile Harry
had picked up the stocking again, and
cried out, There's something hard in the
toe It's your turn now, Ern you pullit
out"
Il pause to remark that the genuine
handiwork of Santa Claus may be recog-
niZed in this there is always treasure
in the toe of the stocking to be discov-
cred, dug after, eXtricated. unrolled and
rejoiced over, after everything else had
been displayed. This is the last drop,
that makes the child's cup of Joy over
tlow-the sweetest surprise of all.)
The something hard proved to be a
jack-knife, over which the boys set up
perfect war-whoop of mutual congratula-
ton. By this time realized that some
thing was wrong Harry was not getting
his 'lesson' at all A swift glance at the
fireplace told me that the empty stocking
at the farther side had not been removed. |
ran to examine it, and found to my con-
sternation that the label bore the name of
good little Ernest In the confusion of
the domestic preparation (and discussion)
of the night before, had pinned the
wrong names to the stockings, and "the
fat was all in the fire" Evidently my
wife thought l had relented, or never
meant to be severe, and that after she
went to bed, had blessed both the boys
alike. was just about to try by an expla-
nation to straighten out matters, when
she turned, with her finger on her lip,
and beckoned me back to our observa-
tory.
The boys were sitting in the midst
of their trophies quiet from very fulness
of joy. Suddenly Harry broke out /:
Look here, Ern l don't want these
things. Santa Claus has plenty of good
children to give things to he can't waste
them on naughty ones. You take them
and you'll let me play with them, won't
you You always do, you know"
Now, you mustn't feel so, Harry"
said gentle Ernest "Look here; I'll
tell you secret. Santa Claus brings
them but other folks help or at least,
they tell him what to fetch and some
times, guess, when he says, 1 won't
give anything to that naughty boy, they
tease him till he says, Well, if you get
the things, I'll put them in the stocking
That must be the way, for heard father
say the other day, I'll get him jack
knife the boy is big enough to have a
jack-knife ,; and mother said Well, and
I'll get a ball ; that's a good thing for
boys, though never could see much fun
in it myself" And then went into the
IT, &c Il, )
But mother told somebody else that he
might buy something for. Santa Claus to
give to you, and | shant tell who it was
but he bought a pOp-gm, and can't think
what has become of it."
That was you, you splendid, dear,
good BROTHER" cried Harry, land I'm
never, never going to get angry with you
again as long as | live. But I'll tell you
something somebody sent Santa Claus a
little white slate for you, and what do you
think 2 | found it in the top of my stock
ing-l know it was my stocking, you see,
because mother let me print my name on
the paper, and said she would pin it to
the stocking, so that Santa Claus shouldn't
make any mistakes-and wasn't it funny?
He did make mistake, after all, and
stuck your slate right in the top of it. So
just hid it in my night-gown, to surprise
you, and look a there That's bully
slate, Ern it cost fifteen cents"
"Why, that's your fifteen cents. Harry,
that you saved up Now that's splendid
but, | say, you'll never get sled, if you
spend your money that way. You We're
going to get sled, you know"
"Never you mind the sled," replied
Harry, little embarrassed 'it takes too
awful long to get sleds. like states, on
the whole, ever so much better and then
you see, En, yesterday afternoon-you
know-after that-you know-atter
struck you'll just begged mother to let
me go down to AIurraY's for a minute,
and she didn't ask meany questions mOth
er always knows what fellow means) and
made her promise she wouldn't tell any
body, not even father-that is, not till
after this morning-and just legged it as
tight as could go, and got that slate, and
mother gave it to Santa Claus-and-and
look here, Ern, you do forgive me, don't
your
Ernest is no milk-sOp, as his reply
showed "Of course" said he, "a fel-
low amt a going to hate his own brother
What if fellow did strike fellow, if he
didn't exactly mean to, and is real sorry?
But there's no use talking of those things
Christmas day. Mother says everybody
must be happy Christmas day"
"That's So" assented Harry, as if Il
great weight were off his heart" but, l
say, Ern, you've got a stocking, too, and
you've forgot ali about It'll Now that's
just like you; you cared more for my
stocking than yon did for your own"
"Well, it was such fun" said Ernest,
"and besides, I've got my slate. But I'll
just scud out and get my stocking now.
Say, is the floor cold?'
lawful, replied Harry, with shiver
of remembrance, you'd better put on
your shoes"
This delay was lucky for me, AT the
first allusion to that other stocking,
turned and saw that all the gifts intended
for it were lying ON the table still, where
/ thayy hod haan loft tho niUht hafora