Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1872-12-24
NUMBER 13.
The Trials Of Santa Claus, as told by
Himself

Christmas eve the whole year round there i
before and after, and If you think / hav
jolly times then, you are mistaken. Just nov
1t Is the before that worries me | must have
before the 25th of December private consulta
tioDs with at least five millions of fathers and
mothers, brothers and sisters, uncles, and aunts
and cousins, to say nothing of husbands and
wives, lovers and friends; and this is no triAe
| assure yen, when you look at it seriously, as
[ have to.
| Take as an example the Rubbs-abous az
average family. There is grandpa and grand
| ma Rubb, to begin WITH and aunt Melinda
then there is papa and mama Rubb, and Minnie
| and Tom, and Lottie and Harry, and the baby,
| besides Nora, the nurse and Bridget, the cook.
Ii Is easy enough to nenage>the baby, and the
| two, four, and six-year oids there ere candies,
and dolls, and blocks, and picture books, and
jumping-jacks, and things of that sort for them.
But think of grandpa Rubb! and Of aunt Me-
| linds How can knew what will suit an cid
maid of fify. who can't have caps because she
dyes her hair, and don't care for bows, nor
books, nor pictures, nor portfolios, nor sugar
| plums, nor pin-oushions, and who would be
ulortally offended if I carried her new dress
or shawl, ''as ii she was too poor to cothe her
sell. Papa Rubb Is almost as bad. He's
| had shavIng-psper, and slippers, and dressing
gown, and family Bible, and pen-knife-
and L should ike to know what more you could
do Tor man who never reads, and cares no.
thing for pictures and pretty thingsl In fact,
men are trying, both old aud young cnes. There
are hosts OF things to give pretty, wide-awake,
young girls, but the men do bother me every
year most unaoo0untaby; and | suppose that
there are at least Is 600 to be looked after this
very minute! And an easy time | have OF it,
toTsooth L should like to have you try it just
foT one year, and see-that's ell
Another trouble is, people hurry NE so-
Half OF my customers will not do G single thing
till ten days before / am to load up, and then
how they do drive round, and what hurries,
and TOrrles and scurries, they do get into l
want q little time to assert my wares and get
things packed away into my bundle orderly and
comfortably, and though [ can move as swiftly
as most people, I should be good deal more
saint-iike IN my temper and department if [
was rot knocked and hurried about so On the
23rd aud 24th Of December every year.
Again, L, being saint, am of high moral
principles. Judge, then, how l hang my head
and blush when some hright-eyed young girl
brings me a cigar-case, Or brandy flask, or a
pack of cards totake to some young man, whom
| knoW-th0ugh she dOesn't-is On the very
verge Of running himself hy smoking, drinking,
OR gambling? Shall her fair hands help to
push him over the precipice on which he stands
tottering? By a law OF nay nature [ can never
refuse to deliver what is entrusted to me, but
| often long to cry out, ''Forbearl you know
not what you DO" More than once have I
taken case Of ''geauine Hollands to man
breaking down by drink, or box Of choice
Havanas" to youth whose nerves were already
all unstrung By excessive smoking, or a set of
costly jawaIry to vile whose womanly purity
was already soiled, if not destroyed, by too
lcuo - q
may bring ruin 70 some poor soul
Another terribly trying thing to a tender
hearted saint is to be compelled TO carry loads
and loads Of things to persons who don't want
| them-Who are rather annoyed than pleased By
their arrival, and to 60 straight by many poor
mans dCor-Withous leaving so much as a
single stick Of candy for the baby. Last year
carried solid silver urn to rich Mrs Fuller,
who the moment she saw it, turned up her nose
and said: ''As if wanted to be plagued with
| the care of such thing as that How | hate
to De under obligation to such p woman as
that !" and 10 going there had to pass right
by Mary Minturn's door, and she, poor thing,
lying there year IN and year cut, with her curv-
ed spine, and not single pretty thing in her
room to make it cheerful? II | could only
have left her some warm fannels, CT even dish
of oranges! Yes, merry as | am, and beauti-
full and holy as is the work | mostly do, l have
many heart-ache when / go empty-handed By
such doors. So much light and joy could be
carried into sick rooms such lovely pictures,
such refreshing fruits, such dainty little con-
trivances for ease and comfort, if only the
money, worse than wasted in some directions,
could be transferred to these
| And there is an after to me, who stand be-
hind the scenes. To go back to the Rubbs
! last year we all chuckled over what We regard
cd as the haDpiest idea for grandpa baauti-
| full goid-headed. ebony cane. which vas pre-
sented by the younger members Of the family
forming procession, headed by Tom and
| brought up by baby, tumbling around pro
miscuously, yet valia1tly holding on to the cane
| by his chubby hands; the old man smiled and
said: ''Thankee, thankee," good naturedly
enough, and we fancied We had for once aohiov.
ed entire success; but as | am living man
and [ hope nobody doubts that, that lovely
cane has been standing in. the darkest, farthes
corner Of the bedroom closet from that day Il
this After walking out to the gate with it
| he said TO grandma Rubb, sit don't feel nat
teral," and went back again to his old, knotty
walnut stick, and grandma RGbb's cap, whie!
we ali thought SO pretty and becoming; an(
which Minnie sat mp till midnight to finish of
didn't ''feel MATERIAL" either; so she shut it al
in box and carried it into the square chambe
bureau drawer, and has never looked al il since
Now, when have been at the trouble Of ind
ing and carrying things to people. l want the,
should be enjoyed and used, and it hurts IN,
feelings to have them treated in this way D
course it does.
And this is but sample Of what occurred j
one family; you may judge that in million
have my trials. However, Lam happy fel
low, in the main ;. most of my patrons are Low
ing and true-hearted most of my gifts ar
welcomed as offerings of genuine affection an
the chidren-God bless their merry hearts
are enough to keep harder-hearted saint tha
I arn in good humor from one end Of the yea
to the other.
Only let me ask you to make me always
blessing, and never bane, by giving to m
charge only precious things, hallowed by low
and sympathy; and may each Of you, dea
readers, find in your stockings just the thin
you most wish for the coming anniversary
May you find also how much better it is to civ
than to receive; and best Of all, may He VII
was born on Christmas day draw near to eac
and every soul, with choir of white-robed ar
gels, chanting the old yet ever new song. "Glor
to God in the highest; and on earth peace, goo
will toward men,
James River and Kanawha Canal.
A Virginia delegation, composed OF member