The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-12-19

out every break, crack, scar, bruise and
scratch, into bold relief. What pitiful,
miserable, shattered, dismembered COM
pany of halt and manned they showed, as
they stood, each one telling its own
story Of wrong and injury.
"My jaw is broken" cried queer,
spasmodic voice, and he recognized the
speaker as that horrid- looking nut
cracker. "He did it, the day after you
left us here, but he didn't care. He
jerks it open and shut every day, and
oh, it never stops aching"
"My head is split open, you see, said
the drum, rolling to its place and stand
ing on end, with the great gaping hole
uppermost. lie beat me till my head
cracked, and it's wonder that every
one in the house is not III the same con-
dition with his noise.
"Look ut me p interrupted the saw,
in his grating tone. My teeth are all
broken or twisted about.
"Yes," screamed another rasping
voice as the file hoped up and joined
the saw, "My teeth are all on an edge.
l can't get them clean, for he makes me
bite putty, wax and dough, and l am
of no use in the world with his wretched
handling"
q haven't foot to stand on,
buzzed the topmournfully, 6 lie pulled
it of and lost it, long ago. / am so out
of wind that 1 can't sing any more,
though l used to be famous at hum
ming. But no one could stand his
treatment long.
There was minutes pause, and, in
the silence, the walking-doll hobbled
stinly up with a painful hitch in her slow
gait. She uplifted her only arm pite-
Ously to Santa Claus, appealing mutely
for sympathy. The plaintive cry,
Papa Mamma - was not heard for a
cruel stab had hushed her voice and
all of the tiny white teeth that had
shone through the parted lips were
gone.
The sailor-boy doll stood by her side
and gallantly waited until Santa Claus
had cast pitiful look at her wretcAed
case. He swung the empty sleeve OF
his navy-blue suit, and spoke in deep,
, hollow manner, from his neck, in conse-
qnence of having lost his entire head in
some terrific engagement with an un-
known enemy. The burden of his fate
o was the very same "he," that mysteri-
Gus, cruel she" was the cause of all the
- woe. "He did it, moaned the unfor-
. tunate tar. :" He first knocked off my
! hat, in rage, one day, and then sent
. my head after it," Artie's teeth chat
tered and his knees knocked together,
rs he saw the stern face of old Santa
Claus.
lie tried to fool with me, cried O
: hard-voiced chisel, but / cut his fin.
, gers, and he let me alone"
! These tiny piping voices seemed to
!, rise from the floor all over the room,
;, and 10 in that wonderful fre-light,
whole armies of needles and pins stood
!, upright, in glittering ranks on the car
' pet. "He twisted off our heads, u
!, said the great shawl-pins, sharply.
: "Le broke our backs to make fish.
:, hooks of u.s." cried the little pins il
!, piercing tones. " He filed our eyes
i with dust and dirt-he makes trouble
q for everything he touches" said the
. needles, pointedly.
p" The poor little culprit was picked tC
6 the heart. Heaps of torn books, dog
=, - cared and stained, lay waiting for theil
~ chance. Jumping-jacks with all thu
". Jump gone out of their spare, dangling
= legs broken china tea-sets til
9 trumpets, jammed fiat f.; fiddle with NJ
:, strings; Il one-wheeled cannon, tilte(
. on its side; dilapidated express wagons
y, and wrecked water craft of all kinds
- an endless train of wounded animal
- from a Noah's Ark-of all sorts ant
10 sizes, led by Mr.. and Mrs. Noah, ant
10 Mrs. Shem, who We're all of the fanil,
- surviving the voyage, land who looked sad
l. ly worn and shattered by their hard
~ ships-all of these were waiting yet t,
= state their grievances in this, their onl
"a chance Ill a year.
" Artie could bear no more. He felt a
~ if the light of that fierce fire, whic
=. showed everything bad and nothing
good, was binding his eyes. Making
~ mighty effort, he sprang up from hi
70 corner to run away, when behold in
n second, he was sitting up in his ow,
~ little bed, beside Daisy, half blinded b
~ ~ ray of the bright winter sunshine
= that had peeped in through the windo,
-, TO say Merry Christmas to the Chi
- dren, and streamed straight into Artie'
- eyes to awaken him.
~ Was there ever happier boy Wha
. a wonderful day that was What
-, grand tree What merry company
~, What world of beautiful things deal
% loving, merry old Santa Claus brougl
10 to the children / need not tell yo
70 that the dream did its work. Artie
~ fingers grew as light as a fairy's and 6
ns tender as n mammals, when he touche
: - Daisy's treasures.
20 No more courts of complaint againi
." Artie we're ever held. He" new,
~ ~ needed another-that one lasted Ii
~ whole life long. christian Union.
n