Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-12-24
LITTLE TOMMY srt1rF1N.
THE vINDIcATOR CHRISTMAS STORY FOR
BAD CHTTDREN

THE vINDICATOR CHRISTMAS STORY FOR
BAD CHILDREN.
Dear Children:-The editor Of the VIM
DICTATOR, who loves you all, good and bad,
has all the year been trying to think of what
he would give you for a Christmas pres
ent. Last week he ordered a nice pound
cake, with plumbs in it ana nice white
icing on top of it, to be made for every
little boy and girl in Staunton; but when
your dear mothers heard of it they came
to him and told him such horrid stories
about little boys that had died and
little. girls that had had the Group
from eating too much cake, and begged
him SO hard, that he changed his mind,
and determined to write you nice story
which would be easier to hand around,
and wouldn't make anybody sick. So he
left al. the cakes at the confectioners,
where they are this blessed morning, and
where you can see them by calling there
though you needn't say we sent you.
Most of the stories, dear children, that
you have heard, have been about the the
Good Kriss Kringle," who comes down
the chimney, and gives good children every
thing they expected, and sometimes a
little more than they expected, in the shape
of a stomach-ache, but this story is about
another "Kriss Kringle,'' that calls on bad
children for you must know that there
are a great many bad children nowadays.
The reason of this is because their, mothers
are very high-tempered, and their fathers
very meek, and the children inherit their
mothers temper; but, then you are too
little to understand all about this now,
though it is one of the first things that
will strike you after you are grown up.
The little boy am going to tell you
about was called Little Tommy Stufin.
All Of you know what stuffin is, children;
it is that part of a turkey that you get
when the neighbors send any in, and it is
also part of the goose that your Pa i" i'll
buy to-day, which is a better bird for
children because it gives their jaws good
deal of calisthenic exercise before they can
get away with it. Now, this little boy
was not really named Tommy Stuffin, but
he was called so because he had such q
wonderful way of putting things inside Of
him. Though he was only eight years old
he could put more in his little stomach
| than grown up man, and many a night
his little night-gown would be so tight
that his dear mother, who was a piou:
lady, would kneel down and pray that hs
mig htn't burst before morning. See What
it is, dear children, to have pious mother
But what good did that moth er standing
between him and the vengeance of HEAVIER
do this wicked boy, do you think? Not one
| blessed bit! When she wouldn't give hin
what he wanted, he would just stand anG
scream and say, 81 sh-e-llr' and 81
| sba-a-a-nt!" and II w-o-o-o-n'tn' and kict
his dear parent on her dear legs until: SHIT
would have to give him just what Ii,
wanted, and go to bed and have one of hel
''attacks."
Well, this sort of thing couldn't go OF
for ever, you may be certain, so sur,
enough, all of sudden, one Christina,
Eve night, it came to dead stop. Little
Tommy Stutfin had been gotten ready in
his nice white night-gown, and put int
his little trundle bed, with ratings arount
it, when he began to think of what woult
be in his stocking next morning, and de
termined to have some of it right then, and
then, as he always did, he got up on the foo
and screamed out, Ma, Ma-a-av' AND
just then "a voice from away up the chin
ney, said, awful gruff, ''What do you want:
III Ma you," and there was grea
rattle and dust in the fireplace, and a pail
of little legs swung down out of the chin
ney, not minding the fire bit. Poor little
| Tommy scratched back to bed in hurr,
and peeped out through the railing. AfLe
the legs, came little man, and such a maj
as it was. My goodness! it would hav
made your hair stand up to have seen him
1t did make Tommy Stuffin's. His toes
were red hot, and his body was of cast iron
and he had ON sheet iron over-coat, and
tin waistcoat buttoned over his stomach
He was hump-shouldered, and his face was
just horrid. 1t was of copper. anu glowed
till it was red with heat, and the tip of his
nose Was just like spark, and his little
sharp, red eyes were like Goals of fire.
"Phew," said the little man, as HI
stood before the fire with his hands un
der his coat tails, ''it's chilly OUT
Aud with that he snatched up the tir
blower of the fire place, and doubled it W
like handkerchief in his hand, and blew hi!
nose with sound like a locomotive whistle
~I've left my handkerchief at home," he
| added. as if explaining it to the company
And then he went to the coal-scuttle anG
dropped couple of humps down his throat
and directly his little, round iron stomach
commenced heating till it got red-hot. SIS
there nothing here to sit on?" SAYS he
looking like he would be very ngerous
if some one didn't hand him chair, and
he sat down in Mrs. Stuffin's rocking
chair. But it caught fire directly, and ht
got up, very cross, and sat down on the
cOal-Scuttle.
"Now, this is comfortable" said the
little man, rubbing his stomach, and tax
ing his pipe out of his mouth. ssWho was
that called me?"
Poor little Tommy Stuffin shot his head
under the cover
'I'm looking for bad boy, named STUFF.
fn," says the iron man; s'and I've got tc
have him dead or a]ive-it don It make much
difference which; for if he is alive when l
catch him he will soon be the other way 81
"Oh, mel" groaned little Tommy STUFF
fin, "Oh, poor me!''
IF there's boy named Stutlin in a
trundle-bed in this room." says this little
red-hot Kriss Kringle, looking up at the