Connecticut western news., 1877-01-05
" Bad job ?" she asked

"Middling," said he "' will and I won't to their mother"
 "I dreamed last night of good cure for that, said she, "and I will try 1t. Can you take me to their house ill your sleigh ?"
 "Yes; but we must feed Donder and Bitzen first; for they lost their way among all these stars and things, and it is hours since they have had anything to eat"
 Now, fairies can do anything, you know, and Fixem merely said: "Oats " and Bhtzen," and Blitzen was eating oats. or whatever is reindeer for oats. After she had done the same good ser vice for the other reindeer, she remem- bered that fairies are delicate, and the journey from the moon to the earth be- ing cold one, she wished herself into a fur coat, and jumped into the sleigh. By this time it was nearly dark.
 Pretty late," sighed Santa Claus; afraid my children will be in bed"
 "So much the better for me if they are," said the fairy. q want them sound asleep. They won't take my medicine if they are awake.
 "Show me your medicine, said Santa Claus.
 Fixem could hardly get her hands out of her wrappings, but she managed to show Santa Claus a little box of salve she had dreamed of and wished for, and now had in her pocket.
 , "What are you going to do with that?" "said he, beginning to have some doubts of Fixem, although she had performed many wonderful cures for him.
 ''That salve, said the fairy, G is to be rubbed on their tongues until they look black and blue, and it will make them unable to say anything but I will and I won't until they are sick of it. twill they ever get over it ?' said Santa Claus. It would be pity to have no other words ever come out of the mouths of two such dear little boys"
 "Oh, it will wear off when they are sorry" said Fixem, and away they went.
 When they came to the house they got out on the roof and went down the chim- ney. There lay Tom and Ned sound asleep, looking very innocent. But there was a wrinkle or two on their faces which ! troubled Santa Claus.
 : "Won't, do," said he. "Try the salve."
 j "I am sorry their mouths are shut, 7" said the fairy "You will have to hold their noses, Santa Claus, so that I can i get at their tongues"
 ! So Santa Claus took Toms nose gently between his thumb and first finger Che had fur gloves on, so he could do it very i to open his mouth to breathe, and the fairy rubbed the salve all over his 1 tongue. He dreamed he was eating blackberry jam, and troubled himself no further about it. Then the same thing was done to Ned, and Santa Claus and the fairy went up the chimney again and off to their homes. When Tom and Ned awoke in the morning they began to talk to each other as usual but they were dreadfully frightened at finding they could say nothing but "I will and "I won't" They soon grew tired of such ridiculous conversation, and only hurried to dress themselves and run to tell their mother of their trouble. But their whole story was "I will won't," !" I will, "I won't, and their mother was natur- ally very much grieved. "Oh, boys boys!" said she, "didn't tell you yes terday never to say that again to me? It is very bad habit, and I don't know what you mean by persisting in it. If you are joking, must tell yor it is very poor fun," The poor fellows tried to pro- test and to explain, but, although they shook their heads and were almost cry ing, their only words, "I will and "I won't," only made matters worse. "Now, boys,'' said their mother, " if you are determined to disobey me, you must go to bed again. I should advise you to go to sleep and wake up in more obedient mood"
 They felt it was useless to say more, and so they sadly undressed and went to bed, very much perplexed and dismayed They both supposed it was some myste- rious effect of their bad habit, and they began to be very sorry. After they had left their mothers room she received n note from the fairy explaining the state of things, which relieved her mind, and showed her how to help in the cure. Be fore she went down to breakfast she went in to the boys and asked them if they would like to have some buckwheat cakes sent up to them. Of course they were both starving for them, but Tom could only get out "I won't, while Ned, more fortunately, was able to shout "I will P But Ned gave Tom half of his, so they managed that difficulty pretty well, es- pecially as their mother sent up double their usual allowance. They lay in bed thinking it over all morning, and growing more and more sorry. Once in while one of them would forget himself and words were the only ones that would ing. About noon they were allowed to get up. Just-as they were thinking what they should do with themselves, in their dreadful state, they heard their fathers voice calling them. They ran to him, and he told them to get ready to go with him to the menagerie. They were per fectly delighted, and both called out to thank him, G won't P
 "Very well," said their father, who had been let into the secret, "I will go without you then"
 This was little too much, and, after they were left alone, each went into a corner and cried. Crying didn't do much for Ned, but the tears falling into Toms lap reminded him of the way he washed his slate sometimes by dropping tears from his sponge Sometimes the sponge would weep bitterly over wrong sum ill arithmetic), and it came into his head that perhaps he could write sensi- bly, on his slate if words did fail him. So he came out of his corner with hope in | his red eyes, and went to try his expert ment with his slate To his delight he ! found he could write as usual, and he wrote: "Dear Ned-NVe will write and tell mamma we are very sorry we said those naughty words to her, and then perhaps this bad habit will go away" Then Ned and Tom wrote very pentent letters and took them to their mother. She read them, tore them in little bits, to the great surprise of the boys, made a great roaring fire in the fireplace, and sent one bit after another up the chim-