The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-12-16

OF holy Babe in manger low
The beautiful story Of long ago, Z. -
When n radiant star threw its beams so wide,
To herald the earliest Christmas-tide.
MAKING SANTA CLAUS A PRESENT.
Hettie Raymond was little girl about
eight years old. She had little sister
names Milly, who was just three years
old, and big brother whose whole name
was Benjamin Franklin, but that is so
long that they never got beyond the
first syllable, and SO called him Ben.
This was all the family except papa and
mamma Raymond, who kept house for
them. AS soon as the Thanksgiving
turkey had fairly been eaten, Hetty be-
gan to wish for Christmas to come, so
that Santa Claus would bring her some
presents. Now Hetty thought and
talked SO much about Christmas that all
the family were tired of il except little
Milly. But one day an idea came into
Hetty's head. She was very apt to have
ideas. ...s r -
Mamma" said Hetty, :. do you sup
pose any one ever gives Santa Claus
any presentsP' -
II don't know, child, never heard
of such a thing" answered her mother.
"Well, don't you think somebody
ought to when he is SO good, and gives
presents to SO many children?" con-
tinued Hetty. r-f...e'.1f
"Perhaps it would be good plan;
would you like to give him something?"-
said Mrs. Raymond, who was always
ready to CRAFTY her children.
"Oh! should" exclaimed Hetty, ca
gerly, and her big brown eyes almost
snapped with delight, ..but what could
give, him? Wouldn't it be nice to
knit him a pair of mittens and a big
scarf to keep him warmP It's most al
WAYS dreadful cold Christmas day
when he is going about from house to
house." ,,ctf -s.
81 should think that would do very
well," said her mother, '.and will fur
nish the yorn if you will do the knit
ting. But there are only five weeks
before Christmas, and you will have
to. give up your play-time and be
very industrious in order to get them
done.h
..Oh, dear!'' said Hetty. 'and 1 do
have such good times playing, and
hate to knit; but s'pose ought to do
it, for Santa Claus always give me lots
of things, and / most know he will
give me new doll this year. I'll do it
mamma"
SHOW, when Hetty said she would
do n thing. it was just as good as done.
Ever since her mother read to her the
dreadful story of Lots wife, when she
was not quite six years old, she had not
been known to back out of anything she
undertook. "rm just going ahead"
she would say, s.do you s'pose I'm 90
ing to be like Lots wifef''
So Mrs. Raymond got some yarn,
soft. pretty gray with bit of dark red
for the edges, and Hetty went to work.
Every day when she got home from
school she would take her knitting and
work patiently until supper was ready,
and after supper she would knit until
her carly bedtime at half-past seven.
Ben used to call her s'Her Royal High
ness, the Princess of the Knitting
Needle" and other queer names. and
warn her of the disagreeable conse-
quences which might follow if she
"gave Santa Claus the mitten," but
Hetty was so we'll accustomed to his
jokes that she took no notice of them.
Mrs. Raymond was very glad to see her
little daughter willing to give up her
play for the sake of doing some one
kindness, and glad, too, that she was
forming habits of industry. Two or
three days before Christmas the mittens
and scarf were finished, and Hetty ac-
tually jumped up and down for joy,
and so did little Milly. though she did
not know what it was all about.
The night before Christmas all the
Raymond stockings were hung in row
on line near the fire place, but, unlike
the others. Hetty's stocking was not
empty. A pair of nice gray mittens
with q bit of red ut the wrists, was
stuffed into it, and over it hung a large
gray scarf, with Just a line of red in the
edge, and on the scarf and mittens were
pinned scraps of paper on which were
scrawied in Hetty's own hand, "A
Christmas Present for Santa Claus"
You may be sure the Raymond chill
dren were up very early Christmas
morning. and gathered around the Ray
mond stockings. To Hetty's great Joy
the scarf and mittens were gone, and
over her stocking hung beautiful wax
doll with real blonde hair and great blue
eyes that would open and shut. In the
stockings were packages of bon-bons
and cunning little Russia-leathcr case
papers of needles, and last of all, a let
ter directed to "Miss Hetty Raymond"
The letter read like this:
MY DEAR LITTLE HErrY: can't tell you
how surprised and pleased was to find your
nice present. You are the only little girl who
has ever made me present. though l have
carried beautiful gifts to thousands of little
girls, hope you will always try and make
people happy, and that you viii have merry
,sanEs
-s SANTA CLAUS.
You never saw little girl so pleased
rs Hetty was with this, the very first
letter she had ever received; and she
read it over and over until it seemed as
if she would wear it all out.
Milly had a nice new rag doll that
would not break il she happened to
drop it. and new box of building
blocks and some bon-bons. Ben had
new jack-knife-that's what boys al
ways have-and new book, and sled,
which was on the floor under his stock
ing. l don't remember what papa and
mamma Raymond had, but it isn't of
any consequence. for they were only
grown-up folks.
Hetty's Uncle John and his wife and
three children, and Aunt Maria, who
was widow, with her two children,
came in season for the Christmas din
ncr. And the little RaymOnds showed
their presents to tho FIVE cousins, and
the five cousins told the little Ray
monds what beautiful presents they
had. And Ben told the five cousins all
about Hetty's present to Santa Claus.
and Santa Claus letter to Hetty, and
then the letter had to bo read over and
over again; and the cousins opened
their five pairs of eyes very wide, for |
,hsy had never heard cl stivh thing