The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-01-06
A PRESENT FOR SANTA CLAUS.

I'D CdIo Olu. OHC utu llUUio SlSte
names Milly, who was just three wear
old, and big brother whose whole nam,
was Benjamin Franklin, but that is 81
long that they never got. beyond tn,
first syllable, and so called him Ben
| This was all the family except papa ant
mamma Raymond, who kept house fol
them. AS soon as the Thanksgiving
turkey had fairly been eaten, Hetty be
gan to wish for Christmas to come, Sc
that Santa Claus would bring her some
presents. Now Hettya thought anG
talked SO much about Christmas that al
the family were tired of it except little
! Milly. But one day an idea came int
Hetty's head. She was very apt to have
/ ideas. =
seMamma, n said Hetty, edo YOU sup
pose any one eyer gives, Santa Claus
any presents?''
"Idon't know child, L never heard
OF such thing answered her mother.
T g Well, don't you think somebody
ought to when he is so good, and gives
presents to 50, many Children, con
! rsPerhaps It would be good plan;
would you like to give him something's
said Mrs. Raymond, who was always
ready to CRAFTY her children uo II
,'''Oh! | Should" exclaimed Hetty, ca
gerly, and her big brown eyes almost
snapped with delight, Is,but what could
give him? Wouldn't it be nice, to
knit him pair of mittens and a bio
carftofkeep him. RarmP : It's most al
ways, dreadful cold Christmas day
when he is going about from house to
Il should think that would do very
well, ~ said her mother, sand Twill fur
nisb the yarn if you will do the knit
ting. But there are only five weeks
9before Christmas, and you will have
to. give, up. your play7time and be
very industrious in order to get them
done.s h9tit}imi El91li@ r. as..gb}l no
tOh, idearr' said Hetty, .;and / do
have such good times playing, and l
hate to knit; but L 8 pose l 1oug ht to do
it, for Santa Claus always give me lots
OF things, and l most know he will
give me new doll this year. tn do i.
mamma; ar Il, al NJ, s,s, ..-s,s...;
Nov, when Hetty: said She Z would
do a thing, it was just as good as done.l
Ever since her mother read to her. the
dreadful story of Lot s wife, when she
was not quite six years old, she had not
been known to back out of anything she
undertook ''Im just going ahead"
she would say, ''do you s'pose I'm go
ing to be like Lots wife?'F PIG e.
So Mrs. Raymond got some, warn. a
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 early bedtime at half-pa seven.
Ben used to call her "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,n but
Hetty was SO well accustomed to his
jokes that she took no notice of them.
Mrs. Raymond was very glad to see her
little daughter willing to gipeseu p her
play for the sake of doing some one a
kindness, and glad, too, that she was
forming habits ,ofsindustsy. Two or
three days before Christmas the mittens
and scarf were finished, and 'Hetty ac-
tually jumped up and down for low
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 a. row
on line near the fire place, but, unlike
the others, Hetty's stocking was not
empty. A pair of nice gray mittens
with a bit of red at the wrists, was
stuffed into it, and over it hung 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
scrawled in Hetty's own hand, "a
Christmas Present for Santa Claus. w.
You may be sure the Raymond chill !
dren were up very early Christmas
and gathered around the Raw |
mondi stockings. To Hetty's great joy |
the scarf and mittens were gone, and |
over her stocking hung a beautiful wax |
doll with READ blonde hair and greatblue
eyes that would open and shut. In the |
stockings were packages OF bon-bons
and, cunning little Russia-leather case
silver thimble,. scissors and
papers of needles, and last Of all. a Iaf-
ter directed to miss Hetty RAYMOND -
MY DEAR LITTLE HETTY: 1 can't tell Won |
now surprised and pleased was to find' your !
nee present.. You arethe only little girl who |
nas ever made me a present, though i have
carried beautiful gifts to thousands of little |
iris. nope you viii always try and make I
people happy, and that you will have a merry
christmas every year as long as YOU live. with !
many thanks, Your faithful friend,
sta't SANTA CLAUS.
You never saw little girl so pleased
IS Hetty was with this. the very first
etter she had ever received; and She
read 1t over and over until it seemed as
1 she would wear it all out. Il
Milly had a nice new rag doll that
would not break if she happened to
irop 1T. and new box of building
blocks and some bon-bons. Ben had a
Jew laek-knife that what bows al
ways have-and new book, and asled,
Which was on the floor under his stock
NC. don't remember what papa and
mamma Raymond had, but it isn't of
my consequence, for they were only
folks.