News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1881-12-22
dreamily. "Where does he live? Oh.

but ne could do anything, give m
d anything he chose ?" asked Nina.
eyes" said the feverish woman
I eyes, yes tell him to bring me ice
nice, cold, glittering ice-to cool m,
head-ice, ice."
"Oh, / will get you some ice, moth
err" said Nina. "I will go to the gro
GERS and get some" z.es
Sho took bowl from the closet and .
penny from the old purse, and ran ou
of the room, softly shutting the dool
behind her.
There was a grocery in the lower par
of the house, and she went into it an6
up to the counter. A rosy-faced Dutch
boy gave her the ice, and he looked sc
good-natured that she asked him q
question.
"Do you know where Santa C'aus
lives ?" she said.
The bfy scratched his head.
" Yaw-he lif in Germany" he said.
Mina's heart leaped high.
Biddy-ittle Biddy Flynnl' she
called to child passing the door, "will
you take this bowl of ice up to my
mother, and give her some, and stay by
her until I come back I'll only be
gone few minutes"
Good-natured little Biddy took the
bowl and ran up stairs, while Nina ran
down toward the streets that she knew
led to the river as fast as her feet could
carry her. She had two cents in her
pocket and thought that would pay her
fare.
A sailor was standing near fruit
stand. Nina looked up into his round
brown face with confidence.
Mr.. Sailor" she said, "will you
tell me which of those ships go to Ger
many ?"
"Why, that one yonder, my little
lass" said the sailor, pointing to- one
over. which the German flag foated.
But Nina thought that he meant the
ferryboat that ran to Weehawken.
"Thank you," she said, and hurried
off. A bell was ringing as she ran past
the ferry-house, and, after paying her
two cents to the ferry she was
soon aboard the boat which started the
next moment.
1t did not take long to cross the river,
and Nina went ashore and looked about.
A great, jolly-looking man sat smoking
his pipe at the door of shoemaker's
shop.
Nina went up to him and said softly 5
''Please, sir, will you tell me where
Mr.. Santa Claus lives ?"
''Mr. Sana Claus ?" said the man, in
broken English. "Vell, do not know
does he keep shop or work at a
trade? You tell me vot he is, den may
be remember him."
'rDon't you know2 I thought every
one knew Mr.. Santa Claus" said Nina.
"He-he makes toys for little chill
dren."
''So" said the German. $50. Yas,
know. Go mp dis street and along to
the nezfSAcorner, den you see littIe4
gate. Behind dat you find de man dat |
makes toys for de children"
Nina said that she was much obliged.
She felt that people were amiable in Ger
many, and her hopes rose high. She |
followed the old Germans directions and
soon came to high fence. There was
a gate in it. She lifted the latch and
opened it, and before her was low,
brown house. Softly she crept up to
the window. Yes, yes she had found
Santa Claus at last. There, before the
fire, sat little, fat, old man with white
hair and rosy cheeks, hard at work with
a turning lathe. An old woman, as rosy
as he was, was gluing pieces of wood
together with abrush-toy chairs, tables,
bedsteads, wagons, milkmaids, iointed
dolls and at table sat four little girls
painting away at the finished toys with
the brightest colors. Oh this was de-
l1ghtful, and Santa Claus and his wife
looked so kind -ts
Nina knocked on the door. Some one
cried, "Herein," and she entered.
She stood at the threshold and dropped
the little courtesy her mother had taught
her, and said:
"Please, Mr.. Santa Claus, I want to
speak to you particularly. 1t is about
Christmas. .r<-
''Sop cried the old gentleman-and |
truly he was a German-risiDg. "But
what did you call me, little one ?"
''Mr. Santa Claus" said Nina. "I've
been looking for you all day, and poor
mother is so sick. That is why wanted
to see you. You used to come in at the
window on Christmas eve when she lived
in Germany, and you always put some
thing in her shoe, and now she cannot
earn money because she is SO sick. l
want you to come down the chimney and
put enough in her stocking to last until
she is well, for father is dead, and we
have nobody who cares for us. And you
oh, you are SO good always going
over the roofs on Christmas eve, and
giving presents to everybody" .a
".The child thinks you are Santa
Claus" whispered the old German
woman in her husbands ear. "Oh,
how like she is to our little Nina, do
you not see?" ....
"Do you speak German, child I" said
the old man.
eyes," said Nina, sit is my moth
er's language. Yes, l speak it very
we'll"
"And what is you neme?" asked the
old gentleman.
"Mina Hoffman, Mr.. Santa Claus, if
you please" replied Nina. ..sH--
The old woman caught her husbands
arm.
"Be quiet, be quiet" whispered the
old man. "It is common name"
"And how did you come to think of
coming here, my little maiden?"
Because you we've SO good" said
Nina. "To- day mother cried and told
me how pleasant it used to be in Ger
many; and, oh, Mr.. Santa CLAUS, you
must know where her father and mother
are. She said she ran away from them
and know she thought it was very
naughty-only what could she do If they
wouldn't let father come in ?"
Hans, Hans, it is our daughter !"
cried the old woman. "What was the
name of your mothers father?"
"It was Ansen, Mrs. Santa CLAUS"
said Nina