Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-12-22
LITTLE TOMMY STUFFIN.
THE yINDICATOR CHRISTMAS STORY FOR
BAD CHILDREN.

Reprinted by Requestl
Dear Children The editor of the Vim
DICTATOR, who loves you all, good and bad
has all the year been trying to think of wha
he would give you for Christmas pres
ent. Last week he ordered nice pound
cake, with plums in it, and nice white
iclng on top of it, to be made for every
little boy and girl in Stanton but when
your dear mothers heard of it they came
to him aud 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 all the cakes at
blessed morning, and where you can see
them by calling there-though you needn It
say we sent you.
Most of the stories, dear children, that
Kris Kringle," who comes down the Chin
ney and gives good children everything
they expected, and sometimes little more
than they expected in the shape of stom-
ach-ache, but this story is about another
kris Kringle'' that calls on bad children;
for you must know that there are a great
many bad children nowadays. The rea-
son of this is because their mothers are
very high-tempered, and their fathers very
meek, and the children inherit their moth
understand all about this now, though it
is one of The first things that will strike you
after you are grown uo.
The little boy I am going to tell you about
was called Little Tommy Stuffin. All of
you know what stuffin is, children; it is that
part of turkey that you get when the
neighbors send any in, and it is also part
of the goose that your Pa will buy to-day,
which is better bird for children because
it gives their jaws good deal of calisthen-
ic 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 a wonderful way
of putting things inside of him. Though
he was only eight years old, he could put
more in his little stomach than a grown
up man, and many night his little night
gown would be so tight that his dear
mother, who was pio1s lady. would kneel
down and pray that he mightn5 burst be-
fore morning. See what it is. dear chill
fn ha n
good did that mother standing between
him and the vengeance of Heaven do this
wicked boy, do you think? Not one bless
ed bit! When she wouldn't give him what
he wanted. he would inst stand and scream
and say, II she'll - and Il sha-a-a-nt -
and II w-o-o-o-n't!'' and kick his dear
parent on her dear legs until she would
have to give him just what he wanted, and
60 to bed and have one of her attacks"
Well, this sort Of thing couldn't go on
for ever, you may be certain, so sure
enough, all of sudden. one Christmas Eve
night, it came to dead stop. Little Tom
my Stuffin had been gotten ready in his nice
white nights gown, and put into his little
trundle bed with ratings around it, when
he began to think of what would be in his
stocking next morning, and determined to
have some of it right then. and, then, as
he always did, he got up on the floor and
screamed out, MA, Ma-a-a!' ~ And just
then voice from away up the chimney,
said, awful gruff, "What do you want 20
IU Ma you," and there was great rat
tie and dust in the fireplace, and pair
of little legs swung down out of the chin
ney, not mindiug the fire bit. Poor little
Tommy scratched back to bed in hurry
and peeped out through the railing After
the legs came little man. and such man
as it was My goodness it would have
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.
AMI be had on sheet iron over-coat, and
a tin waistcoat buttoned over his stomach.
He Was hump-shouldered, and his face
was just horrid. 1t was of copper and
glowed till it was red with heat, and the
tip of bis nose was just like spark, and
and his little sharp, red eyes we're like Goals
of fire.
s'Phew,'' said the little man, as he stood
before the fire witt his hands under his
coat tails, sits chilly out" And with
that be sDatched up the tin blower of the
fireplace and doubled it up like a handker-
chief in his hand. aud blew his nose with a
sound like a locomotive whistle. five
left my handkerchief at home, y he added
as if explaining it to the company. And
then he went to the coal-scuttle and drop
ped couple of Jumps down his throat, ana
directly his little, round, iron stomach
commenced heating till it got red-hot. 81
there nothing here to sit on2" says he
looking like he would be very dangerous
some one didn't hand him a chair, and h.
sat down III Mrs. Stuf1in's rocking. chair
But it caught Ere directly. and he got up
very CROSS, and sat down on the coal
scuStle.
Nov. this is comfortable said tn
little man. rubbing his stomach, and tax
ing his pipe out of his mouth. "Who wa
that called me?"
Poor little Tommy Stufin shot his hea
under the cover.
''I'm looking for a bad boy named Slut
fn,' says the iron man; land I've got t
have him dead or alive-it don't max
much difference which for if he is allv
when catch him he will soon be til
other way"
''Oh me!' groaned little Tommy Stuffir
"Oh, poor me -
IF there's a boy named Stuffin in trur
dle-bed in this room,'' says this little rec
hot Kris Kringle, looking up at the Gel
ing, "he'd better speak up, because "
got his name in nay memorandum book.