The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-12-22

asked him: Sam too heavy?" Still he
did not speak, but slowly worked his arm
around her and shook his head. 81 thought
not" she said, with a smile of superior
NOBODY ever said was too
$50 you see," said she at last, 'you haye
got to help good deal this time. Mamma
has not got any money to spare; but I've
got ten cents that she don't know anything
about. The agent gave them to me one
day. We must get something pretty for
him. You like him, you know. You said
he was broth of a boy!"
sob, did ?" muttered old Crabbe; but
with those eyes upon him he could not
deny it.
SHOW, I'll tell you my plan," said the
child. "You will take me along with you
when you go shopping this afternoon. You
have such lots of things to get and you can
get bargains, know" Mamma says that
people who buy great deal can do much
better. That's one thing that makes our
things so dear, because we buy so little
at time. So you can help me to spend
my ten cents, and you can show me how to
make real merry Christmas for mamma
Now Santa Claus, do" she added, as she
saw the old man just about to speak, with
look in his face like no; cpd Just do any,
thing for you. You haven't got another
little girl in the world that would be more
grateful than would be-" rf
"Would you'-said old Crabbe, slowly
"do you think you would-be willing to
give me another kiss-even if l was not
Santa ClausW
"Tll give you a hundred, and begin right
away" said Kate, eagerly; "but if YOU
wasn't Santa Claus, of course not. 1t
wouldn't be proper, unless you were my
grandfather or something. But you are
Santa Claus, you know; so what's the use
of talking like that?O
"Yes," said old Crabbe, boldly, "under
the circumstances, l am Santa Claus
though wish l was your grandfather"
well, DON'T" said little Katy. 'I've
got grandfather somewhere, and he's no
use at all. Mamma only cries when talk
about him and says Hush, my dear;' and
I'll tell you what | think: l think that he is
deaf and dumb and blind, and that he has
lost his mind, too, and that they have put
him in prison and he don't know enough to
get out or even to want to get out-just like
alike an idiot rabbit" she concluded tri-
umphantly, and added in a tone of deep
pity; poor old grandfather CrabbeW
There was dead silence for a minute,
and then old Crabbe spoke. son the
WHOLE" said he, 81 prefer to be. Santa
Claus. Gomez"
But the air of bewilderment and uncer-
| tainty has disappeared. He waited i'm
patiently while Katy put on her red cloak
open he lifted her in his arms and strobe
| out across the dangerous step into the snow.
I The storm had ceased and the sun was still
| two hours high.
A carriage was passing. Old Crabbe
hailed the driver, hired the carriage and
put little Kate into it. "Lots to do" said
| he: tive must hurry"
80, yes, indeed" said Katy. "You will
have to drive hard to get around to all the
| houses. Why, it would take an hour to go
to the little girls that know"
| "How many do you know? feline where
| they live" said he; and in a few minutes
| be had the names of some twenty girls
| Then he stopped the carriage and left Katy
in it for moment. Looking out of the
window she saw him enter a door over
| which was the sign "District Telegraph
| Office. Messengers at all Hours" But she
| did not see or hear his astonishing per-
| Torrance in there, the result of which was
that all the messengers in the concern were
| off within five minutes carrying invitations
to the houses of Katy's friends, begging
| them to please excuse lack of ceremony
| and come to No. l42, with their brothers,
| and fathers and mothers, too, if they liked,
| that very evening.
AS old Crabbe was about to get into the
carriage again he spied the agent coming
along the street. 'Just the man | want TO
see! Hello, there! 60 right down to No.
142, and stop on the way at the confection-
| er's and order a supper for about-well,
| about a hundred-and have those steps
mended in half an hour; and while you are
about it, get big Christmas tree, and all
the fixings. Never mind what it costs, I'll
pay it; Pm good for it-well, what are you
staring at? Get along, can't you? Stay
this is for yourself. Now hurry up, will
youp And he put into the hands of the
astonished agent several gold pieces
amounting to more than months salary.
But the agent caught a glimpse of Katy in
the carriage, and understood how the
matter lay without any explanations; and
away he went, as wild as a young colt with
| delight. "Whoop" said he; "to think of
ould Crabbe caught by the witch of a
choild. o, Kathleen Mavourneen! av We
begin this way whin ye're young, faith the
boys'll break hearts an heads for yer
purity eyes whin we're bit olderw
Meanwhile old Crabbe-0ld Crdbbei-
| was shopping like mad. Whatever Katy
admired he bought. The shopkeepers all
knew him, and knew that he was able to
! pay. So they made no objection to his ex-
| travagance, though they could not under
stand it. At last Katy herself interfered
"Santa Claus" said she, gravely, 81 am
afraid you are spending too much money.
| You don't seem to understand shopping
| You ought to look at things and admire
| them and ask the price, and whether they
will wash, and say you will look further
before deciding: and then the clerk will
offer to sell them to you at cost, because it's
you, and he would like to oblige an old
customerW
80, know how it's done." said old
| Crabbe, remembering his merchant days.
''Then why don't you do it," pursued
Katy. "You just ask how much it is, and
say DO it upo That's no way to shop !!
And Pm afraid you'll waste all tine money
in the world, and that will make every
body poor!" '..
snow don't you worry" said old Crabbe,
cheerily. 81 like this way of shopping
best. And Pve got plenty. Why, child,
I've got twenty thousand dollars to spend,
| if like!"
40, what lot % said Katy. "But | sup
dose it don't make so very much when you
divide it around. OF course, L like it, you
needn't stop on my account. l never had
such fun in my life as buying the Christmas
| presents for all the boys and girls in town !"
| So that wild shopping went on until both
| of them were tired Meanwhile the agent
and crowd of assistants were working
like men distracted at No. 142, receiving
and arranging the articles that came to the
door in a perfect procession of express
wagons and all the folks i'll the neighbour
hood were hattening their noses on their
window-panes in admiration at the goings
ON at No. 142, or else they were scrubbing
and dressing the children who had been in
vited to spend the evening there.
| At last old Crabbe and Katy drove up to
| the door. 1t was almost time for the party
to begin. He wouldn't let her go into the