The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-21

| all the little men and women who live
| in the mountains and mines, and who
help him Christmas time, are to-day.
They arc sleeping just wherever they
happened to drop down when they got
to Santa Claus home at daylight this
morning. None of them could stay
awake long enough to 60 to bed. (By
this time Stella and GUY were listening,
too, and Lily was upse ting the marbles
out of the tin wagon all over the door.
'.They are perfectly exhausted" Aunt
Helen went on, land it would be very
surprising if they were not. They filled
thousands and thousands of stockings
on Christmas Eve, and left thousands
and thousands of presents in thousands
and thousands OF places on Christmas
day. And they'd never got through if
the Mother Goose-folks hadn't helped
them-never. Little Boy Blue and Be-
Peep and Bobby Shaftoe and Jack
and Jill and Mary, Mary Quite
Contrary and Tommy Tucker and all
the rest of them Joined in and worked
with will. BIT every one of them
Santa aus-folks-GOose-folks -Elf-folks
is as fast asleep as can be now. And
don't they snore? You never heard so
many kind of snores in your life, and
never will hear SO many if you live to
| be a hundred. Santa Claus himself,
with his fur cap for pillow, is lying in
his sleigh and the RENDERS are stretched
out on the ground before it, and every
| time he snores his loudest they move
their heads in fright, thinking it S some
new kind of thunder. Mrs. Santa Claus
Inr lNs@ IS
posing on a pile of woolly dogs that
have been left over. and she snores so
softly that the woody dogs are not dis
turbed in the least. The little men and
women of the mines and mountains
give queer. sniffy snores of which it
| takes one hundred and nine to make a
sound loud enough 20 be of any account,
but as there are nineteen hundred and
sixty-two of them they furnish exactly
eighteen good loud snores. Then Santa
Claus enormous dog snores barky
snore, and Mrs. Santa Claus six cats
Snore me-owy snores, and the bic owl
that sits over the door of the cave where
the Santa tlaus people live SHORES a
Observation-Disclosures head snore, and
they all sleep and sleep as though ey
meant to sleep until New Years day NJ
least. And it wouldn't be much OF
wonder if they did. for they have been
working night and day for months pre-
pairing for Christmas and rather think
that they are very glad that it comes but
once year"
s'And I'm not sorry it don come Of
tener," said Ted who was. an odd old
fashioned little chap, '.cause if it came
very often things would be in pretty
mess half the time. Fellows with stom-
ach-ache from too much turkey and
pudding and things, and girls with
headache from too much pie and candy
and things, and no lessons learned
count of TOO much holidays and things,
and father and mother almost crazy
with the children home so much. Once
a year think is quite enough for Santa
Claus and his tribe Then there's New
Years day, and Washington's birthday,
and Fourth of July, and Anniversary
day, and excursion day, and summer
vacation and Thanksgivin'. And that's
enough for any boy or girl that wants
to get an education"
you'll be lecture man. that's sure
Ted said Ned. when you get your
education. And I'll come and listen to
emf you'll pay me-
There's good deal of truth in the
little lecture he has Just given u.s."
said Aunt Helen, ..for there's no deny
ing too many holidays would be rs bad
as too few. But it is sad TO think that
there are some poor children who know
none of these pleasant times, and whose
L., .,l I,-S
| suppose that the world is getting so
large that with all the assistance he can
muster he's obliged to miss a good
many. 1t seems too bad, though, that
those he misses are almost always the
very ones who need his gifts the most.
Perhaps if he and his wife, as YOU call
them Ted, came twice year the neg
lected little ones mi ght stand a chance"
81 say, Aunt Helen" said Ted,
swinging his feet Che was sitting on the
broad window-silD, wouldn't it be
jolly thing to find some of 'em out and
give 'em Christmas the day after?"
sob. Ted. you're always thinking of
something nice to do said Helen.
"And you amt half bad. if you do
lecture, old fellow" said Ned.
"a good idea Ted" approved Aunt
Helen. ''Just think how many poor
children could be made happy from the
superabundance of those who are well
off"
"Soup abundance" questioned Ned.
"Supcrabundance," corrected Ted.
cit means more than enough, my SON.
Il got two fairy-books, Just like the
one got last year. said Rose.
'.And got three little baskets most
zackly al ke," said Stella.
.'And l six balls and four pairs of
mittens," said Ned.
"And l more boxes end bags than l
can find things to put in Them" said
Helen, "besides about twenty cornuco-
pias filed with sugar plums."
.'And | a dozen candy cigars. Aunt
Lucy put 'em in my stocking for fun,
YOU know" said Ted, land two wooden
tippets, when those my grandmammas
gave on my birthday are lust as good as
ever, and don't wear 'em anyhow
hate anything tied around my neck
a-choking me-"
''An' me six totem fings," said Lily,
anxious to join in the conversation,
though she didn't understand in the
least what they We're talking about.
.'And there's some of our DOLLS" said
Rose, might 90 if they wanted to. I'll
let Mary Ann Haskins and Romeo
Jones go. Mary Ann Haskins only has
her head off and Romeo Jones' leg only
wobbled Little cause his knee broke
and the saw-dust came out"
But how are we going to find these
poor children?' asked Ted. And at
that moment, as though in answer to
his question. very small girl wearing