The Press., 1883-12-20
SANTA CLAUS.
BY JIMMY BROWN.

What on earth do you think has happen ed? The other day was at Tom McGin- miss house, and he had some company. He was a big boy, and something like a cousin of Toms. Would you believe it, that fellow said there wasn't any Santa Claus? Twas ashamed for him, and I told him at once that he could never have any little hatchet.
 Now that boy distinctly did tell-but won't mention it. We should never re- yea, the wickedness of other people, and ought always to be thankful that we are worse tban anybody else Otherwise we should be like the Pharisee, and he was very bad. knew for certain that was 8 tb Tom McGinnis's cousin told But, all the same, the more I thought of it the more l got worried.
 If there is Santa Claus-and of course there is-how could he get up on the top of the house, SO he could come down the chimney, unless he carried a big ladd r with him and if he did this, how could he carry presents enough to fill mornahu .drel stockings? And then how could he help get ing the things all over soot from the chimney, and how does he manage when the chimney is all full of smoke and fire, as it always is at Christmas? But then, as the preacher says, he may be super natural T had to look that word up in the dictionary.
 The story Tom McGinnis's cousin told kept on worrying me, and finally began to think how perfectly awful it would be If dren would feel! There's g,ing to be no mas, and Aunt Eliza and her two small
 boys are here already. I heard mother and Aunt Eliza talking about Christmas the other day, and they agreed that all the children should sleep on cot beds eads ill 1 the back parlor, so that they could open their stockings together, and mother sad,
 t'You know, Eliza, there's big fireplace in that room, and the children can hang their stockings around the chimney" Now I know I did wrong, but it was only because did not want the children to be disappointed We should always d., to others and so on, and know should have been grateful if any body had tried to get up Santa Claus for me in case of the real one being out of repair. Neither d., blame mother, though if she hadn't spoken about the fireplace in the way she d, it would, never have happened. But I do think that they ought to have made lit tie allowance for me, since was o,ly try ing to help make the Christmas business successful.
 It all happened yesterday. Tom Mo Ginnis had come to see me, and all the folks had gone out to ride except Aunt Eliza's little boy Harry. We were talking about Christmas, and was telling Tom how all the children were to sle.p in the tack parlor, and how there was chimney there that was just the thing for Santa T. ol ,I: uey, and then sad to Tom what fun it w..u:d be to dr.ss up and come down the chimney and, pretend t., be Santa Claus, and how it would amuse the children, and how pleased the grown-up folks would be, for they are always wanting us to amuse them.
 Tom agreed with me that it would be splendid fun, and said we ought to prac- tice coming down the chimney, so that we could do it easily on Christmas-eve. He said he thought ought to do it, because 1t was our house but I said no, he was a visitor, and it would be mean and selfish in me to deprive him of any pleasure. But Tom wouldn't do it. He said that he wasn't feeling very we'll, and that h- didn't like to t,ke liberties with our chimney, and, besides he was afraid that he was so big that he wouldn't fit the chimney. Then We thought of Harry, and agreed tn t he was just the right size. Of cours Harry said he'd do it when we asked him, -or he isn't aflaid of anything, and is so proud to be allowed to play with Tom and me that he would do auy ything we asked him 10 l..
 Well, Harry took off his coat and shoes, and we all went up to the roof, and Tom a boosted Harry till he got on the top f tn. chimney and put his l-gs iu it and slid down. He went down like flash, for -Ie didn't know enough to brace himself the way the chimney sweeps do. Tom and we hurried down to the back parlor to meet him; but he had not arrived yet, though the fireplace was full of ashes and soot
 We supposed he had stopped on the way to rest; but after while we thought we heard noise, like somebody calling, that was great way off We went up on the roof, thinking Harry might have climbed back up the chimney, but he wasn't there. When we got on. the top of the chimney we could hear him plain enough. He was crying and yelling for help, for he was stuck about halfway down the chimney, a d couldn't get either up or down.
 We talked it over for some time, and de- cided that the best thing to d., was to get 8 rope and let it down to him, aud pull him out. So I got the clothes-line and let It down, but Harry's arms were jammed close to his sides, so he couldn't get hold of it. Tom said we ought to make slp- pernoose, catch it over Harry's head, and pull him out that way, but knew that Harry wasn't very strong, and was afraid If we did that he come apart.
 Then I proposed that we should get 70 g pole a. d push Harry down the rest of th' chimney, but after hunting all over the yard we couldn't find a pole that was long enough, so we had to give that plan up. All this time Harry was crying in the most di contented way, al hough we were d ing all he could for him. That's the way with little boys. They never have any gratitude, and are always discontented.
 As we couldn't poke Harry down, Tom said let's try to poke him up. So we told Harry to be patient and considerate, and we went downstairs again, and took the longest pole we could and pushed it up the chimney. Bushels of soot came down, and flew over everything, but we couldn't reach Harry with the pole. By this time we be- gan to feel discouraged. We were awfully sorry for Harry, because, if we couldn't get him out before the folks came home, Tom and would be in dreadful scrape.
 Then T %hou0ht that if wa wor.a Eo hI1;ld