The Red Cloud chief., 1884-01-11
Playing Santa Claus.

pened? The other day 1 was at Tom
McGinnis' house, aud 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? / was
ashamed for him. and 1 told him at
once that he could never have any little
Ratchet.
Now that boy distinctly did tell-but
| won't mention it. We should never
reveal the wickedness of other people,
and ought always to be thankful that
we are worse than any body else.
Otherwise we should be like the Phar-
isee, and he was very bad. l knew for
certain that it was a fib Tom McGinnis'
cousin told. But, all the same. the
more l thought about it the more l got
worried.
Ii there is a 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 Ear
ried q big ladder with him; and if he
did this. how could he carry presents
enough to fill mOrnahundred stockings?
And then how could he help getting
the things all Over SCOT from the CHM
ney, 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
supernatural had to look that word
up in the dictionary.
The story Tom McGinnis' cousin told
kept on worrying me, and finally l be-
gan to think how perfectly awful it
would be if there was any truth in it.
How the children would feeli There's
going to be no end of children at our
house this Christmas, ard Aunt Eliza
and her two small boys are here already.
l heard mother and Aunt Eliza talking
about Christmas the other day. and
they agreed that all the children should
sleep :on cot bedsteads in the back
parlOr, so that they could open their
stockings together, and mother said:
"You know, Eliza, there's a big fire
place in that room, and the children
can hang their stockings around the
chimney"
Now l know l did wrong, but it was
only because 1 did not want the chill
dren to be disappointed. We should al
ways do to others and so on, and l
know I should have been grateful if
anybody had tried to get up a Santa
Claus for me in case of the real one be-
ing out of repair. Neither do l blame
mother. though if she hadn't spoken
about the fireplace in the way she did,
it would never have happened. But 1
do think that they ought to have made a
little allowance for me. since | was only
trying to help make the Christmas bust
ness successful.
1t all happened yesterday. Tom Nc
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 l was tell
ing Tom how all the children were to
sleep in the back parlor, and how there
was a chimney there that was Just the
thing for Santa Claus. We went and
looked at the chimney, and then l
said to Tom what fun it would he to
dress up and come down the chimney
and pretend to 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
practice coming down the chimney, so
that we could do it easily on Christmas
eve. He said he thought l ought to do
it, because it was our house; but l
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 well, and that he didn't like to
take liberties with our chimney, and,
besides. he was afraid that he was so
big that he wouldn't fit the chimney.
Then W. thought of Harry, and agreed
he was Just the right size. Of
course Harry said he'd do it when we
asked him. for he isn't afraid of any,
thing. and is so proud to be allowed to
play with Tom and me that he would do
anything we asked him to do.
Well, Harry took off his coat and
shoes, and we all went up to the root,
and Tom and l boosted Harry till he got
On the top of the chimney and put his
legs i'm it and slid down. He went
down like a flash, for he didn't know
to brace himself the way the
,himney-sweeps do. Tom and 1 hur-
-ied down to the back parlor to meet
him: but he had not arrived yet, though
he fireplace was full of ashes and
,OOt.
We supposed he had stopped on the
way to rest; but after awhile we
we heard a noise, like somebody
that was a great way OIL. We
vent up on the roof, thinking Harry
night have climbed back up the Chin
ley, but he wasn't there. When we
rot on the top of the chimney we could
lear him plain enough. He was crying
md yelling for help, for he was stuck
bout halfway down the chimney and
couldn't get either up or down.
We talked it owe for some time, and
that the best thing to do was to
ret a rope and let it down to him and
'ull him out. So l got the clothes-line
nd let it down, but Harry's arms were
ahmed close to his sides. so he couldn't
ct hold of it. Tom said we ought to 4
make . slippernoose, catch it over
head, and pull him out that
ray, but l knew that Harry wasn't very
trong, and 1 was afraid ii We did that
e might come apart.
Then I proposed that we should get a
ong pole and push Harry down the
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