Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-09
JOE's TREAT.
How Santa Clause Appeared tc
Master Joe and Miss Sis.

1t was Christmas Eve and crowds of
busy buyers and pleasure-seckers
thronged Avenue A. Among them
might have been seen a boy Of perhaps
ten years and a girl some three years
his junior, who were evidently bentupon
a very important errand, if one could
Judge by the number of times they
paused and consulted, the look of earn
estness deepening in their faces. Good.
faces they were, too, if a little soiled.
The boys frank and honest, with a
merry twinkle in each dark eye, whilst
the girls blue ones Wore an innocent,
wistful expression. She would have
been quite pretty if it had not been for
the sickly color of her skin (want of
proper nourishment) and the matted
locks, which only needed soap and
water to render them soft and golden.
"A straw bonnet, a portion of the brim
missing, on account of its being several
sizes too large, gave the child constant
employment trying to keep it on. Its
counterpart in the shape of a hat COW
cred the curly head of her companion,
whose pants could have easily held
another boy.
Presently they paused before a large
store with its window filled with cakes.
Square cakes, rounded cakes, frosted
cakes, cakes with snow-white towers
and cunning sugar cupids. cakes large
and small, yellow with eggs or black
with fruit. AS the children stood gaz-
ing at the rich display an old gentle
man passed, turned and retraced his
steps and also took his stand before
the cake window. Ever and anon his
kindly face was lit up by q smile as
some remark of the children's reached
his ears.
At last the importantquestion seemed
decided, for the boy, with a nod and
the words, "You jess wait here, sis"
made his way into the store. It was
crowded, so he had. to wait his turn,
while the girl pressed her eager little
face tightly against the window pane,
;%tiptoeing on her small, bare toes in her
excitement.
There was quite a pretty flush on
the child's delicate cheeks when the
boy reappeared with a small parcel in
his hand, and she exclaimed, eagerly:
'Did you get it?'
''You bet!!" was the answer, followed
by a long-drawn-out ''Oh!" from the
little girl as they made their way along
the avenue, the old gentleman close
behind them. After a while they turned
into a side street, and bent their steps
toward a vacant lot, half shut in by a
brick wall and Uttered over with old
Packing-cases, bits of tarpaulin and
refuse.
els it a nice place where you live?'
questioned the girl, as her companion
piloted her owe barrel hoops and old
c%rockery. A saucy look twinkled in
the boys eyes as he answered.:
"Wel, sis, it a~in'texactly what you'd
call a brOwn-stone front; it's more,
more on the Oscar Wilde stvle.n
"What's that?" and the little eirl's
eyes opened to their widest extent.
That's a kinder style as is made up
of old things as was chucked away as
mo good to nobody" Then he added:
"Here we are; jess hold on a minute
till [ light the chandelier, or you might
knock your head agin the frescoingH.'
A smell of sulphur, then the faint
glimmer OF a candle showed the out
Zine of a large packing-case, partially
covered with pieces of tarpaulin.
Drawing one of the pieces aside, the
boy babe his companion enter, adding:
"Sit down, sis, till 1 git the fire a.
going; you're company, you know"
Obeying orders, sis seated herself on
an upturned butter-tub and gazed in
quiringly around. The packing-case
within which she sat stood l~engthwise,
a hole in its side being concealed by d
curtain of sail cloth, the other side ~all
and part OF front were composed Oi
pieces of t%arpaulin, proppcd up by old
broom handles and one bent iron sta
Pile, AT the rear stood a high brick
wall. Adjoining the packing-case's
sides were Il part of a circus poster, a
ounday-school card and a colored 18th.
'ograph OF Tony Pastor.
BY the time sis had finished her in
spections the fire, which consisted OF
charred coal and odds and ends of
wood, was lit. 1t was built upon the
Ground u,Lo~ n oo~u1 - 49,