New Ulm weekly review., 1886-12-22

BORROW, reign you not tomorrow,
When the year
New. born is here.
A Talk With Santa Claus.
One Christmas eve Joel Baker was
in a most unhappy mood. He was
lonesome and miserable; the chimes
making merry Christmas music out
side disturbed rather than soothed
him; the jingle OF the sleigh bells fret
ted him, and the shrill whistling of
the wind around the corners of the
house and up and down the chimney
seemed to CRATE harshly on his ears.
s'Humph, "said Joel, YEARLY, "Christ-
mas is nothin' to me; there was a
time when it meant great deal, but
that was long ago-ffty years is a
long stretch tolook back over. There
is nothin' IN Christmas, now, nothin'
for me at least; it Is SO long since San
ta Claus remembered me that ven
ture to say he has forgotten that
there ever was such a person as Joel
Baker in all the world It used to be
different; Santa Claus used to think a
great deal of me when I was a boy.
All! Christmas nowadays amt what
it was in the good old time-no, not
what it used to be-"
As Joel was absorbed in his distress
ing thoughts he became aware very
suddenly that somebody was entering
Or trying to enter the room. First
came a draft OF cold air, then scra-
ping, grating sound, then a strange
shuffling, and then-yes, then, all at
once, Joel saw a pair of fat legs and a
still fatter body dangle down the
chimney, followed presently by long,
white beard, above which appeared
jolly red nose and two bright twink
ling eyes, while over the head and
forehead was drawn fur cap, white
with snowhakes.
"Ha, ha,'' chuckled the fat, Jolly
stranger, emerging from the chimney
and standing well to one side of the
hearthstone; ha, ha. they don't have
the big, wide chimneys they used to
build, but they can't keep Santa Claus
out-no, they can't keep Santa Claus
out! Ha, ha, ha. Though the Chin
ney were no bigger than a gas pipe
Santa Claus would slide down it,
1t didn't require a second glance to
assure Joel that the newcomer was
indeed Santa Claus. Joel knew the
good old saint-oh, yes-and he had
seen him once before, and although
that was when Joel was a little boy,
he had never forgotten how Santa
Claus looked.
Nor had Santa Claus forgotten Joel,
although Joel thought he had; for now
Santa Claus looked kindly at Joel
and smiled and said: "Merry Christ.
mas to you, JOEL"
"Thank you, old Santa Claus.' re-
piled Joel; 1'but l don't believe it's
goin' to be 8 very merry Christmas.
It's been SO long since I've had a mer-
ry Christmas that 1 don't believe I'd
know how to act if I had one."
Lets see," said Santa Claus: sit
must be going on fifty years since l
saw you last-yes, you were 8 wears
old the last time slipped down the
chimney Of the old homestead and
filled your stocking. Do you remem-
Der it?"
II remember it we'll, answered Joel;
II had made up my mind to lie awake
and see Santa Claus; I'd heard tell of
you, but I'd never seen you, and
brother Otis and l concluded we'd lie
awake and watch for you to come"
Santa Claus shook his head re-
proachfully.
''That was very wrong" said he,
4for I'm so scarey that if I'd known
you boys were awake Id never have
come down the chimney at all, and
Ahen you'd have had no presents"
But Otis couldn't keep awake" "ex-
planned Joel. ''We talked about every
Thin we could think of, till faith er call
ed out to us that if we didn't stop
talking he'd have to send one of us
up into the attic to sleep with the hired
znan. SO in less than five minutes
Otis was sound asleep and no pinch
ing could wake him up. But was
bound to see Santa Claus and l don't
believe anything wculd've put me to
sleep. Iheard the big clock in the sit
ting.room strike IL, and had begun
wonderln' Is you never were going to
come, when all OF a sudden Iheard the
tinkle Of the bells around your rein
deers' necks. Then / heard the rein
deers prancin' on the roof and the
sound of your sleigh.runners cuttin
through the crust and sIippin' over
the shingles. was kind o. scared and
| covered my head up with the sheet
and quilts only left q little hole SO
lcould peek out and see what was