The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-12-21
Talk WITH SANTA CLAUS.

On Christmas eve Joel Baker was in an
unhappy mood. lie was lonesome and
miserable ;the chimes making merry Christ
mas music outside disturbed rather than
soothed him; the jingle Of the sleigh-beils
fretted 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.
"Humph," said Joel, YEARLY, sChrist-
mas is nothin' to me; there was a time when
it meant a great deal, but that was long
ago-ffty years is a long stretch to look
back over. There is nothin' in Christmas
now, nothin' for me at least; it is so long
since Santa Claus remembered me
that venture to say he has forgotten that
there ever was such a person as Joel Baker
in all the world. 1t used to be different;
Santa Claus used to think a great deal of
me when [ was a boy. All! Christmas
nowadays amt what it was in the gooG old
time-no, not what it used to be-"
AS Joel was absorbed in his distressing
thoughts he became aware very suddenly
that somebody was entering or trying to
enter the room. First came a draft of
cold air. then a scraping, 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 a long
white beard, above which appeared a jolly
red nose and two bright twinkling eyes,
while over the head and forehead was
drawn a fur cap, white with snowflakes.
"Ha, ha, F" chuckled the fat, jolly stran-
ger, emerging from the chimney and stand
ing we'll to one side of the h~earthstone; "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
chimney was no bigger than a gas pipe
Santa Claus would slide down it!''
1t didn't require a second glance to as
sure Joel that the newcomer was indeed
Santa Claua. 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, al
though Joel thought he had; for now Santa
Claus looked kindly at Joel and smiled
and said: merry Christmas to you, Joel!'
.'Thank you, old Santa Claus" replied
Joel; ''but l don't believe it's goin' to be
a very merry Christmas. It's been so long
since I've had a merry Christmas that l
don't believe Id know how to act if I had
one"
''Let's see, ;" said Santa Claus; sit must
be going on fifty years since / saw you
last-yes, you were 8 years old the last
time l slipped down the chimney of the old
homestead and filed your stocking. Do
You remember it,"
II remember it well, answered Joel; 81
had made up my mind to lie awake and
see Santa Clans: I'd heard tell of you, but
I'd never seen you, and brother Otis aud l
concluded we'd lie awake and watch for
you to come"
Santa Clans shook his head reproachful-
".
That was very wrong said he, " for
I'm so scarey that if I'd known You boys
were awake I'd never have come down the
chimney at all, and then you'd have had
no presents"
"But Otis couldn't keep awake ex-
planned Joel, 1--WE talked about eyerythin'
we could think of, till father called out to
us thai if we didn't stop talking he'd have
to send one of us up into the attic to sleep
with the hired man. So in less than five
minutes Otis was sound asleep and no
pinching could wake him up. But was
bound to see Santa Claus and | don't be-
lieye anything would We put me to sleep.
/ heard the big clock in the sitting-room
strike II, and l had begun wonderin' if
you never were going to come, when all of
a sudden | heard the tinkle OF the bells
around your RENDERS necks. Then l
heard the reindeers pranciu' on the roof
and the sound of your sleigh-runners cut
tin through the crust and slippin' over the
shingles. | was kind o. scared and | COW
cred my head up with the sheet and quilts
only l left a little hole so | could peek
out and see what was goin' on. As soon
as I saw you l got over bein' scared-for
you were jolly and smilin' like aud you
chuckled as you went around to each stock
in and filed it up"
Eyes, I can remember the night, said
Santa Claus; Il brought you a sled, didn't
I?p.
Eyes, and you brought Otis one, too,
replied Joel; .'Aline was red and had
Yankee Doodle painted in black letters
on the side; OTIS was black, and had
Snow Queen in gilt letters"
Il remember those sleds distinctly, = said
Santa Claus, 'for I made them specially
for you BOYS.
''You set the sleds up against the WALL
continued joel sand then you filled the
stoekin's."
"There were six Of EN-, as | recollect,'
said Santa Claus.