Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-12-26
A Christmas Cure.


Santa Claus sat there thinking
thinking. Ii was just before Christ
mas. What was the matter with the
good jolly old Saint Had his sleigh
broken DOWN Had any OF his rein
deer got loose!
But no,-it was none OF these things.
Couldn't he find toys enough To 20
roundg Bless your dear little anxious
heart, don't you be afraid OF that!
Santa Claus had toys enough. That
wasn't the trouble!
One Stocking there was for which
/ Santa Claus had not yet planned
single thing; and that WAS why poor
old Santa Claus was in such state
/ OF worry and anxiety. This stocking
belonged TO "A little hoy whose good
parents had long before Christmas
sent in his name To Santa Claus But
although there had been plenty OF
time. and Santa Claus had put plenty
! OF thought upon the matter, he had
not been able TO decide upon one
thing for that little boys stocking.
Perhaps il seems strange To you
that Santa should be puzzled about
such a thing "a that, when filling
stockings is his regular profession
but the little boy TO whom the stock
ing belonged was very strange ana
unusal child Whatever was given
To him he would either break To
pieces very soon or do some naughty
mischief with.
Yet kind old Santa could not bear To
leave even this stocking empty. 30
he had been pulling his brains 10
find something with which the little
boy could not hurt people, and SOME
thing he could not break; and al
though he had been thinking over all
his lists Of toys and presents, moth
ing had he found yet!
"Chirp! Chirp" sounded n sharp
little voice. You may as well give
il up. lie doesn't deserve anything,
the little scamp!
"Oh. Is that you Crickety said San
IA, Come up here and rs he held
out his fat foretinger tiny black
cricket reached il with sudden
jump.
You may as well give IL up'
creaked the cricket You can't
think Of anything, | know
II know, | know said Santa.
NO can't give him the Donkey
nor any other Of those fine little an.
imas that we have this year have
thought OF nice little hammer and
box OF nails, aud some blocks ot
wood for him TO hammer the nails in
to- Hey, now what do yon think OF
thatl'
What do thinkY' said the cricket.
Il think, Saint Nicholas, that you
have forgotten how the little boy
beat his brother with his drumsticks;
how he shipped his sisters fingers
with the scissors how he threw his
harmonicon at the nurse; how he
Dear, dear, dearl" groaned Santa,
so he did, so he did,
And IL you keep giving him
things when he uses them 80 wrongly,
continued the cricket, how will he
ever learn betterl To be sure, his
mama and papa and ali his kind
friends are trying To teach him, but
it is necessary that everybody should
help to train such n boy as
Il know interrupted Santa, II
know You're IA wise little counselor,
and not as hardhearted rs you seem.
And II you think it will cure the poor
little fellow, | suppose We must give
him the sawdust this year.
Yes" said the cricket solemnly,
"sawdust il must be. -
Christmas morning came The lit
tie boy whose name Santa Claus did
not wish mentioned saw aII the other
children pull out one treasure after
another from their long, well.stuffed
stockings. while in his own, which he
had hung up with 80 much hope the
night before, there was nothing but
sawdustl
II ! should use all the sad words IN
the English language ] could never
tell you how sad that little boy was as
he poured the sawdust out OF his
stocking, and found that Santa Claus
had really sent him nothing else.
=. Poor little chap!
1t was amost year later, just be
fore Christmas, when Santa Claus
again sat by his fire thinking.
But this time he was Ia no trouble;
no indeed. not he! He wac rouDder
and roster and jollisr than ever before
and how he was smiling and cbuckl-
ing to himsslfl His eyes twiDkled 30,
and were 20 very bright, that you
could almost have liz n candle ut
them.
He and the cricket had been plan
ming all sorts Of ecstatic surprises for
the stocking Of the boy 20 whom they
, had given sawdust the year before;
for. IL you can believe IL, the little
boy had been trying all the year to
be careful and gentle, and be was
really quite changed
, '-Sawdust lie a grand thing" ehirp-
ed the cricket, lesping about In dc.
light.
Yes, but / AIN glad We do not need
. 70 use It this year" replied Santa.
Let ne see the list again. Don't
o you suppose We could cram ia one or