Connecticut western news., 1891-12-24
WATCHING FOR ST. NICK.


 hung up their stockings and got all ready for St. Nick, they climbed upon papa's lap to kiss him good night, and when they both got their arms around his neck they said they were. not going to bed till he told them Christmas story. Then he saw that he would have to mind, for they were awfully severe with him, and always made him do exactly what they told him; it was the way they had brought him up. He tried his best to get out of it for awhile, but after they had shaken him, first this side and then that side, and pulled him backward and forward till he did not know he had better begin.
 The first thing ne said after he opened his eyes and made believe he had been asleep or something was. Well, what did 1 leave off at?" and that made them just perfectly boiling, for they understood his tricks and they knew he was trying to pretend that he had told part of the story already, and they said he had not left off anywhere, because he had not commenced, and he saw it was no use So be com menced:
 "Once there was little Pony Engine that used to play around the Fitchburg depot, on the side tracks, and sleep in among the big locomotives in the car house'- -..
 The little girl lifted her head from her papa's shoulder. where she had dropped it. els it d sad story, papa!"
 "How is it going to end?" asked the boy "Well, it's got moral" said the papa. "Oh, all right if it's got a moral" !" said the children. They had a good deal of fun with the morals the papa put to his stories. The boy added, ''Go on," and the little girl prompted, Car house."
 The papa said, "Now every time you stop me l shall have to begin over again." But he soon saw that this was not going to spite them any, so he went on: "One of the locomotives was it's mother. and she had got hurt once in a big smash up, so that she couldn't run long trips any moro. She was so weak in the chest you could hear | her wheeze far as you could see her. | But she could work around the depot and | pull empty cars in and out and shunt | them off on the side tracks, and she was so | anxious to be useful that all the other en- | zines respected her, and they were very | kind to the little Pony Engine on her ac- | count, though it was always getting in the | way and under their wheels and every | thing. They all knew it was an orphan, | for before it's mother got hurt it's father went through bridge one dark night into an arm of the sea and was never heard of again. He was supposed to have | been drowned.
 "The old smother locomotive used to say that it would never have happened if she had been there; but poor, dear No. 235 was | always so venturesome, and she had warned him against that very bridge time and again. Then she would whistle so | dolefully, and sigh with her airbrakes | enough to make anybody cry. You see, they used to be very happy family when they were all together, before the papa locomotive got drowned. He was very fond of the little Pony Engine, and told it stories at night after they got into the car house at the end of some of his long runs. It would get up on his cowcatcher and lean | it's chimney up against his and listen till it fell asleep. Then he would put it softly down and be off again in the morning be fore it was awake. l tell you, those were happy days for poor No. 2s6. The little Pony Engine could just remember him; it was awfully proud of it's papa"
 The boy lifted his head and looked at the little girl, who suddenly hid her face in the papa's other shoulder. "Well, de clare. papa, she w;ss putting up her lip."
 'I wasn't any such thingr' said the little girl. And 1 don't carel Sol'' and then she sobbed.
 "Now, never you mind," said the paps to the boy. You'll be putting up you lip before Pm through. Well, and ther she used to caution the little Pony Engine against getting in the way of the big loco motives, and told it to keep close arounl after her and try to do all it could to learI about shifting empty cars. You see, sh' knew how ambitious the little Pony Engin was, and how it wasn't contented bit jus to grow up in the pony engine busines and be tied down to the depot all its days Once she happened to tell it that if it wa good and always did what it was bid per haps a cowcatcher would grow on it som day, and then it could be passenger loco motive. Mammas have to promise all sort of things, and she was almost distracte
 when she said that"
 Il don't think she ought to have deceive it, papa," said the boy. But it ought t have known that if 1t was Pony EnRin to begin with it never could have @ COW
 catcher"
 "Couldn't it'" asked the girl gently. . "No; they're kind of mooley."
 The little girl asked the papa, "Wha makes Pony Engines mooley?" for she di not choose to be told by her brother; h ! | was only two years older than she wa anyway.
 Well, it's pretty hard to say. You se'
 when locomotive is first hatched"-
 "Oh, are they matched, papaf" asked tn |. boy.
 "Well, we'll call it hatched," said tn papa: but they knew he was just funnins
 "They're about the size of teakettes a
 first, and it's chance whe; her they wi
 have cowcatchers or not. If they kee
 their spouts they will, and if their spout