Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-19

l that is taken in the movements and utterances
| Of this delightful individual at this time OF
year, it has been thought proper TO print it en-.
tire just it came. Here it is:
| To my dear friends of The STAR:
Your last packet of mail, containing another
| hundred letters from the little ones-bless theiI
| hearts-has been received. Do you believe there
| will beany more? II SO put a special delivery
| stamp on them to hurry them along, for the great
| day is coming and Unjust soon stop writing let.
tiers and begin to pack my traps You may see that
have great faith in the quickness of the mes
| senger boys OF this region. 1t is SO cold that
even they have to run to keep warm. We are
| having delightful ,season-down to IS below
| zero half of the time and then dropping
to 20 the other half. But to business.
You don't know how many times have blessed
| you in the last month for having so many read
| ers for you have simply swamped memo, that
| isn't the proper word for Zerolander-I mean
! drifted me over with letters from the Wash
| lngton children, with an occasional welcome
! little outsider. Why, just had to stop right
| in the midst of my toy making and begin to
| read and write, and you know old eyes and old
| fingers like mine are not the best i'll the world
| for the task Of conducting correspondence
with fifteen hun1r young people, Yes, that's
| the number. Fifteen hundred letters have
you sent to me here since You first printed
| that notice l sent down by young Chris.
| Why, had no idea that there would be half
| that many, and though I'm surprised half out
of my ulster am just twice as happy. Well,
| to make things go at all l had to go across to
| the pole and hire a couple Of boys who are on
| duty there. It's rather an off year with King
| Jack-you know whom mean, Of course. Oh,
well, if you don't I'll explain that Jack Frost is
king up here, and he has his headquarters in a
magnificent ice palace at the north pole. He
\ has a large and interesting family. This year
he has had several losing contracts down your
way and is rather down in the mouth. Well,
| be loaned me two boys and put them at work
\ cutting open the letters and arranging them
for me. Poor little fellows, the work got so hot
| for them finally that one of them thawed OFF
| two fingers and the other lost an eve.
| But you don't know what fun it has all been
| Making jumping jacks and croaking frogs and
| barking dogs and dolls that shut their eyes is
| nothing compared to it. Many hearty laugh
l have had over the queer little words and the
odd little thoughts and the quaint little re-
| quests, but-oh, why should there always be a
but, even here in Castle jolly in Zeroland? 1t
| is too bad. indeed. But as | was saying
have secretly wiped away many tear that
would come In spite of me when 1 read of
poor chicks whose Christmas will not
be happy this year, who have seldom
known happy Yuletide and whose
little stockings, patched and full of new holes
| thin and-wel, who won't get much of anything
at ali on that beautiful holy day but hunger and
cold. But they shall at least have one thing,
| AMI that Is a note from me, whatever that NAV
be worth, and I'll do all l can to drive away
some OF their sadness, If even for few minu ties
only. I'm Il rough, white-headed old fellow,
you know, and I've been banging around be-
hind reindeer for ever so long, longer than l. d
like to mention in fact. yet have heart, /
am thankful to say, that can hold every chick
and child in the world, rich or poor.
Pshaw! I'm spelling another handkerchief
Time flies and IN have to get down to what /
started out to say In this letter to you.
wanted to tell you of some of the funny things
have found in these letter.. know that you
will be interested. Do you know, don't see
how you ever resisted the temptation to open
those dear little envelopes you forwarded to
me. If / had been in your place certainly
should have run the risk, just for the sake Of
getting peep at what the children had to saw
Since you have been SO good IN going to give
you some OF the choicest specimens.
THINKS SANTA CLAUS NICE MAN.
Here is dear little girl named Katie, who is
very frank about her wants. She speaks right
out in meeting, and I'm glad she does. She
saws: II hope you are well and will bring me
what have asked you for. | want a mutt a
silk handkerchief, big doll baby and school
bag and three handkerchiefs and stocking full
Of candy. 1 think you are the incest man /
ever knew, because whenever l ask you for the
things you always bring me them. l think
have said enough, don't your
She has so much faith in me that i, we'll
promises are good things to keep to yourselves.
FREDERICK
Nd. believe read poem about that place
somewhere or other; but no matter. The letter
is printed so well that even one Of the stupid
Esauimo, who live just beyond me across the
glacier, could reaG it. Her name is Marion and
she wants me to be sure and remember her
sister Emily, who is but three.
A good, kind aunt writes for her nieces two
little country girls who live on the eastern shore
of Maryland. who want me to know that they
have known and loved me all their lives. re-
member them very well and love them quite as
heartily. They say their papa is not rich and
| cannot get them a large Christmas tree, but
they love Christmas, for every one tries to make
| them happy.
ALUSoH AWAITING HIM.
Hal ha ha! Here is a good joke. Little
Marian from Brookland, seven years old, writes
this inducement for me to pay her a visit:
''When you come to fill our stockings You will
| find on the nantel lunch that We have put
there for you"
I'm glad to know that some one will be
| thoughtful in that way, for am sure to be
hungry by the time 1 reach this little one 8
home away out in Missouri, where she is going
to live.
SATISFIED WITH ANYTHING
Here is good little housewife who evidently
knows what troublesome affair moving is, for
she writes from Lewinsville, Va, to say: 81
wrote letter to you some time ago and d.
re cted it to the Rocky mountains l saw in THE
EVENING STAR where you had moved to the
Reindeer mountains, Zeroland. When wrote
to you before l told you what wanted, but
guess you did not receive it, SO will say since
you have been moving expect you are very
busy, SO please bring me whatever you can"
Lucy is right. did live in the Rocky noun
talns once upon q time but that was long ago.
before the white men lad driven away the In
dams, who did not know anything about Christ
mas and never bothered me. SO l worked away
In peace until the cities began TO grow up
around my mountains and had to get out and
travel northward to this bleak region.
FROM A NINE-yRAB-oLD.
How is this for letter from nine-year old
boy named John, who writes in red ink:
me ANA little boy nine years old would like
to have nice Christmas gift, my mamma wants
to have tree but my bad old papa wont let
ner, SO would like you to bring me something
every night the old bad tom cats run over our
TIN roof and all ways think that it is Santa
Clause be sure you answer this"
CHRISTMAS Is HER BIRTHDAY.
Here is q coincidence little girl with
Christmas for a birthday! She writes:
Il hope shall hear from You as have read
of you in The STAR
Il shall be nine years old on Christmas day"
THE CHIMNEY MAIL ROUTE.
Another boy of five had his mamma hold the
end of his pen and then he tells me that he can
speak six pieces, sing little song and every
night he says his prayers. He says. that he