The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-25
BILLY And SANTA CLAUS.

OF course don't believe in any such per-
son as Santa Claus, but Tommy does.
Tommy is my little brother, aged g. Las
Christmas 1 thought I'd make some fun for
the young one by playing Santa Claus,
but, as always happens when l try to
amuse anybody, 1 ies' got myself into
trouble.
went to bed pretty early on Christmas
eve so as to give my parents a chance to
get the presents out of the closet in NAM
mas room, where they had been locked up
since they were bought. kept my close
on, except my shoes, and put my nightgown
on so as I'd look white if any of them came
near me. Then l waited, pinchin' myself
to keep awake. After awhile papa came
into the room with lot of things that he
dumped on Tommy's bed. Then mamma
came in and put some things on mine and
in our two stockings that were hung up
by the chimney. Then they both went out
very quiet, and soon al the lights went
out too.
KEEP on pinchin myself and waitin for
q time, and then when 1 was sure that
everybody was asleep 1 got UP. The first
thing went into was my sisters room, and
got her white fur rug that mamma gave her
on her birthday, and her sealskin cape that
was hanging on the closet door. I tied the
cape on my head with shoestrings and it
made good big cap. Then 1 put the 1ur
rug around me and pinned it with big
safety pins what found on Tommy's gar
tiers. Then l got mammals new scrap
basket, trimmed with roses, what Mrs.
Simmons broidered for the chruch fair,
and piled all of the kids toys into it. fas-
it to nv back with papa's suspenders, and
then I started for the roof.
1 hurt my fingers some opening the
scuttle, but kept right on. 1t was showing
hard and 1 stood and let myself get pretty
well covered with fakes. Then I crawled
over to the chimney that went down into
our room and climbed up on top of it. I
had brought my bicycle lantern with me
and 1 lighted it so as Tommy could see me
when 1 came down the chimney into the
room.
CLIMBED UP ON TOP OF IT.
There did not seem to be any places in
side the chimney where l could hold on to
by my feet, but the ceiling in our room was
not very high and 1 had often jumped most
as far. so ies let her 90, and 1 suppose l
went down. Anyway, L did not know
about anything for a long time Then 1
woke up all in the dark with my head
feelin queer, and when l tried to turn over
in bed l found 1 wasn't in bed at all. and
then my arms and legs began to hurt ter
rible, mostly one arm that was doubled up.
1 tried to get up but 1 couldn't because my
bones hurt so and 1 was terrible cold and
there was nothing to stand on. l was les
stuck. Then l began to cry, and pretty
soon heard mammals voice sayin to papa
''Those must be sparrers that are max
ing that noise in the chimney Jes touch
a match to the wood in the boys fire
place.
heard papa strike a light and then the
wood began to crackle. Then, by inks it
began to get hot and smoky and 1 screamed
"Help! Murderl Put out that fire lest
you want to burn me up"
Then l heard papa stamping on the wood
and mamma calling out:
"Where's Billie! Where is my chiler'
Next Tommy woke up and began to CRY
and everything was terrible, specially the
pain all over me. Then papa called out
very stern:
civilian, if you are in that chimney
come down at oncep' and 1 answered, cry
i'm, that 1 would if could, but was stuck
and couldn't.
Then 1 heard papa gettin' dressed, and
pretty soon he and John from the stable
went up on the roof and let down ropes
what put around me and they hauled me
up.
1t was ies daylight and 1 was all black
and sooty and scratched and my arm was
broken.
Everybody scolded me excep mamma
had spoiled my sisters white rug and
broken all of Tommy's toys and the snow
what went in through the scuttle melted
and marked the parlor ceiling, besides 1
guess it cost papa a good deal to get my
arm mended. Nobody would believed that
had jes meant to make some fun for
Tommy, and my arm and all my bruised
places hurt me awful for long time. If I
live to be million I am never goin to play
Santa Claus agin.
CoRNELIA REDMOND.