The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-24
WATCHING FOR ST. NICK.

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 a Christmas story. Then he saw
that he would have to mind, for they were
awfuIly 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
where he was, he began to think perhaps
he had better begin.
The first thing he said after he opened
his eyes and made believe he had been
asleep or something was, "Well, what did
leave off att" 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 he 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.
Ills it sad story, papas" ~ -r
- "How is it going to endY asked the boy.
"Well, it's got moral" said the papa, !,
ooh, all right if it's, got q moral said
the children. They had good deal OF fun.
with the morals the papa put TO his stories.
/ The boy added, "Go or" and the little girl
prompted, scar house" $50 =
The papa said, snow every time you stop
me shall have to begin over again." But
he soon saw that this was not going to
spite them any, SO he went on: lone OF the
locomotives was its mother, and she had
got hurt once in big smash up, so that
she couldn't run long trips any more. She
was so weak in the chest you could hear
! her wheeze as 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-
gines respected her. and they were very
kind to the little Pony Engine on her &C
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 its 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 mother locomotive used to say
that it would never have happened if she
had been there; but poor, dear No. 236 was
always 80 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.
1t would get up on his cowcatcher and lean
its 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. / tell you, those were
i happy days for poor No. 236. The little
Pony Engine could just remember him; it
was awfully proud OF its papa" .5-
! The boy lifted his head and looked at the
little girl, who suddenly hid her face in
the papa's other shoulder. Swell, I de.
clare, papa, she was putting up her lip"
II wasn't any such thingI'' said the little
girl. "And I don't care! Sop and then
ishe sobbed. .e,-a - .r1ess.r g. ID. q. IL
Nov, never you. mind said the paps
! to the boy. You'll be putting up. YOU
Zip before Pm through Well. and ther
ihe used to caution the little Pony Engin,
against getting in the way Of the big loco
4 motives, and told it to keep close around
inter her and Try to do all 1t could tolearz
about shifting empty cars. You see.sh'
= knew how ambitious the little, Pony Engin'
was, and how it wasn't contented a bit jus
to grow up in the pony engine business
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 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 distracted
when she said that"
"Idon't think she ought to have deceive'
it, papa" said the boy. "But it ought t.
have known that if it was a Pony Engin
70 begin with it never could have a COW
catcher"
couldn't it'" asked the girl gently.
mo; they're kind OF mooley."
The little girl asked the papa, "Wha
makes Pony Engines mooleys" for she di
not choose to be told by her brother; b
was only two years older than she wa
anyway
! We'll, it's pretty hard to say. You Sc,
when locomotive is first hatched'-
''Oh, are they Matched, papa?" asked tn
boy
well, Well call it hatched," said th
papa; but they knew he was just funnin9
They're about the size of teakettles a
first, and it's chance whether they wi
have cowcatchers or not. If they kee
their spouts they will, and if their spou,
drop off they won't" . cas- g..
What makes the spout ever drop OFF,
"Oh, sometimes the pip, or the gapes''-
The children both began to shake tt
papa, and he was glad enough to go o
sensibly. S
even, anyway, the mother locomoti,
! certainly oughtn't to have deceived i
, Still she had to say something, and pc
haps the little Pony Engine was better en-
light to see whether its cowcatcher ha
begun to grow than it would have been
listening to the stories of the old locom
tives and sometimes to their swearing"
do they swear, papa?" asked the lit
/ girl, somewhat shocked and yet pleased.
, "Well, never heard them near by. Bt
, 1t sounds a good deal like swearing whe
+ you hear them on the up grade Oh our hi
, in the night Where was Is'
) Swearing said the boy. and plea
don't 60 back now, papa
well, woG't It'll be as much as
can do to get through this story witho1
going over any of it again. Well, IL
thing that the little Pony Engine wantt
to be the most in this world was the loo
motive of the Pacific Express, that star
\ out every afternoon at g. you know. 1t i
,. tended to apply for the place as soon as Il
cowcatcher was grown, and it was alwa
trying to attract the locomotives attic
;, ton, backing and filing on the trat
= alongside of the train, and once it raced
little piece and beat it, before the Expire
= locomotive was under way, and almost e
in front Of it on a switch Ny, but
= mother was scared. She just yelled to
= with her whistle, and that night she Sc
= it to sleep without particle of coal or W
>, ter in its tender
: But the little Pony Engine didn't cal
: 1t had beaten the Pacific Express in !
: yards, and what was to hinder it fro
beating it as long as it chose? The lit,
Pony Engine could not get it out of
;. head. 1t was just like a boy who thinks
!. can whip . man." Ia