Smyrna times., 1891-12-23
Watching for st. Nick.

Christmas eve, after the children had
hung up their stockings and got all
ready for st. Nick, they climbed upon
papa's lap to kiss him goodnight, and
when they both got their arms around
him they said they were not going to
bed until he told them a Christmas
story. Then he saw that he would
have to mind, tor they were awfully
severe with him, and always made
him do exactly as they told him; it
was the way they had brought him
up. He tried his best to get out of it
for while, but after they had shaken
him, first this side and then that side,
and pulled him back ward and forward
till lie did not know where he was,
he began to think perhaps he had bet
ter begin.
The first thing he said after he
opened his eyes and made believe he
was asleep or something was, "Well,
what did / leave off at?" and that
made them just perfectly boiling, for
they understood his tricks and thew
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 a little Pony En-
CINE 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. is it sad story, papa ?"
"How is it going to end ?" asked the
boy.
swell, it's good moral" said the
papa.
"Oh, all right, if it's good moral"
said the children. They had a good
deal of fun with the morals that the
papa put in his stories. The boy added,
Go on" and the little girl prompted,
Gar House."
The papa said, Now 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: "One of the locomotives was its
mother, and she had got hurt once in
a 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 of on the side tracks, and
she was so anxious to be useful that
all the other engines respected her,
and they were very kind to the little
Pony Engine on her account, though
it was always in the way and getting
under the wheels of everything. They
all knew it was an orphan, for before
its 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 never would have hap.
pened if she had been there; but poor
dear No. 236 was always so venture
some, and she had warned him against
that very bridge time and again. Then
she would whistle so dOlefully, and
sigh with air brakes enough to make
anybody cry. You, see, they used to
be very happy family when they
were all together, before the papa 10
connective 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 until it fell asleep,
Then he would put it down softly and
be off again In the morning before il
was awake. l tell you those were
happy days for No. 236. The little
Pony Engine could Just remember
him it was awfully proud of its
papa"
The boy lifted his head and looked
at the little girl, who suddenly hid her
face In her papa's other shoulder
We'll, declare, papa, she was putting
up her lip.u
81 wasn't any such thing !" said the
little girl. "And l don't care So y
and then she sobbed.
Nov, never you mind" said the
papa to the boy. you'll be putting
up your lip before I'm through. Well
and then she used to caution the little
Pony Engine against getting in the
way of the big locomotives, and told il
to keep close around after her and try
| W hO eAA ~ OOuAA w ADdHu hUOub SulIb
ing empty cars. You see, she knew
. how ambitious the little Pony Engine
; was, and how it wasn't contented bit
just to grow up in the pony engine bus
ness and be tied down to the depot al
its days. Once she told it it wal
good aud always did what it was bic
perhaps cowcatcher might grow on
it some day. and then it could be 8
passenger locomotive. Mammas have
to promise all sorts of things, anC
she was almost distracted when she
said thAt.p
II don't think she ought to have de
ceived 1t. papa" said the boy. "But il
ought to have known that il it was
Q Pony Engine to begin with it neve
could have a cowcatcher."
"Couldn'tit?" asked the little girl
gently.
mo, they're kind of mooley," sal,
the boy.
The little girl asked the papa, "Wha
, makes Poney Engines mooley ?" 70
she did not choose to be told by he
brother; he was only two years olde
= than she was anyway.
swell, its pretty hard to say. Yo
" see when a locomotive is first hatche,
N
~ aOh, are they Matched, papa ?" aske
the boy,
"Well, we'll call it hatched," sal
a - 4. 4 4