New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-12-23
BY JOHN KENDRICK BANGS.

NsgT, INE'J'%FF} J dren OF his age, who
lFT have great expecta-
tations, and who are
more or less impatient to have them
fulfilled. He had been positively cross
at supper-time because his father had
said that Santa Claus had written to
say that a much-desired velocipede
could not be got down through the
chimney, and that he thought Jimmie
boy would have to wait until the
chi1nneys had been enlarged, or his
papa had built a. new house with more
commodious lues.
II think it's just too bad" said Jim
nlieboy, as he climbed into bed an
hour later. "Just because those chin
neys are small, l can't have philoci-
pede, and I've been goodcr than ever
tor two weeks just to get it,"
Then, as his nurse extinguished the
lamp and went into the adjoining
room to sew, Jimmieboy threw him
self back upon his pillow and shed q
tear. The tear crept slowly down
over his cheek, and was about to dis
appear between his lips and go back
again where it started from, when
a voice was heard over by the fire.
place.
Can you get it down?' it said.
Jinmieboy sat up and peered over
toward whence the voice came, but
could see nothing.
''No. The hind wheels won't 90
through the chimney-pot, and even if
they would, it wouldn't do any good.
The front wheels twice as big as the
hind ones," said another voice, this
one apparently belonging to some
one on the roof. Cant you get
it in the front door?''
"What do you take me for-an ex-
pressman?" cried. the voice at the fire.
plhce. II can't leave things that way.
1t wouldn't be the proper thing. Can t
you get a smaller size through?'
Eyes; but will it fit the boy?" said
the voice on the roof.
"Lower your lantern down here and
We'll see. He's asleep over here in
brass bedstead."
And then Jimmieboy saw a great
red lantern appear in the fireplace,
and by it's light he noticed g. short.
ruddy-faced, merry eyed old gentle
man, with a snowy beard, and g.
smile, tiptoeing across the room to-
ward him. TO his delight he recogniz-
ed him at once as Santa Claus; but he
didn't know whether Santa Claus
would like to have him see him or
not, SO he closed his eyes as tight as
he could, and pretended to he asleep.
"Hump!" calculated Santa Claus, as
he leaned over Jimmieboy's bed and
tried toget his measure by a glance:
"He's almost q man-must De five
years old by this time. Pretty bigfor
d small velocipede; still, [ don't
know" Here he scratched his beard
and sang
IF he's too large for it, I think
Twill be to small for him,
Unless he can be got to shrink
Two inches on each limb"
Then he walked back to the fireplace
and called out, I've measured"
"Well, what's the RESULT" queried
the voice on the root.
Nothing, as the boy said when he
was asked what two plus one minus
three amounted to. I can't decide.
1t Will or it won't, and that all there
is about it,
Cant we try it on l1im?" asked the
voice up the chimney.
"No," returned Santa Claus "That
wouldn't prove nything; but we
might try him omit. Shall I send him
up" r..
eyes, came the voice from above,
much to Jimmieboy's delight, for he
was quite curious to see what was
going on up On the roof, and who it
was that owned the other voice.
In a moment Jimmieboy found HIM
self in Santa Claus's arms, cuddled
close up to the warm fur coat the dear
old gentleman wore In which position
he was carried up through the chimney
t1ue to the roof Then Jimmieboy
peeped out between his lf-opened
eyelids, and saw, much to his prise,
that instead OF there being only one
Santa Claus, there were two Of them,
'Oh dear!' he said in astonishment:
II didn't know there were two of
you s
Both the Santas jumped as it some
one had let off q cannon cracker un-
der their very noses,
"Well, declared said the one that
had carried Jimmieboy up through
the chimney. 'sWe're discovered.
Here I've been in this business whole
centuries, and Pve never been discov--
cred before
"That's So" .assented the other.
awe know now how America must
have felt when Columbus came selling
in. What'll we do about it,