Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1892-12-24

~ 4 I3 D was the matter
~ with the good
jolly old saint
Had his sleigh broken down? Had
any of his reindeer got loose
But not was none of these things.
Couldn't he find toys enough to go
around =? Bless your dear little anxious
heart. don't you be afraid of that
Santa Claus had toys enough, That
wasn't the trouble.
One stocking there was for which
Santa Claus had not yet planned a
single thing and that was why poor
dear old Santa Claus was in such
state of worry and anxiety. This stock
ing belonged to little boy whose good
parents had long before Christmas sent
in his name to Santa Claus. But al
though there had been plenty of time,
and Santa Claus had put plenty of
thought upon the matter, he had not
vet been able to decide upon ONE thing
for that little boys stocking
Perhaps it seems strange to you that
Santa should be puzzled about such
thing as that, when filing stockings is
his regular profession, but the little
boy to whom that stocking belonged
was a very strange and unusual child.
Whatever was given to him lie would
either break to pieces very soon or do
some naughty mischief with
Yet kind old Santa could not bear to
leave even this stocking empty So he
had been puzzling his brains to find
something with which the little bov
could not hurt people, and something
he could not break and although he
had been thinking over all his lists Of
toys and presents, nothing had he
found yet
"Cbirp Chirp! - sounded SHARP
little voice. You may as well give il
up, He doesn't deserve anything, the
little scamp -
oh Is that you, Cricket ?" said
Santa. Come up here and as he
held out his fat forefnger a tiny black
cricket reached it with sudden Jump.
You may as well give it up r. creaked
the cricket. You can't think of any
thing, Iknow"
Il know, know ;" said Santa. NO
1 can't give him the donkey nor any
other of those fine little animals that
we have this year. l had thought of
nice little hammer and box of nails,
and some blocks of wood for him to
hammer the nails into ! Hey, now
what do Won think Of that %
What do [ think ?" said the cricket.
II think, Saint Nicholas, that YOU have
forgotten how the little boy beat his
brother with his drumsticks how he
shipped his sisters fingers with the
scissors how he threw his harmonicon
at the nurse how he
Dear, dear, dearl'' groaned Santa,
so he did, so he did r
And if you keep giving him things
when he uses them so wrongly, CON
tinued the cricket, how will he ever
learn better? To be sure, his mamma
and papa and all his kind friends are
trying to teach him, but it is necessary
that everybody should help to train
suoh a boy as--'
II know, interrupted Santa, Il know.
Hon re "a wise little counselor, and not
as hard hearted as you seem. And if
you think it will cure the poor little
fellow, [ suppose we must give him the
sawdust this year.
Yes" said the cricket solemnly,
"sawdust it must be.
Christmas morning came The little
boy whose name Santa Claus did not
wish mentioned, saw all the other chill.
Cren pull out one treasure after another
from their long. well-stuffed stockings,
,r-lila -, liz oh l.,
mp with so much hope the night before
there was nothing but sawdust
If | should use all the sad words in
the English language [ could never tell
Won how sad that little boy was as he
poured the Sawdust ont of his stocking,
and found that Santa Claus had really
sent him nothing else
Poor little chap
1t was almost year later, just before
Christmas, when Santa Claus again sat
by his fre-thinking.
But this time he was in no trouble
no, indeed, not he He was rounder
aud roster and iollier than ever before
and how he was smiling and chuckling
to himself His eyes twinkled so, and
we're so very bright, that you could al.
most have lit a candle at them. He and
the cricket had been planning all sorts
of ecstatic surprises for the stocking of
The boy to whom they had given saw.
dust the year before for, if you can
believe it, the little boy had been trying
all the year to be careful and gentle,
and he was really quite changed
'Sawdust is a grand thing" chirped
the cricket, leapingabout in delight.
Yes. hut am glad we do not need
to use it this year. replied Santa Let
me see the list again. Don't you sup
pose We could cram in one or two more
things? Have you put down the"
This is the end of the story; or, at
least, all that could be told before
Christmas for if 1 should write more
and certain little boy should read it.
he would know just what would
be in his stocking and that would never
do in the world. Emile Poulsson, in
st, Nicholas.