St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-25
SANTA CLAUS APPEARED,
BUT HIS GOODS WE'RE COVERED WITH
TARPAULW.


Slushy Day in st. Paul-Rained,
and Selected, and the Snow Was
Almost Wiped Away-Sleigh-
ing Ruined-Few Ventured Out
of Doors-GoIdsmith's Desert
ed Village. g
When Santa Claus appeared In St.
Paul last night with his reindeer and
sledge filled with presents, he showed
his wisdom, for he had his cargo all
carefully covered with tarpaulins. His
animals showed the effect of their long
drive, and old st. Nick himself showed
manifest signs of WEAKNESS. he climbed
to the top of the GLOBE tower and took
general survey of the city. He saw,
at glance, that ne would have hard
shedding. Removing his cap and coat
OF fur he wiped the Precipitation from
his kindly old brow and remarked that
1t was queer Christmas eve
for st. Paul He did not
like the weather any more than
anyone else. He put his reindeer up at
livery. checked his heavy coat at
hotel, and-borrowed macintosh and
felt hat. He also hired an express wagon
and strong team of horses, and started
on his gift-giving mission. What Kris
Kringle learned last night the people Of
st. Paul had known all through the
day. There was almost steady drizzle
OF rain all the day long, and the atmos-
phere was chilly and damp early in the
day. Toward night it grew perceptibly
milder. and, with the rise of tempera-
ture, came more rain. The cutters
were so full of water that
the sewers were quite hard pressed
to carry Off the surplus moisture. 1t
was certainly most disagreeable day.
The pavements, where the snow and ice
had not been cleared off before the thaw
came, were converted into thorough
fares of slush. Men turned up their
trousers and the women carefully
picked their way along with skirts ele-
waited to avoid bed rabbling by the
sluSh.
Everybody, nearly, staid close at
home yesterday, except at the morning
and evening services at the churches
anu those who attended the theaters.
Seventh, Robert. Fourth, Wabasha and
others of the principal streets showed
but few pedestrians. In the evening
even these few disappeared one
by one, until these highways
gave st. Paul almost the
appearance of Goldsmith's deserted vii
lage. The rainy weather-an exception
to the usual Minnesota winter-keDt
the people at their homes. In ten
thousand homes happy families gath
cred about their hearthstones. ignor ing
rain and storm without. hoping for more
Chrlstmas-like weather today. Even
the Christmas spirit seemed to have
caught overbibulous individuals, for the
tab at the central police station up to
the approach of darkness last night
showed but single drunk" 1t was
anything but an ideal Christmas eve, as
the people OF the North understand
it. The pretty custom of Christ
mas observance at the churches,
the docopodium and holly, the
Christmas carols celebrating anew
the birth of the Christ-child and kindly
holiday spirit pervading every district
OF the city made it Christmas eve after
dli. LciO WcdtIlGE WOulu nave Luddts III
seem more in keeping, of course, Dlt.it
rained and thawed and driZzled, and
every one made the most of it.
The hotel arrivals were scanty, and
very few from outside the city attempt
ed to remain over. The longing to see
1.-THE old folks at home" actuated the
travelling public very generally, and
every one that could do so sat under his
own vine and fig tree.