The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-12-25
SANTA CLAUS CAME.
"If you please, sir"-
"Eh? What now ~

The crusty old gentleman turned sud-
denly and sharply and glared from be-
meath his shaggy eyebrows at the little
figure beside him. The figure was that
of girl S years old perhaps, but small
! and frail. She wore an enormous SUM-
bonnet that might have been made for
the wife of the giant Blunderbore, 80
out of proportion was it TO the diminu-
tive wearer, and out of its depths peer
ed a thin little face, with big, frighten-
ed brown eyes. Her clothing was so
clean and neat that one scarcely no
ticed how very poor it was, and as she
stared up into the terrible face above
her one of the little feet wriggled un-
easily ia the depths of the costly rug.
''If you please, sir, mother said TO
tell you that she couldn't come up to-
day because she's sick"
The childish treble was little shak-
en this time, for the shaggy eyebrows
were very close to her, and they gave
the old gentleman look that was ter
rible beyond belief.
He was in dreadful temper, this
crusty old gentleman, and nothing
made him angrier than for poor people
sight of poverty, and all his servants
had special orders TO guard the doors
and the gates and to see that no moan
OF woe or want ever reached his ears.
And vet, after all, this little beggar
had slipped past the bolts and bars into
his very study, where his own servants
scarcely dared TO enter.
don't know what dreadful thing
might have happened if it had not been
for that one little word 'mOther" in
the child's iiuttering speech. Children
50 seldom speak the word nowadays
that it gave a little shock Of surprise.
Instantly he found himself looking be-
yond the child, at an old, long forgot
ten scene-a little cabin, with a white
country road winding past it and an
awkward boy going down the road,
stopping at the last curve to wave his
hand TO his mother, who stood in the
door watching him go out into the
world.
Then he remembered himself and
asked sharply:
"And who is your mother, pray, and
why should she como here"'
"Please, SIR" said the quavering lit
tie voice, mothers the dust woman" +"
''The what ~ calculated the old gem
tleman, with another dreadful frown.
"She comes up once week and dusts
the bric-a-brac," explained the child.
''The housekeeper hired her. She says
she doesn't feel equal to it herself, and
mother does il so nicely"
"Aha ~ muttered the old gentleman
with an angry CLEAN in his eyes under
those fearful brows. $50 Mrs. Murray
brings outsiders into the house when
NV back is turned, does she? They're
all alike, pack of cheats and robbers
I'll teach her to violate my confidence
and fill my house with irresponsible
people, You may stay in this room
till Mrs. Murray comes. Do you hear?
And then | shall have a message to
send to your mother"
He rang the bell violently and order
ed that Mrs. Murray be sent TO him as
soon Us she returned. Having made
this satisfactory arrangement, he took
up his paper again and ignored the
little figure in the sunbonnet.
But before he had read a dozen lines
there was light touch on his arm. and
the brown eyes were looking up into
his.
"Please, sir, may / look out of the
window while we're waiting?'
He was so astonished that he could
not reply for a moment, but he did fin
ally give a scornful grunt of assent.
There was silence i'm the room for 9
long time. Not clock licked, for old
Mr.. Roberts could not endure the tick.
iny of clocks. Not leaf stirred, not 9
cricket chirped. The stiffness disturb
ed him at last, and he looked up. The
child was out on the little balcony,
leaning on the stone balustrade. HeI
bonnet had fallen of and the sunlight
falling on the mass of brown hair
wove il full of CLEANS of gold.
Another touch on his arm-there she
was again. Her hand-such little
morsel of nd-trembled with som,
new emotion, and her eyes shone with
a strange light.
at must be nice TO live on hill !"
was what she said.
The old gentleman in the armchair
had never been more astounded in his
life. He stared at her and forgot Il
say anything.
al have always wanted TO live on 8
HILL" she went on. ''Our house il
away down yonder, and you can't set
anything but the houses across th'
street. But up here you can look 81
far, and the sky's so close to you. Dom
you think people can be better wher
they live on a hill?"
The newspaper fell to the floor un-