The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-08
THE RETIR Ed RURGLlR.
Story or Two Professional Visits Made or
Christmas Eve.

CHRISTMAS Eve.
II suppose" said the retired burglar, that
all children hang up their stockings Christmas.
and hope they always will. | know my chill
dren always did, and there was six of them.
They used to hang up twelve stockings. a pair
for each one, with forks stuck through EN- and
jaSbed into the crack under the mantelsheIr.
They used to stretch clear across the fireplace;
and when | saw that row of stockings hanging
there | know ia got TO get out and move around.
AS n general thing there wasn't any difl-
Guilty about it. for Christmas was everywhere:
but one Christmas eve l struck into Il house
where there wasn't any; no stockings hung up;
no nothing: no sign OF waiting for Santa Claus.
No children in the house; and / was sorry for
'em. But il was a comfortable house. with lots
OF nice things in it: and / picked out a few nap
kin rings and spoons and small stuff handy TO
carry. and went on.
In the next house 1t was very different.
Only two pairs OF stockings hung up. but stun
enough around to NIL twenty-five. All sorts VI
stun. The stockings bullying out in all direc-
lions and things sticking out OF EN- and stacked
up on the top OF EN-. And stuif around on
chair and on the floor: a most bewtIdering lot
OF stuff, and didn't know where to begin.
And while was looking EN- over again by
the aid OF the bull's-eye. | heard the stairs that
when somebody steps on them the tirst time
after they haven't been used Tor a few hours.
You couldn't hear any footsteps. but there was
somebody coming down, and that was oa", for
various reasons. reached in M pocket for
my gun: | wasn't going TO kill any body.
to. and waited. More little creaks: AID
in half u minute or 50 IA face peered around
the doorjamo INTO the room. But, dear me.
floor; 1t was II little child in a nightgown. And
about n second later another face appeared,
right over the first one, looking around into
the room, too: another child just a little bit
bigger than the first one. suppose they'd
woke up in the night and come down To see il
Santa Claus had been.
There wa a !tt,!c light in the room, jus, ore
burner turned down dim. aud | suppose | amt
u had-luoKtnE man IN the daFH, and the little
one says. the on that had come down first:
"'Ar you Santa Claus Z
She wasn't n bit scared, but she spoke pretty
low. cause she hadn't expected TO meet santa
Claus himself.
Yes. I'm santa Clans | says, but Santa
Claus never leaves anything when the little
folks is around. aud IL you expect to lind any
thinx IN the morning you want 10 20 right back
To had ana stay there I'll morning. Now, don't
scaInler. childrcn. but just go quiet and still
And then The faces disappeared and heard
the stairs crenk AGAIN Just u little bit, but not so
much a. tHev did before, because the stairs was
getting used 10 II. and the children was going
very gently. and then IN a minute everything
was quiet again.
Then | tended to business. But | didn't
take anything like SO much as | would II |
hadn't seen the Childrcn: | couldn't. after that:
aud | made EN- each "A little present. myself; |
couldn't go away without leaving 'em some
thing. and | gave 'em a napkin ring ard IA nice
spoon apiece from the things I'd got in the other
house. OK course the Initials might not tit en-,
but knew IL would be easy enough to get EN-
changed. And then gathered up the stun Id
PICKED out and started.
Ira been counting on the children's mother
doing something, and she had and when
come to add my stun to hers there was enough
to III ali SIX pairs Of stockings so they bulgcd
out and had things sticking out OF the top, the
way stocking always ought To. and there WAS
left tn lay on the floor underneath.
pronlsin', my children had their Christmas
after all"