The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-12-24

"Oh! Oh u rallied Ruth, with her
face hidden III Sister Loves gown, Il
never meant to forget her -
There! There OF course yCn
didn't" said Santa, kindly" But some
times little girls forget that dolls can
feel"
ooh i" cried halfa dozen little voices,
do pins hurt 'em ?"
Dreadfuly - answered Santa Claus.
They all grew cheerful again when
| they reached the candy garden and saw
the stick candy growing right out of the
ground. like asparagus. and the bushes
just loaded down with caramels and
bcubons and chocolate drops.
None of the candies are ripe except
except the chocolate Drops" said Santa
I Claus, lifting branch to examine fine
cluster. elf you will be careful TO
choose those that are nice and brown.
you NAV pick and eat all you want; but
don't touch the white ones, for they
are still green"
How delicious that candy was, just
! 4
not satisfied. He wished he knew how
the green ores tasted. Santa Claus
| would Mt care if ho tried just one. So
he slipped away behind bush, and in
to his mouth he popped a big white
| chocolate that hadn't even begun to
turn. 1t was very hard and sour, and
! puckered his lips little, but he ate it,
and then went back to where the others
were eating the lovely, ripe candies.
| Somehow he didn't want any more.
Santa was explaining about the differ
ent havors, when all at once Teddy felt
| himself turn pale; then he kept grow
! ing sicker and sicker, till he suddenly
found himself in his own bed, with his
mother standing beside him. holding
some very black. bitter medicine in a
spoon for him to swallow.
why, where's Teddy" cried the
children in the candy garden, at that
| moment.
Santa Claus shook his head, with a
twinkle in his eye. Hes gone to bed.
He ate = green chocolate when he
thought l wasn't looking, and it made
him sick. Now he will miss seeing the
story orchard. 1t is over this way"
The story orchard?' cried the chill
dren joyfully.
Il have fine crop of them, this
year. See how white the trees are. 1t
| is because they are SO full Of leaves.
Some are almost ready to gather, then
| shall make them into books. All
| these are fairy stories, but | haye a
are the Christmas tree groves, and be-
yond them lie the great song forests
He bent his head for moment listen
ing.
"Hark !" breathed Sister Love, lift
| ing her hand. Far, faint, eXquisitely
sweet. Margery caught a sound Of mu-
sic floating above the shadowy forests.
The children lifted their hushed faces.
Clear, high it came again
And peace on earth"
| Then the shifting wind bore it away,
and they heard it no more.
ut is time for our ride" cried Santa
cracking his whip, and away they flew,
across the snowtields, and the reindeer,
speeding faster and faster, shook their
silver bells till they rang like pretty
rhyme.
They came to long, long hill, so long
that Margery could not see the end oil
it. Down its shining slops the deer
flew, as the wind flies. Suddenly she
found herself tumbling out of the sleigh
into a great, soft snowbank, but she did
not mind it; she only lay still, looking
after the flying sleigh. with all the laugh
ing children, and Santa Claus, and Sis-
ter Love, till she could see them no
more.
So comfortable she was. She put her
hand upon the snow,-it was warm
Then she opened her eyes,-why, i,
was her own little white bed that she
mad tumbled INTO, in her own pretty
room where the morning sunshine was
streaming in, and not snowbank at
all.
And, who knows? Sometime the
same thing may happen to YOU.