Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-22

THE GENERAL SAT IN HIS ARMCHAIR.
many of them as you like If you will let
me know who suggested-who put it into
your hcad-to come"
Tonys face grew red. He saw that he
was not believed. but he answered gal.
lantly:
~ told you'll thinked it for myself
Nobody said ono word about coming, and
l thinkcd Of it only tonight when daddy
had gone to tho theater. He's told mo lots
of things about this house and how boo
full it was. e=-e
$50 you wanted to see it for YOURSELF
ayes, wanted TO see 1t, but that
wasn't all Santa Claus comes to this
house, don't hef"
Tony pressed eagerly up to the general,
who seemed not to know how to answer
him.
II can't say When the children were
small-parhaps"
A vision came to him of himself and his
wife stealing from cot to cot to fiji small
stockings with toys and sweets in days
long passed away. He could not finish his
sentence.
II knowl' cried Tony. Santa Claus
always came here when daddy was u littlc
boy, and when asked him why he never
came to me daddy said that he only came
to rich children and not to poor little boys
like me-. ="
Are you poor?" said the general hastily
Were not rich," replied Tony, quot
ing his father, but we amt paupers yet
Daddy says so. What is paupers? want.
ed daddy to tell me, but he had to go to
the theater''--
$50 he goes and amuses himself and
leaves you with nobody to care for your"
1T amt very amusing" said Tony 1T
makes him awful tired to play such silly
tunes every night in the orkistra, but no
has to do it, or else there wouldn't be no
bread and milk for mo nor no baccy for
daddy"
"Whero is your mother?" said the gen.
eral.
Tho child's face grew grave. "God took
her away" he answered. And the gen.
eral suddenly felt that his old hatred of
that singing woman who had beguiled his
son into making her his wife was small
minded and despicable. But another no
ton mado him frown.
$50 you came here to see what you could
get? You wanted Santa Claus prcsents?"
"Oh, no, didn't / only thinked I'd
like to como, cause daddy says SAINT.
Claus always came hero at Christm as
time, and 1t would be awful nice to eco
hut i,,lx
just want to tell him that there are heaps
Of little boys much poorer than me and
that If he would go to the poor children 1t
would be much better than going to the
rich ones, don't you think sop
"Well-sometimes," said the general.
''I thought, If you'd let me, l would
stop here till quite, quite late," said Tony
confldentially "I'd wait about till he
came, and then I'd speak to him about the
poor little boys. Then I'd go home to
daddy But may stop here, please. till
Santa Claus has becnP"
To his surprise, the old gentleman with
the white mustacho stopped down and
took him into his arms. MY dear little
boy" he said, you may stop till Santa
Claus comes certainly, and you may stop
forever il you like"
When Guy Fairfax, half distracted by
the note which he found on his table, ar
rived, painting with haste, at Carston that
night, no was shown at once into the din
ing room, whore tho general sat in his
armchair with "a childs figure gently era
died on his knee. Tony was fast asleep
and tho general would not move or dis
turb him, Ho only looked at his son fol-
a moment and then at the sleeping child.
"Forgive me- Guyl" no said at last
"You-and this boy-are all that remain
to me. Let him stay-and stay yourself
too, and cheer tho few last years of my
lifo. was wrong-I knew was wrong
but you must come back to me-"
And when Tony woke next morning In
a soft white bed and a coy room, such a
he had never seen before, he was little
bit grieved to find that Santa Claus hat
filled stocking for him whilo he had beer