The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-23

that playthings were a nuisance. so that
none of his children thumped "a drum.
or blew tin horn. or tossed "a ball, or
dressed doll, or read books like Tom
sawyer. IL there We're any such books
there AT least. il they ever did, IL was
when their father was away from
home. His children never read fairy
tales and nonsense verses. Nicholas set
them to amuse themselves by repeating
multiplication table and learning
dates. He did not allow Christmas par
ties, because he said they were a waste
of time and money, and prevented him
getting on with his sermons.
People admired him very much for
his strictness. They said IL was pretty
TO see the ten children sitting i'm
row twirling their thumbs. They no.
ticed that Nicholas children were never
rude or saucy TO their good father. But
unhappily. the children misbehaVed as
they grew up. They were sulen. they
played truant from school, they got in
To trouble through robbing apple or
chards or doing even worse things. They
grieved their excellent father very
much, SO that at last he left them To
their fate. and went away To live alone
in "A cave, where he could have peace
and quietneSs ana prepare for Heaven.
And his neighbors said that neighbor
Nicholas was a saint. if ever there was
one. And TO this day the people in that
part of the world called him Saint
Nicholas, and have pictures of him In
their houses.
But now begins the sad part of the
story. When Nicholas left this world
for the next he was very much aston
ished to find that it was not at all the
sort of world that he expected To find
He met that terrible Mrs. Bedone-
byasyoudid, of whom you have read i'm
Water babics" Or. If you have not
YOU must at once get the book. That
awful woman actually made Nicholas
play with children! He was obliged to
beat drum, 10 blow "a horn. to fire tor
pedoe, 90 skats Gust think OF that for
an old mani. to dance round "a Christ
mas tree. TO read about fairies, and to
sing nonsense rhymes. The children I'm
Fairyland enjoyed 10 very much. be-
cause Nicholas had long white beard.
and they thought IL great fun To have
bearded playfellow. bat poor Nicholas
did not like To cut such capers. and tried
To persuade the children to get up
"Children's Auxiliary on a Browning
club. They did try TO get up the latter.
because they thought it had something
To do with the Brownies; but when
Nicholas delivered his learned lectures
they thought IL very stupid. At length
poor Nicholas persuaded Mrs. i3cdoneby-
asyoudid to appoint him some other
penance. and. AK ne had behaved fairly
well for hundred years or So. that
lady gave him another kind OF task. He
was to give his mind to the invention
OF new toys. which explains what has
been a mystery To your mother-name-
ly, how it Is that there are so many
more playthings now than when she
was a girl. It Is all the work OF poor
Nicholas. Then he was commanded TO
go down AL the chimneys In the Coun-
try on Christmas Eve. and 10 put pres
ents iu the childrens stockings. At
first he made some mistakes. FOR he
took pretty things to the children OF
rich people only. and that did not suit
Mrs BedOncbynsyoudid at all. However.
he has begun to do better. and ne ~. to
be released from his task when children
grow so wise that they don't care FOR
christmas. and don't want playthings.
which Nicholas hopes will happen be-
fore very long through the spread OF
education.
THAT H. the history of the man who IL
known as Saint Nicholas. and here at
home as santa claus. IL is full of moral
teachings. though perhaps YOU may not
scc thcui all az once. one moral H. that
cycn people may be mistaken, as the