Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-12-21

came streaming in through the window
whose shade had not been pulled down.
The stockings all felt very limp and
lank, but they knew that before morning
they would ache from being stuffed so
full. At least the older ones did, grand
mas and mammals and papa's and Ned's
and Ada's. Chubby Toms and Baby
Bess' had no remembrance of any Christ
mas before this one. They were full of
eager curiosity to know what was going to
happen.
Presently Ada's long blue stocking said
to grandma's black silk one;
Please tell us about Christmas when
you were young. Santa Claus won't be
here for a long while yet"
"Oh, yes, please do!' cried all the other
stockings. Even Baby Bess' gurgled
-oo-doo-doo-"
"Well, my dears," began the black silk
stocking in a gentle voice, they didn't
make anything of Christmas when | was
young way up in New England where l
was knit We didn't know it from any
other day hardly. We had all our good
times at Thanksgiving. But | will tell
you something which happened once when
the father of our children here was little
fellow like Tom. l think have told you
that grandma wore me for the first time
when she was married. You remember
that her wedding dress was beautiful
pink and green changeable silk and that
she wore high comb and red slippers
with high heels. She kept all these things
very carefully for many years. l, too,
was put away in a box and was seldom al
lowed to appear in public. Once, how
ever, fell accidentally into box with
some black silk pieces and stood for long
time on the table in the sitting room. The
cover was taken off the box every day and
| could see and hear what was going on.
| soon found that this small boy, who had
become a member of the family, was a
great rogue.
"One day grandma was going to have
company to dinner and was very busy.
So she gave the baby ever so many play
things and told him to stay In the sitting
room and not bother her by running to the
kitchen every minute. For long time he
was good enough. Then he grew tired of
the toys he had and looked around for
something else. The needles in his moth
ers knitting work shone brightly in the
a~ed to reach it. 1t was a long wooden
stocking nearly finished. He pulled all
the needles out the first thing and when
he had played with them few mi nutes
he discovered that he could pull the warn,
too. This pleased him very much. He
laughed aloud every time he gave a long
pull and saw the stitches run along and
bob their heads out of sight. Some more
heads always came up and he didn't stop
unit the whole stocking was unraveled
and the curly yarn lay In heap on the
floor Then he tried to wind it on the ball,
but of course he could not do this and very
soon he heard his mother coming. l shall
never forget how cunning he looked when
she opened the door and saw his mischief.
He was half afraid, for he was old enough
TO know that he had done wrong, and yet
his big brown eyes were dancing as he
pointed to the tangled yarn and called out:
bad stocking, mamma-all unwind
cdr
Grandma tried to look sober, but she
couldn't help laughing at the little scamp.
And then how he laughed too, as she car
ried him off to help her make pies after
air.
Just then there was a great Iirgling of
bells and hearty voice seemed ~ ne cad
ing down the chimney.
Here comes Santa Claus~ cried all The
stockings, and they wondered what pretty
things he had brought for them TO give 10
the family the next morning.