Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-22

such person as land after all / have done
for him, tool Let me see; his name is Dick
-er-something or other.n Here Santa
hauled out heavy book, which was short
and fat like himself. He turned over the
leaves till he came to a certain page, and
Dick, looking over his shoulder, could see
that the page contained a list of bows
whose first name was Dick, like his own
Santa ran fat forehnger down the page
till he came to a certain name with q black
mark after it.
"Ah, here we have i'll" he exclaimed.
dick Sniffer That's the young rascal.
Do you happen to know himq' Santa added,
turning quickly on poor Dick.
Yves, sir. He-he lives in the same
house that dol" Dick faltered.
Dear mel" cried Mr.. s. Claus. "Here's
luck" 1t will save me time to speak to
you about it, and you can repeat it all to
the young disbeiever.
Here the old gentleman paused, with his
head bent as though in deep thought Sud
denly he looked up and delivered himself of
the following history of his work.
when l first began to make my Christ
mas rounds, many, many hundred years
age, there wasn't boy or girl in all the
world who did not know me and believe in
me, and l never forgot one single child.
But after a while the world grew so big
and so many children were born into it
that it became very hard for me to get
around to them ALL
by and by things got so bad had to en-
list the services of the fairies. You be-
lieve in fairies don't youl"
"Oh, yesl" cried Dick, earnestly, though
but half an hour befoT Q he would have made
another answer.
"Well," pursued Santa, 81 got the
fairies only the good fairies Of course!--
to go about and make up list of all the
boys and girls in the world and TO find out
what they wanted for Christmas, and if
they believed in Santa Claus or not. 1
have all the names in this book here For
instance, have Dick Sniffers down for
skates, bobsled and fishing rod. Do you
happen to know if that is rightqn
''Yesl" cried Dick, that's right He-he
told me what he wanted"
do you think he deserves ANYTHING for
not believing in met" asked Santa Claus.
gravely.
'T-I s'pose notl" said poor Dick. But
if promise to tell him about meeting Won
and prove to him that you're real, p'r'aps
you'll forgive him this time"
Old Santa Claus shook his head sadly. cit
always makes me feel very bad to think
anybody needs proof of me. A boy or girl
ought to believe what their parents tell
them about old Santa Claus"
eff II mean, if Dick had only seen
you come down the chimney once, I'm sure
he'd have never doubted that you were
real!" said Dick eagerly.
'That was all very well in the old DAYS."
replied Santa sorrowfully. 'But they
make the chimneys so ALFRED narrow
these days, and what with steam heat and
gas logs in the city houses, haven't any
chance at all to make my Christmas calls
on children in the good old fashion way.
Though now and then, if 1 happen I pass
| particularly large and roomy chimney,
l am very apt to try the old way. It's
such pretty sight," added Santa with a
chuckle, ''to peep in and see two or three
young ones fast asleep and to think how
they would stare if they should wake and
see me there. Once in a while a child
does wake up, and then | clear out in a
| jffy, SO that by the next morning the poor
thing doesn't know whether it really saw
me or only dreamed i'll"
IF you don't go down chimneys much
how do you manage to fill all the stockingsl"
asked Dick.
ooh, that's easyl" cried Santa. ''I have
formed what l call a parents league.
have talk with each parent just before
Christmas about what is best to give each
child, and when it comes Christmas Eve
the fairies distribute the presents for me,
delivering them at each house, and l go
about the country just experimenting and
seeing that everything goes right"
Here Santa's little horse began to show
Impotence by paving and shaking it's head
"Well, must be getting along" cried
Santa, and he climbed into his little sleigh,
and as he picked up his reins he called out,
Good night, Dick, and a right merry
Christmas to you'll" And then, as he noted
the look of dismay on Dicks face, he added
brightly:-'I knew you from the first, my
boy, but you believe in Santa Claus now,
don't youl so it's all right. When you
look in your stocking in the morning you
won't be disappointed" And with that he
chirruped to his horse, and in a moment
was out of sight down the road, though the
tinkling of the sleighbells was audible for a
long time after.
The next thing Dick knew he was being
roughly shaken by the shoulder and his
fathers voice was saying in his ear:-
What are you snoozing here fort" You
ought to have been in bed long ago. It's
almost time for Santa Claus to come"
Hes been here already and he came in
such dear little sleigh, murmured Dick
sleepily, as he crawled up stairs to bed. +
New York Sunday Herald.