Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-24

| read, Dear Santa: Bring me everything
| Just like Donald's, except a sled. One will
do for both, for. of course, Wen always
coast together
| Down in jeans heart she felt that she
would be first to master the flexible flyer
and visions of coasting down Simmons
| hill, steering Donald, rose before her self
| satisfied eyes.
| OF course, Santa Claus brought the
! flexible flyer" In his mind, as in Jeans.
| one seemed enough, for but splendid
| sled gladdened the vision of both children
| on Christmas morning.
| How hard it was to wait for the first
| snow with a flexible flyer just aching to
| be tried. Luckily a splendid snowfall did
| occur a few days after Christmas, and
| Donald and Jean were wild with excite
ment. Mother could scarcely keep them
| still long enough TO put on their warm
! wraps, so eager were they to join their lit
tie friends in the delightful sport. What
| pleasure does equal coasting anyway?
| When the air is bright and clear, the
| ground covered with crisp, sparkling snow,
| the sleds flying down a hill like birds-can
| anyone help being happy?
Jean took the lead. as usual, placing Dom
| aid behind her She thought, of course,
she could steer the new sled. AT first every
| thing went all right, when suddenly the
Sled swirled around and before Jean knew
| what had happened Donald and she were
| buried in snow drift, while the sled was
| madly speeding down the hill by itself.
| Time and time again did Jean try to guide
| it, but with no better results. No matter
| how many things this young lady could
| do, she now had to face the unpleasant
fact that she could not steer a flexible
| flyer
| Donald pleaded to be allowed to try, but
Jean would not even listen to such a thing
IF can't do it, Donald Keith, how in the
! world can you? Don't 1 always beat you
] at everything?
Donald admitted that she did, but tim
!dly added: mo one can tell what he can
10 until he tries. I've never tried steering
1 flexible flyer" Jean had to agree that
ais reasoning was sound. Realizing that
she was failure and at the same time
/ that the coasting was getting better each
! moment Jean finally allowed the timid
| Donald to try his skill. Whether the in
! stinct that makes boys boys came to Dom
| aid just at that moment, or whether the
| fates thought it time for him to show that
| he was no longer going to be kept in the
| background by his clever sister no one can
| TELL but down went the flyer in tie most
| approved fashion 1t never swerved from
| the path except as Donald's hand babe it,
1t obeyed him perfectly, and the sensation
| was novel that the boy seemed beside
| himself with joy. At first Jean refused to
| ride with him, saying she was not ready to
| be killed. but after Donald had made two
| or three successful trips the little girls
| ugliness gave way, and she jumped on the
| sled back Of Donald. The sensation of
| being beaten by him was at first unpleas-
| ant but the sport was so delightful, the
| shouts of the children so cheering, that be-
| fore Jean knew it she was laughing and
| shreking as merrily as any Of them,
rs for Donald. he was happy beyond
words; When he told mother of his sue
cess she patted his curly head and looked
| as pleased as did he. Mother said it was
| good for all people to meet defeat once in
while and to make her lesson clearer,
| told Jean and Donald the story of Napo-
| leon. Now this general. after the greatest
| successes the world had ever known, finally
| met his defeat on the battlefield of Water
| loo. Donald liked the story very much.
He declared he would name his new sled
| Napoleon. Father agreed to paint this
| name on one side of the sled, but suggested
| that it would be a good idea to paint
| Waterloo on the other. AS he said this he
(, looked at Jean, who already had applied
| mothers story to herself She was gen.
| failure in steering the flyer, when Donald
| became the Napoleon of Simmons Hill.
| From this time onward no sled nor boy no
matter how big, could hope to win a race
| when Donald and Napoleon appeared upon
| the scene.