The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-11
Santa Claus O. Co.
Continued from page Ia)


excited than they.
Like the goose" at Bob Cratchit' S
Christmas dinner, there had never
been so fine a tree known. How his
face beamed with pleasure as he passed
up and down the aisles, shaking a score
of outstretched hands, and wishing
everybody such hearty, merry Christ
masl How the young-women teachers
made futile attempts to prevent their
little charges from talking SO loud
and how their reprimands melted into
snilesl The young woman organist
was in a futtcr, lest she had forgotten
some of her music Would the children
strike the exact pitch, and remember
where to sing loud, and where to sing
soft, as she had drilled them? An, there
was many heart fiuttering wildly within
the parish house that night!
Near the cabinet organ was seated
Gilbert's pretty young wife, accom-
panied by her friend, Miss Lee, and
many an admirirg glance had been
flung in the direction of the handsome
stranger Iomkins, the superinten-
dent, had been so devoted in his at
tentions to Miss Lee as to excite COM
ment among the older people, and Incl
dcntally pang of jealousy in the breast
of the fair organist.
AT last, when anticipation was on
the verge of bursting through all
bounds of restraint, Gilbert signaled for
silence.
Children" said he, ito have pleas
ure arise out of disappointment is
doubly pleasant. You know l told
YOU this morning that | was afraid
that Santa Claus would not visit us
this year in person; but as another proof
of the old fellows love for little children,
am glad to tell YOU that he will
be with us this evening, and after our
brief opening exercises he will enter
tain YOU for little while; after which
YOU will receive your gifts.
1t needed only this intelligence to
make the children's happiness supreme,
and the old house never resounded to
more joyous music.
At a given signal there rose from
somewhere back of the tree in the direc-
ton of the superintendent room a
tremendous iingling of sleigh bells,
and such n time bringing Dancer and
Prancer and Vixen and all the other
reindeers under CONTROL \ shout of
laughter and applause, and Santa Claus
stood before them bowling his acknowl
edgments, appearing precisely as If he had
Just stepped out of the cover of "A
Visit From Saint Nicholas.
Was there ever such splendid Santa
Claus known? What funny little stories
he told them in a musicallv gruff voice,
with here and there just a touch of
pathos, and what an excruciatingly funny
song he sang about his trials with Mrs.
Santa Claus and the little Clauses
And the children fairly screamed with
delight, because it WAS ali SO simple and
lovely. and then he sang German
folk-song, OF which they could not
understand one word, and they laughed
at that because they couldn't. But
when he sang that folk-song his voice
grew soft and tender, and he appeared
to he singing it directly 10 Gilbert's
pretty young wife; or 1t may have been
Mrs. Gilbert friend, Miss Lee, for it was
she who gazed at Santa Claus with wide
open eyes, and her lips parted as if she
would cry out, and her face suddenly
went crimson.
The last thing Santa Claus did, and
that was the best of all-he told them
the prettiest little story they had ever
heard, all about a beautiful fairy who