The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-12-29

MUST now tell you something about
the Awgwas, that terrible race Of
creatures which caused our good
Claus so much trouble and nearly sue
ceeded in robbing the children Of the
world Of their earliest and best friend.
I do not like to mention the Awgwas,
but they are part of this history and
cannot be ignored. They were neither
mortals nor immortals, but stood mid
way between those classes of beings.
The Awgwas were invisible to ordinary
people, but not to immortals. They
could pass swiftly through the air
from one part of the world to another,
and had the power of influencing the
minds of human beings to do their
wicked will.
They were of gigantic stature and
had coarse, scowling countenances
which showed plainly their hatred of
all mankind. They possessed no con-
sciences whatever and delighted only
in evil deeds
Their homes were in rocky, noun
famous places, from whence they sal
lied forth to accomplish their wicked
purposes.
The one Of their number that could
think Of the most horrible deed for
them to do was always elected the
King Awgwa, and all the race obeyed
his orders. Sometimes these crea lures
lived to become hundred years old,
but usually they fought so fiercely
among themselves that many We're de-
stroyed in combat and when they died
that was the end of them. Mortals
were pOWerless to harm them, and the
immortals shuddered when the Avg
was We're mentioned and always avoid
ed them So they hourished for many
years unopposed and accomplished
much evil
l am glad to assure you that these
vile creatures have long since persisted
and passed from earth, but in the days
when Claus was making his first toys
they were a numerous and powerful
tribe.
One Of the principal sports of the
Awgwas was to inspire angry passions
In the hearts Of little children, so that
they quarreled and fought with one an
other They would tempt boys to eat
Of unripe fruit and then delight in the
pain they suffered; they urged little
girls to disobey their parents and then
would laugh when the children were
punished. l do not know what causes
child to be naughty in these days,
but when the Awgwas were on earth
naughty children were usually under
their influence
Now, when Claus began to make chill
dren happy he kept them out Of the
power Of the Awgwas, for children
possessing such lovely playthings as he
gave them had no wish to obey the evil
thoughts the Awgwas tried to thrust
into their minds.
Therefore, one year when the wicked
tribe was to elect new King. they
chose an Awgwa who proposed to de-
stroy Claus and take him away from
the children
There are, as you know, fewer
naughty children in the world since
Claus came to the Laughing Valley
new King, as he squatted upon a rock
and looked around at the scowlins
faces of his people, 'Why. Bessie
Blithesome has not stamped her foot
once this month, nor has Mayrie's
brother slapped his sisters face or
thrown the puppy into the rain barrel.
Little Weekum took his bath last night
without screaming OF struggling, be-
cause his mother had promised he
should take his toy cat to bed with
him! Such a condition Of affairs is
awful for any Awgwa to think of. and
the only way we can direct the naughty
actions of children is to take this per-
son Claus away from them.'
Good! Good!" cried the big Awgwas
in a chorus, and they clapped their
hands to applaud the speech of the
King.
"But what shall we do with him?"
asked one of the creatures.
Il have a plan,' replied the wicked
King, and what his plan was you will
soon discover
That night Claus went to bed feeling
very happy, for he had completed no
less than four pretty toys during the
day, and they were sure, he thought,
to make four little children happy.
But while he slept the band of invis-
IDLE Awgwas surrounded his bed, bound
him with stout cords, and then few
away with him to the middle of a dark
forest in farof Ethop, where they laid
him down and left him.
When morning came Claus found
himself thousands Of miles from any
human being, prisoner in wild jun
gle Of an unknown land.
From the limb of a tree above his
head swayed a huge python, one of
those reptiles that are able to crush a
mans bones in their coils. A few
yards away crouched a savage panther,