The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-12-22
The First Coming Of Santa Claus.
BY FLORENCE MORSE KINGSLEY.

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less since the days of the great Lammas
tide-dwelt always in a gray castle back
ed by SCARED cliffs as gray, and faced by
the wide sea, many colored like the north
ern skies which stopped to clasp it.
Angchca's innocent eyes, blue as the
distant rim of ocean, looked out from I'M
der fluff of yellow hair, and her round
cheeks were colored like sweet wild roses.
But Hermann was dark, bold and mas
terful like dead Sigmund, his father,
said old Jacquard, and loved the lad for
it. When the children played together
Hermann would boast loudly of his
strength, and of his swelling muscles,
and of how his dark head already topped
Angelica's yellow one by a hands
breadth.
Watch me now" small one, he would
say, while l climb to the highest gull's
nest of them all. will fetch thee nest
ling for pet"
But Angelica would stand trembling
and weep lest he should fall and hurt
himself among the rocks, and more than
once she ranin haste to old Jacquard and
besought him to save her brother.
Then Hermann would Chamber from his
dizzyperch and kiss the tears from her pink
cheeks. "All, little timid one" he would
cry vaing loriously," and what wilt thou
do when l am grown to the height and
breadth of our fathers coat of mail For
then, as thou knowest very well, shall
sail away in great ship with our faith
er's sword grit about me-"
"And also will sail with thee" An
gelica would answer, nodding her yellow
head with gentle obstinacy which never
failed to ruffle the boys quick anger.
Have mot told thee many times that
maidens do not sail away in ships ?" he
would answer. Thou shalt sit at home
with Dame Hesper and the damsels, and
spin and work curiously with thy needle;
but when l return l will fetch thee coral
and pearls for thy neck, and the fur of
wild beasts to line thy mantle"
Then Angelica would again weep large
tears with a round fist in each blue eye,
and on that day Dame Hesper would be
forced to berate the little maid roundly
at her tasks; for the thread fell rough
and uneven from her spindle, the shining
needle made haste to hide itself in the
green rushes on the floor, and the curious
stitchings of her embroidery wandered
all awry, like the tracks of sea birds in
the snow.
But at evening. when the logs blazed
red on the great hearth, all would be for
got while old Jacquard told the children
marvellous tales of the South, where he
was born, and of the North, where he
lived in his wild youth. He told them
stories of many things which he had seen
with his own,two eyes, both by land and
by sea; but chiefly he spoke of things
which no man had seen, either on sea or
land-tales of fairy and elf, frolicking in
meadow and forest, of gHomes and COB
Inns. toiling in underground caves, of
.
mermaids and mernlen, at play iii the
green depths of,oceano or riding the shout
ing waves to the shore: !.
And when the days grew short and
dark and the red sun dipped early into
the sea he related the story of the tree of
celestial light, with it's cloudy leaves, its
golden and starry fruit flashing gen1lke
in its branches, and the great dun stag
browsing upon its tender leaves as the
year feeds upon the days and months.
"At Yuletide," he told them, 'the sun
tree begins to grow. aid its twigs are
the little minutes which the good God
adds to the days by morning and by
evening. Each morning and each even
ing ye must watch and behold the tree
wax even greater in the heavens, and so
will We grow with it, my children, like
young trees of the Lords planting"
Being Christ-taHght in his humble way,
old Jacquard told them also of the Ju-
dean shepherds, watching their flocks by
night, and of the vision of singing angels
which filled the lonely valley of Bethle-
hem with a glory beyond the glory of the
full moon. And of how, when the angels
had gone away into Heaven. the shep-
herds climbed up to the little silent town
and found the radiant Babe, wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger,
even as the angels had said.
Angelica wept piteously to hear of
those other hapless babes of Bethlehem.
torn warm and innocent from their moth
ers' arms, and slain by the cruel soldiers
of crueler Herod. But Hermann smote
his knee with his clenched fist and cried
out with loud voice of mighty deeds of
valor which he would have done, clad in
his fathers coat of mail and welding the
great twoedged sword which hung idle
on the castle wall.
Then old Jacquard made haste to add
to this sad history the mysterious legend
of Yuletide, woven of pagan and Chris
tan lore, and broidered by the fancy of a
thousand nimble tongues-his own as
well-how that one of the shining i'm
mortals attended by the white souls of
the innocents slain i'll Bethlehem, riding
now upon a great white horse, again
upon the mighty sun.stag with his
spreading horns, comes always to the
earth at this dark season, to comfort
and bless all children, and of how he once
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which threatened their peace All this he
told them, and more
"'Tis he who fills the shoes of good
children with nuts and cakes for the
sweet Christ-Childs sake" he said, nod
ding his gray head. Gave. to the maid