Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-20

nine sidings available These hold forty
two express cars-nine rows of them. The
doors of all the cars are opened, platforms
connect all the doorways, and over them
the platform men stream in and out of
the cars all at once They carry big pack
ages for the best boys and girls in their
packages into the cars in great wicker
hampers. capable Of holding happiness for
Ave or six hundred children. And the auto
mobiles and horses that send nowadays
to the young ladies that still believe in
me go in under their own steam. But the
sleighs-I've been distributing a lot since
I haven't needed them in my work-are
heaved in tucked in, got in, some way.
Thus, there are two unbroken streams
of freight, one incoming, the other out
going. Small wonder, therefore. that at
this time of year the great platforms, six
and seven hundred feet long and thirty
and forty feet wide, are piled high with
Christmas gifts. great and small, fire.
quently making solid masses of packages
ten and twelve feet high, with the excep-
ton, Of course. of few narrow working
aisles running here and there.
4 =
But a great wonder is this, that there
is never a let-up in the apparently hopeless
battle to keep ahead of the two tides of
packages, though nature is taxed to the
utmost And the greatest wonder is. that
by noon of Christmas day, the last of the
CHlcheH leeQ THAT WHAT the men JOcOSe-
ly call the small gifts-has been put into
the wogans and a merry Christmas thereby
assured to the very tiniest of all my good
boys and girls.
himself, I've done all I possibly can do to
make the task as light as possible; even
prepay all the Consolidated Express Com
pany's business. and that's a pretty big
drain on the old mans pocketbook. But
there's one thing I wish I were able to
do, and that's to make all my home work
ers tie up the packages I entrust to their
care so they'll carry. l almost lose my
temper when 1 see hundreds of precious
bundles of Christmas cheer put up with
only pins or frail baby blue ribbons. It's
the grossest sort of negligence, and posi-
lively against my orders, but 1t Is physi-
cally impossible for me to be everywhere
at once. So at every express terminal and
big Office l have a package hospital and a
lot of valuable time is wasted in doing over
the work of many of my well-rneaning but
careless home assistants. STILL" and the
contagious smile relighted the old gen.
tleman's face, my men get the work
through in time, for all the poorly tied
packages, so mustn't be too hard on any
one. especially at this time of year.
Well, fasten down the lid Of that box.
Yes. I've come for it myself. There's a
for a very, very good little girl down in
Egypt, HI Oh, no matter how l found
that out! You just hurry up with that lid
You know !! personally collect and for
that have anything in them for the very
best of all my good boys and girls. That's
it-drive that last nail home. SO that
precious doll won't be in danger of getting
out of her box and having the bloom scrap
ed off her dimpled cheeks. And now good
day, strand, by the way. when a tired
looking chap, with heavy box in his
arms. appears at your front door on the
morning of the twenty-fourth or of the
great day itself, it might not be a bad
thing-I say 1t might not be bad thing
to wish him Merry Christmas"
By this time the stocky old gentleman
had reached the door. The next Instant he
had tossed his burden into his already
heavily laden great wagon, he sprang
lightly to the seat, and as he took up the
reins and was off, there came to me,
through jolly burst of laughter, and
above the sound of his swiftly moving
horses feet:
Merry Christmas! Merry Christ-mas."