Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-26
And the dear old Saint began.


cit was two years ago. said Santa
Claus. '1Fhere was an unusually large
number of babies to be cared for that
year, and they were just the coolest lot
you ever saw, though between you and!
me think all babies are good. When !
they don't seem to be as good as they
might be it almost always means there 81
pin sticking into them or their dinner
doesn't agree with them or some other
good reason which they always know.
They didn't cry much at night and they
spent most Of their days smiling ana l. COO
ling and clapping their hands gleefully
Somehow or other, while I am fond of all
babies. seemed to be particularly fond
lof them. Your little brother Dick, for
instance, and Sammy Bronson's sister
Polie-she was just, the sweetest little
Polite that ever was"
"Yes," said l, Il know EN- both. Fol
lies pretty fine"
"Well, there were most million babies
1 like that that year, and ] had something
for every one of them" Santa Claus con-
(. tinued. ut was the busiest night I'd ever
4 had, and in those days ! was doing the
work all by myself. So, when half-past
five Christmas morning came, both my
reindeer and were dreadfully tired ana
4 sleepy. The reindeer were SO tired they
i became nervous, and while l was fixing
up the stockings in big orphan asylum
4 in Chicago they both took fright at loco.
i motive whistle half d mile away and ran
4 away. They flew back to Clausburg and
got in all right, but had to trudge home
the gates were closed. 1t was fright,
lful situation l knocked and knocked
and knocked, but nobody came. and |
i, realized that the case was hopeless. l
couldn't blame anybody either because
; iPd made the rules myself, and in refus-
ing to answer my summons the gatekeeper
: was merely obeying my orders.
81 should think you'd be glad to see
people there-you're always so good ma
u MTh,at's all very true" said Santa
! Claus. ..But you don't quite understand.
! We work so hard for six months OF the
year that we have to rest the other SIX.
> While we are sleeping we can't see peo-
ple YOU know-wed be awfully dull COM
pany if we did see them-and while we
b are working we are too busy to be inter-
rupted. BY the time ! got back to Claus
burg everybody'd gone to sleep for the
a annual rest, and could have hammered
u six months at the gate before i could
$ have Weakened any one of them.
6 Il see," said /. Somebody might have
set up for you, though | added. ..
Its against the rules to sit up after
e SIX" said Santa Claus, and then he Went
III. l.
= said he. II wandered about outside fol
= three or four hours, and then realized
a that there was only one thing to be done
make the best of it. and go back to earth
t, again and earn my living as best ! coulc
until the gates were open again. SO bacf
to Chicago l trudged and then boarded 6
l train for New York, making so close &
e connection that / hadn't time to buy 6
% ticket. We'd got as far as Kalamazoo
when up comes the conductor.
{, ".Ticket. please. he said. stopping il
front of me and getting mis- puncher ready
II told him | hadn't one and asked how
e. much the fare was to New York, intend
:. ing to pay in cash.
II 'Thirty-six dollars said the conductor
= II had about ten thousand in my pocket
lie SO this did not worry me. Taking out m,
T. wallet l counted out the necessary thirty
"a six one dollar bills and added ten dollar
more. which / told the conductor to keel
ie for himself lin honor of the season. Ant
/ then-oh dear. Ii was awful!' said tn
1t old gentleman. Perfectly awful
# "Why?" asked. Didn't YOU want t
give the conductor ten dollars1"
r. "Oh. it wasn't that said Santa Claus
u sit wasn't that. 1t was the quality of M
h. money 1t was toy money, every cent of il
:. and hadn't any other
The old gentleman shook his head sol
1t Eemnly as he recalled the embarrassing in
~ cident.
There / was" he resumed a momen
Halter. put off the train at Kalamazoo
ed with ten thousand dollars in my poke
and not penny that was worth cent.
70 '.They didn't put YOU off the train?''
= cried Indignantly Didn't you tell the,
" who you wereW
r. "Oh. yes! told them, said SAINT
st Claus. struggling his shoulders "But the
ch only grinned The conductor was one {
,u those funny men WHO like to make jokes /
make messengers lnngli