Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-01
THE TROLLS, CHRISTMAS.

Christmas Eve had come at last. The
night was dark and cold, the streets
empty, but within the neat little house
on the corner there were both warmth
and light. The Christmas tree stood
in the middle Of the room, ablaze with
its bright stars, golden apples and
many, many wax candles. The chill
DIRE, father. mother, servants and
| friends. were singing and dancing
round the tree.
Then suddenly the singing stopped.
A knock was clearly heard at the
door. 1t must be ST. Nicholas!
Yes, it was he. With the bundle on
his back, nodding, smiling, he came
into the room. And now he looked at
one, then at another of the children,
who stood motionless, watching him.
WELL" he, asked, have you all been
good children this year?''
All answered in one breath: eyes.
yes!"
Then" said st. Nicholas, mo one
shall go without gifts; but want to
tell YOU that this year you will have
only half as many presents as last
year."
And why?" asked the children
THAT l will also tell YOU" said st.
Nicholas. 81 came from the frozen
north; there have peeped through
the windows of many little cottage,
and have seen many little children
who had not even bite of bread to
eat this Christmas Eve, so gave half
of your gifts to them. Did do right"
Eyes, that was right; that was
good!" cried the children-all except
Frederick and Lottle, who at first kept
silent.
Frederick often had twenty presents
and Lottie had thirty last year, and
now they felt very ill-treated If they
were to have only half as me5y:
did not do right?" asked ST.
Frederick to Lottie.
Then Frederick shook his head and
grumbled, What kind of Christmas
will this be? The trolls will have a
better time than wei" And Lottie
pouted in her turn, "shall only have
fifteen presents? Yes, the trolls will
have much, much better Christmas
than you give us tonight"
Very WE'LL" said st. Nicholas; eff
that is what you wish, I'll take you
there" And he seized Frederick and
Lottie each by the arm and carried
them off, though they screamed and
fought to get away.
Hi! Ho!-they went fast through the
air! Before the children could gather
their thoughts they found themselves
in the middle of a dense forest in the
midst of the snow 1t was dreadfully
cold, and the snow fell thick and fast,
SO that you could hardly see the high
frs that stood all around. But the cry
of the wolves nearby you could hear
distinctly.
But ST. Nicholas? Yes, he disap-
peared suddenly. He had no time to
wait. He was going to visit so many
homes, so many little children tonight.
Both children began to sob and cry,
but the more they cried the nearer
came the cry of the wolves.
Come, Lottle," said Frederick, 1--WE
must try to find some shelter here in
the forest"
81 think l see little light over
among the trees" said Lottle.
But Frederick told her it was no
light, only the CLEAN of icicles among
the dark branches.
Here is high mountain wall be-
fore u.s. said Lottie Come. let us
climb up there. Then we can get a
better view and may see some light."
So they climbed through the high
snow drifts, over bushes ind fallen
trees, and came after a while to the
mountain. There was little door and
through the door came strange sounds.
Frederick and Lottle went straight to-
ward it, and suddenly found to their
horror that they were in the cave Of
the trolls. But then it was too late to
turn back, and besides, closing in upon
them, came the bowling wolves, their
eyes shining in the dark.
Frederick and Lottie huddled to-
sether inside the door and saw before
them great hall where the trolls
were celebrating the Yule festival.
There must have been hundreds of
them, but all were quite small, hardly
a yard tall, with old, wrinkled faces
and quick movements, and all were
clad in gray. Afraid of the dark they
were not. for instead of lights they had
frozen glow worms and decayed tree
stumps, which gave glow in the dark
ness. But when they wanted grand
illuminat N, they stroked big black
cat along tne pack SO Lnat sparks gilt
tered; but then some of the trolls cried
out, mo, stop that! 1t gets too bright!
No one can stand SO much light" For
you must know there is something
queer ABOUT the trolls in the world.
They cannot bear the light And that
is the reason that they celebrate each
Yuletide, for they notice that the days
grow shorter toward the end of the
year, and the nights grow longer and
longer. So the trolls think each Yule-
tide that at least there will be no day
at all, but night and darkness only,
and this thought makes them so happy
hat they dance and jump and sing
y glee
night notice that the trolls
cry cold. They offered each
'dy. and blew first on the