The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-12-17
SARAH AND SANTA "A
sY rHEoposlA GARRISON.

4 stairs-a sense OF hurt and bewilder-
\ vnent and absolute helplessness-but
4 for all that she sat very still upon her
own front steps, a red mittened hand
1lpon each knee, her little circle of a
n face staring from its enclosure of red
worsted hood full upon the bearer OF
awful tidings.
II v occurred to her to doubt
n him In the first place, the word OF an
/ elder was infallible, and Emerson was
4 10 at least-a good six years older than
i herself-Again. he wore spec~tacles-the
hail mark of wisdom-and. moreover.
he went to school-an awesome thing
4 10 contemplate.
The news that he was going back to
4 1hat very school to spend Christmas,
owing to the fact that his erudite par
.ents had planned to sail for Egypt
4 Christmas eve had led to Sarah's in
A nocent question regarding the habits of
n santa Claus in respect to boarding
i schools, and then the blow had faliea.
Emerson had laughed long and loud.
santa Claus? Why, haven't they told
YOU yet there isn't any? How old are
I YOU, anyhow? / thought that every
i Kid was on TO that
There isn't any?" Sarah gasped.
do you NEAR that he is-dead?"
Her Mortified face appealed TO En-
+ erson's sense OF hufnor as a struggling
kitten might. "Oh, T. guess he's dead
\ all right" he said carelessly. Il would
Mt SIT UP to see him tomorrow night IL
I were you. Well. so long, kid"
Sarah detained him with a trembling
i appeal. Are you sure?"
Sure as you're sitting there" he
\ said. and went on his way, a.a
His fathers house was only the door
! beyond her own. When he reached 1t
/ he scooped a handful of snow from the
4 steps, made IL into a ball n tossed 1t
4 over to Sarah. not. be II said, from any
/ malicious spirit, III simply because she
was the only mark that offered itself.
II fell squarely upon one of the red
\ mittens, but she gave 1t no attention
whatever. Her little brain vas wrcs-
4 Ting with problems-with tragedy.
4 stunned as she was by the tremendous
fact, her mind had no inclination to
reach out for details, Santa Claus was
4 dead. beyond a question of doubt, since
Emerson, the scholar, the indubitable,
had said 1t. And for weeks, for months,
she had thought, talked and dreamed.
4 even prayed. Santa Claus. Her bed
. time stories had been-of no n else
4 his workship, his elves, his reindeer. his
wonderful journey over h rooftops
4 that eliminated at last at her very own
4 chimney. 1t was only last night that
her mother had told her that Santa
4 Claus no doubt, staying awake
wondering whether Sarah would prefer
a pink or blue bonnet on the new doll
he might bring .... ..
they had discussed 1t a long time,
j Sarah and her mother, and her father,
100; that morning, at breakfast, he had
played a realistic game on the table,
cloth, depicting Santa Claus approach
over snowy hillocks of napkins with an
accompanying jingle of spoons until he
4 landed safely at Sarah's own oatmeal
dish, which for the time being stood
for her stocking. '
The truth burst upon her in a fash,
a paralyzing truth. They didn't know!
Her parents up to his very day had no
idea Of the tragedy that had befallen
the world. They were so happy, so
happy, and 1t remained for her to open
their eyes, to tell them that there was
TO be no Christmas. that the day which
was the crown and glory OF the year
was to be like any other n Her
father would go to his Office and her
mother wculd TAX up her sewing, and
she, Sarah. instead OF the ecstatic wax
ing. the soul b~ewildering JOY of new
blue eyed doll babies, picture books and
candles, there would be--"Oh!" Sarah
gave a little sob deep In her throat. He
was lever coming again. the dear. dear
old man that had never forgotten her
n Christmas since h was born.
and how she had loved him! Oh. much
4 UtAlCI " w iCuilHGu lbd Nv 6CI-
tleman to whom she said her prayers
dutifully every evening and whom she
confused I'm her mind with h Sunday
school superintendent, and who had a
black beard and a highly superior dig
nifty. .-..
She realized presently that she was
very cold. The hands in the little red
mittens were almost numb. She had
been thinking for hours and hours she
thought. and II seemed a strange thing
when h lifted her eyes not to find 1t
quite dark, with the street lamps gilt
tering. Instead, here was the Afternoon
light still; the children with whom she
had come out to play were still sliding
festively half way dow the block, as
they Were when Emerson had stopped
to speak with her. So they didn't know
either. How could she for a moment
pretend to be one of them, and she
couldn't tell them-she couldn't.
Her soul Shrank from the sight OF
suffering. She was a sensitive little be-
Ing, given more to picture books and
fancies than most robust sports. and
her thoughts sometimes were more
ponderous than her vocabulary could
express. Just now her soul ached for
comfort, for cuddling arms and a soft
breast wherein to sob out her woes,
but her mother was not at home. She
had helped Sarah don her hood and leg
giugs and gone bHthely on her way
downtown. She seemed always away
shopping these days, and II she were
In her W room before the cosy fire
what comfort could n who comes
with evil tidings hope to gain?
Hannah vas in the kitchen, but Han
nah. too. for many a day had held forth
on the prevailing subject in a way that
had almost convinced Sarah that she
had once been on intimate terms with
santa Claus, perhaps even an inmate OF
his household, IS she was now OF
Sarah's own. No. She couldn't listen
TO Hanna just now, knowing what she
4 knew. -'a."
Presently she dragged her sled
through the dooryard and stabbed II
costly In the back veranda. There was
a little grip at her throat as she re-
membered that only the Christmas be-
Tore he had brought it to her. And he
was never. never coming again! She
said IL over to herself as she climbed
the stairs TO her own little room that
opened into her mothers. 1t was
warmer In her mothers room, but she
IL A-A