The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-12-27
WASHINGTON.
Joint Celebration of Christmas Day by
the Churches.

| Joint Celebration of Christmas Day by
the Churches.
The two churches and Sunday schools
in Washington celebrated the great day
together in the Universalist church. The
entertainment was a departure from any
former observance. First there was
fine musical program, under the direction
of Mrs. II. w Downing, including two
songs by the schools, duet by Misses
Hazel Bohonan and Laura Nye, and a
evry pretty little solo, "Rockabye," by
Myrtle Calef Then followed the play.
Homer Parkhurst, full of the motion
of catching Santa Claus, so that he
might see him, hid fierce swapping rat
trap in big stocking hung from fire.
place. Santa was caught, sure enough,
and went off hurt and cross, threatening
that the boy who played him such
shabby trick should hang his sock in
vain"
Here, the pastor of the church came
forward and regretted the mishsp in
such "honest" fashion that one little
girl, told him afterward she really
thought it was all up. Then he called
up three little girls, Alice Towsley, Net
tie Smith and Lillian Bradbury, and
asked if they would try, by his direc
tons, to find their way to Santa Claus
house and endeayor to persuade him to-
come back They agreed and he set
them on their way, Following the course
laid out, they passed two little Jack-o-
lantern guards, Hobart Seaver and Lloyd
Downing. Then they found wonderful
little house, covered with snow and set
in little grove Of trees. Here stood
Lawrence Seaver with Santas door bell
mounted on his head The little girls
rang, but receiving no reply, went spy
ing about the house until they were
terribly scared by an awful noise Two
of them, plucking up courage, went back
to see what ii was and were chased out
onto the stage again by the two dwarfs.
Hakko and Bakko, personated by Neal
McAllister and Howard Nye The dwarfs
We're very cross and impudent and, after
tormenting the little girls, ran off in
derision. Still full Of pluck, the little
girls rang by turns on the doorbell until
Santa, II. w. Downing, popped his head
out OF the little shattered window. On
learning that the embassage hailed from
Washington, where he had Just been
nipped in the rat trap, Santa, in alarm.
drew in his head and barred the shutter
in fear; but, feeling ashamed of his cow
ardice, he came out cautiously onto the
stage and demanded of the little girls
why they had followed him At first
interested by their story and then soft
ened by their appeal for the baby class,
who would cry their eyes out if he
refused to return, he told them that he
would forgive the boy who set the trap
and also that he would make them hap
py if he could, but he had neither the
time for the journey nor any gifts left
to crown it's end Then, happily remem-
boring his friend, the fairy queen, he
sent Hakko and Bakko posthaste to-
fetch her While they were on their
way, the big Regina music box loaned by
the MeAllister Bros. Of East Barre, con-
cealed in the minister's room, rendered
beautiful piece of tiukling fairy music.
As IL ceased, Hallllo aud Ballko returned,
bowling in the fairy queen, Miss Lena
Towsley, and her two attendant sprites
Ruby Bradbury and Louise Dashner.
Being assured that the three little girls
would not be content to accept either
"some nice cold slices Of moonshine" nor
some pieces Of broken rainbow" the
fairy queen waved her wand and assured
the children that, as soon as they could
get back home, they would find a full
assortment OF nuts. candy and toys wait
ing for them in the church pRrlors. Upon
this they FASTENED home. Then Pearl
Bradbury and Harold Bigelow from the
parlor In the rear OF the church began
sending down baskets of good things
over tight wires stretched down to the
stage Here the formal part Of the pro
gram was ended and here began the
usual calling of Of names. The dwarfs
and fairies were assisted in the distri-
button Of gifts by girls and boys from
the schools The play was written and
all the apparatus contrived by the pas
tor Rev Irving Towsley.