Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-24
S-NNT

ed down upon the dmiE HShteu piazza
almost at my feet.
Brought 10 4 halt by the giant apparl-
ton. I stood as still-and, / fear, as
v hite-as the marble statues which, from
their pedestaIs beside the portico, shared
my wondering gaze. No creature stirred
within the haze of the park lights until,
u my amazement. the round and wad-
ding figure of a man descended from the
mammoth bird. Making a sudden thrust
at the monster he caused it TO utter a
deafening note, like the wall of a CO.
Iossal bee in agony. and as it cried its
breath steamed. lac that of the dragon
of old.
But as l stepped back. in greater fear
than before, the old man silenced his
winged steed and. reckoning me with a
mittened hand, burst into roar of
jolly laughter, which put all my terrors
to flight And as L approached him L
suddenly recognized that the beaming
face behind his white, bushy beard and
high fur-tFimmed collar was that OF an
old and once beloved friend. whom L had
not seen for more than thirty years.
''Ha. Ha, So you had forgotten your
old friend?'' chuckled the merry elf. his
red, r-bordered jacket threatening to
within it.
But my dear ST. Nick said I, you
always travelled by reindeer and sleigh in
the good old days when last we met, and
j had least expected TO see you descend
in an aiIship, while, besides, CHRISTMAS
eve is not until tomorrow.
We'll, dear boy, you see / am thor
oughly up To date. The sleigh had to
give way TO the automobile and now the
auto has given way to the eroaplane, Tor
fIfE n
make double the visits that l undertook
In the days when | had you on my LIST.
"And as for my coming here DAY
ahead of the old SCHEDULED have to. Tor.
being the capital, Washington Is the
busiest and gayest Christmas town in a
the land In the first place, hundreds OF
people-from all corners of the country
now ask me 10 deliver their Christmas
presents to my dear friend, the Presl-
dent, and these are what fill this extra
load here Most of them are silly and
useless gifts, l admit. but he makes me
return al things of intrinsic value that
come from people WHO are not his per
sonal friends. That has always been the
rule. / remember having to take back
n gorgeous brooch. set with thousand
dollars worth of gems, which MIS-
the costliest Christmas present ever sent
- the White House by other than Il
personal friend of the family.
And after / unload these gifts down
fHe IftS!Itill : tIliiIltN l nave YET q H4A''-
sion 10 perform for him before the sun
rises To each married employe OF the
White House lie will send 10y me Il big
Christmas turkey. one hundred and two
such fowls was the load last year, and
it Will be even more tonight. for in re
cent months there has been epidemic
Of marrying below stairs in that grand
Old mansion
Nor VIII the turkeys lie all that ] de-
liver for MI Taft continued st. Nick,
I
aero. The unmarried employees each
get something. too and therc'll be raft
uf presents FOR the Presidents friends
gifts which. ~ usual. ne has personally
gone into the stores 10 select And then,
TOO, / Wiz have to do 1t pleasant little
Chore for the cabinet ladies' who have
!. gain dubbed together ana bought Mrs
Taft a handsome Christmas present. Last