Putnam patriot., 1913-08-15
HANGING UP STOCKING
By GUSSIE NESSLER.

"Oh, I believe in Santa Claus and
 in hangin' up my stocking ?9 repeated
 the girl from the clock department
 Well, I should say I dol If all tha,
 part of it was taken out of my kid life
 there wouldn't be much left to smile
 over. I'm not the only one who thinks
 like that, either
 If Santa Claus doesn't do anothar
 thing on earth. he keeps the kids
 straight for while, anyway, and that
 helps a lot when there are several or
 even more of them and only one
 mother and father With most girls
 Santa Claus is good for a whole
 months mindin' and doin as told. and even the boys toe the line for a week at least and the squally kids let them. selves be shook still when they are told if they don't stop they won't get anything in their stockin's
 Hangin' up your stockinH Amt that about the best that ever happens to poor kid? Well, should say yes. and rich ones get something out of il. too, l suppose. The stockin' must be the longest one in the house not be- cause you are greedy but because you want to give Santa Claus chance to be as generous as he wants to be. It must be hung right. Then 1t will not be overlooked or hard to find
 You begin about six o'clock in the evenin' to get your stoekin hung to suit you, and you are spanked back to bed at midnight for sneaking out in your bare feet for the eighth time to place it more conspicuously Then you cry yourself to sleep, or what passes for sleep on that night, so eventful and nerve rackin'. Real sleeps out of the question, as you have been present all day at the din ner preparations and are so stuffed with odds and ends of everything you can scarcely waddle after you tumble out of bed to arrange and rearrange the stockin'. They can hardly get a whimper out of you when you are spanked-not too much, just enough to show you that ma is still on the job, Santa Claus or no Santa Claus. Final ly you fall asleep feelin' about as you do when you are ridin' on the cars and are not undressed
 At daylight or earlier you are awake and, like flash, 1t all comes to you. Santa Claus! The stockin'l You are up with a spring on the ice cold floor and openin' the door to get a peep at your present.
 T remember the first Christmas that came around after pa died. l know now that ma didn't have any more money than was needed to get along with, so it took some work and fggerin' to get that stockin' filed But I'll bet you, for every ounce she put into it that time she has taken out many a pound of love since. She never lost anything for what she did.
 It was her own stockin', as mine wasn't considered big enough, and had been assured that Santa Claus would not know the difference.
 When I got the first glance of it on Christmas mornin' and saw it was filled almost to burstin' and that a beautiful doll was beside it holdin' out its arms to me, I was so frightened, surprised and happy that I woke up ma with my cryin'.
 Tn merey's name, child, what is it?' she asked All I could do was to gasp and sob. He has been here! Look!'
 Honest, if live till die I'll never forget that mornin'. Nothin' would make me touch the stockin with the mysterious gifts in 1t. Ma had to pile out in the cold and hoist me and the whole business into bed, where l could examine everything at my leisure. As for breakfast! The idea of any one wantin' oatmeal on such a mornin!
 T had to get acquainted with that doll and take bite off the candy cane and the candy dog. Who wants bread and butter when there are sn orange, nuts, figs. dates and bonbons to eat? Even dinner had no drawin power against such attractions, for was so happy over what Santa Claus had brought me that I haven't got over it yet.
 Kids are kids, with kids minds and kids thoughts in 'em, and kids hopes and fears and joys. too. and Santa Claus belongs to 'em, and any one who takes him away from .aem couldn't ever have hung up his oTa stockin'."