Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-12-20

his den. surrounded by
all that was brightest and best
in Toyland, sat Santa Claus, benign,
relocated white-furred, carressing
thoughtfully his half-yard of snowy
beard.
AS yet no confiding infants had
been pushed up to his chair by sympa-
thetic parents, there to make artless
pleas for "a dolly as big as real
baby" or "a train o. cars with q wind
up ingine," so the good saint had leis-
ure to indulge in certain holiday rec
objections and longings of his own.
In other words, Santa Claus was home
sick-not for the North Pole, but for
snowy mountains and little town
nestled in their midst from which he
had been an exile for many months.
Suddenly Santa pulled himself to-
gether with a start, as he realized that
small girl with a wistful look was
standing before him.
"Well. my dear?" Santa Claus held
| out his hand, and his kindly voice and
| confidential smile seemed to reassure
the little girl, for she came nearer and
nearer and smiled back timidly.
you've come to tell me what you
want? Where's your mamma, honey?"
IL haven't any," she replied in
tone of gentle resignation, putting
her little hand into his big one. Il
came by myself, because it's Aunt
Bertha's present I wanted to ask you
| about, and she mustn't hear. I asked
| hor n xxraif for. tho
corner Of that big pile of dolls"
II see." Santa's rosy cheeks grew
just little redder, for Bertha was
( the name that had been in his
thoughts a moment before, and invol-
UNFAIRLY, for that names sake, his man.
ner held a special friendly interest for
the plainly dressed, thin-faced little
girl. "Well, do you know what your
auntie wants me to bring herr" Santa
smiled behind his beard at the incon-
gruOus situation, but the child's look
was gravely concerned.
"That's just the trouble, Mr.. Kris
But I know there's something she
wants very much. She was crying yes
terday, and when I asked her how
she could feel bad so near Christmas,
she said that was just it, and when
[ asked her some more questions, she
'splained that she had a lovely Christ
mas present last year, and she lost
1t, and it was her own fault, and now
she'd never have it again. But she
wouldn't tell me what it was.''
Don't you remember what presents
she had last year?"
"Oh, she didn't live with us then.
She's my papa's sister, you know, and
he wrote and asked her to come and
take care of me When-When mamma
died" The brown eyes blinked
bravely. "Aunt Bertha lived way up
in the mountains, with grandma and
grandpa, SO of course I don't know
about her Christmas presents. ]
thought, maybe, as you're "a sort of
fairy, you would know how to find
out"
"And where does she live?" he asked
with his heart humping under the
scarlet coat in a manner ill betting
his age and dignity. The little CIR
gave an address which he recognized
as a small street in a section of the
city near his own modest lodging.
Snow, don't you worry any more
about It," he charged her as he wrote i
down. 81 feel sure that we're going tt
see hat She gets e. &C.,
hope it will make her all happy again
don't we? Run along, dearie-I mus
| talk to these other little folks now. It..
our secret and 7 won't forget"
| He nodded to her once more as sh'
disappeared in the crowd, and his eye
followed her progress to the distan
doll corner. Just one glimpse b
caught Of the tall girl who steppe