The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-25

GU nouueu q mead not yet heavy
with sleep.
"Of course. I do" you answered.
But you're getting to be such u
big boy" she said and you notrcen
that her voice trembled llttls anr
that her fingers under the covers
closed very tightly about your own
such great big boy" she incOn.
clusively concluded
You couldn't see--how could youf
the impending tragedy, and you
boyishly insisted in your plea untn,
mothorwlsc, she had consented am
was busy with the Childrcn's
Chronicle, How the good little, far
little saint In furs. the merry. REQ |
checked man Of the North, ,~crke-, /
in his shop all year long. with his |
wife to help him, making toys for /
boys who never grumblcd at erranu /
running, and dolls for girls who ate /
everything that was on their dinner |
plate How. on every Christmas eve. |
the big sleigh was laden and the |
reindeer harnesscd How all the
world was visited until every Chin
noy had been descended and every
stocking filled, All this she told
you, and all this you accepted quit>
as you had accepted the holy narra-
/ tive that had preceded 1t. And then
| she tucked you in again, bade you
| be good boy and go to sleep, ana
went away leaving upon your lips
kiss that. after all the years. re-
mains the dearest kiss that you have
over known.
It may have been wnnt your faith
or had said to you. II may have been
the new quality In your mothers
| voice. or It may have been no more
than the ancient commonplace or
time. but. In any case, you tina,
night grew up. At ALI events. YOU
lay awake far longer than you had
ever lain before. The light was
mere pinpoint. but you could dimly
discern objects in the room. and so.
being really so much older than you
used to be. you should have been In
no sense afraid. And yet somehow.
you were depressed, restless and. In
spite OF the joyful day impending,
unhappy.
A long while passeda very long
while it seemed. You had tried
honestly and hard to go TO sleep, be-
cause that is a matter of Imperative
duty on Christmas eve, and you were
Just about succeeding when
The room door cracked on its
hinges!
You sat bolt upright In bed, your
eyes bulging, your hands clutching
ltnn SHftIs GU Mtulu N"t''
out. but you couldn't have uttereo
n sound TO save your life.
At first. you see. you had been
, sure Il was burglar, but now you
remembered--this was Christmas
eve; the only open fireplace was In
the sitting roem below, and here, or
course, was Santa Claus. who had
, descended by tho chimney TO the
, first story and had now made his
| way upstairs to fill your stocking
? Not that this was much better.
? You knew that II Santa Claus found
any boy or girl awake he would, be-
, ing a shy gentleman, Immediately
turn an go, leaving not one gift be-
( hind. SO you did your best to Keep
+ YOUR ewes closed, In spite OF
| mighty curiosity, while the door
swung all the way open. while the
floor groaned under warily moving
4 footsteps and while, at last, you
: heard sounds that indicated the
l loosening of the candied stream
But at tina; iuncture peryerse hu-
r man nature interfered, You were
2 nervous and you began to itch ali
- over.
You strove to lie still, yet could
not, YOU tossed fretfully--and from
,he foot of the bed you heard your
!, mothers voice saying;
!, "Are you sure he's asleep
J, Certain" responded tones tha'
' YOU knew TO be your fathers.
Tragedy overwhelmed you. You
q wanted to spring mp and go TO then,
"a and fling your arms about them ana
n ask them what It all meant You
a wanted to know why they were DO
Ing this and not Santa Claus. You
n wanted confirmation or denial or tht
n first great doubts of all your younI
d life. But you could only lie quie'
= ngain until the stocking had been
e filled and the door had closed.
y That morning you arose with ar
l. unaccustomed hesitancy. the con
q tents OF your stocking was matter o.
n small and sad interest and YOU die
not want to face your mother VIII
l. The new knowledge which, you wer'
st sure, was written in your eyes.
"a However, you did face her
n and al last, got II out. What tina
Ii cost you-what backing and films
what stumbling and contradiction
e --you can never wholly forget NO
III can YOU ever wholly forget the grea
N paroxysm OF tears in which It ended
= and the cry in which you tranle'
: your final question; "a,
. "Oh isn't there any Santa Claus
TO An. the worth of a mother Is bes
l. shown when other things begin Z
D. seem worth notingl Can you eve
\ cease to remember how she met ina
w. fatal moment of your terninauh
"a childhood?
ne santa Claus? Yes, there is
- santa Claus He came into IN
~ h,arts OF men and women when IN
a first helpless little baby lay smilin
~ on its mothers breast. and broush
N 10 this rude world the message. o
as tho love that is gentleness and pro
= lection and of the faith that Is sci
sacrifice. lie came then, she toi