Evening star., 1935-12-22
December u, 1885

limp, thin stocking had dangled, hung
a fat, lumpy stocking; beneath it,
around the hearth, were boxes and
books and toys that made tumble of
color in the dim grey light Propped
against side of the mantel was doll
- exactly like the doll at Muller's
Toy Shop.
"SuSan?" Cynthia whispered.
1t seemed as if Susan smiled, as if
she were glad that she was here.
Cynthia smiled and looked away
quickly, down at Bill Hawkins in her
arms. She smiled at him. With great
care and gentleness. she put him down
in chair where he could see every
thing before she even so much as
touched the doll.
1t took her a long time to look at
everything because she had to stop
quite often and wonder at Susan, her
face and her pink dress and fluffy un-
derclothes, her pink socks and her pink
shoe - she had only one. Cynthia
searched for the other. but she could
not find it anywhere. Maybe Santa
Claus had forgotten it. Then again,
maybe it was only Mother and Father
who had forgotten it. If she just could
feel sure it had been Santa Claus, then
she wouldn't have this sad. uncomfort-
able feeling; feeling that wouldn't go
away in spite OF Susan and all the toys.
She thought of Jane and Barbara,
remembered that she had told them
she would be awake first; that she
would come over to their house the
very first thing. Shed better hurry or
they would be waking up, and they'd
never believe Cynthia was first. Some
how she wasn't very excited about
being first.
She tiptoed up to the nursery, gath
cred together her clothes and took
them down to the living room. She
managed to dress herself after fash
ion. She lifted the beautiful Susan UP
i'll her arms; she saw Bill Hawkins,
dingy and shabby and small. in the big
chair. She reached down for a yellow
tin duck, put it in the chair with him.
She didn't want him to be lonesome
while she was gone.
1t was cold outside. Still and cold
and quiet. BY the time she reached the
gate her fingers were tingling. Shifting
Susan to one arm, she reached up for
the latch. Then she saw it - the Slip
per, pink and small, hanging on twig
of the hedge.
1t was SuSan's other slipper. 1t must
have fallen off Susan's foot. And who
would be out at night with Susan?
Certainly not anybody like a PERSONS
father, or men in stores who dressed up
in boards and Santa Claus suits. That
would be silly. What would even
Father have been doing out here with
Susan? But somebody must have been.
If it couldn't be Father or one of those
men dressed up in boards, it must
have been - HIM There was nobody
else it could have been!
She stared up at the grey sky and
saw it as it must have been last night
- black with the stars twinkling; and
then, far off, looking very tiny, came
the sleigh, across the sky like over a
high bridge, bridge like rainbow.
only nobody could see it. The reindeer
were snorting and prancing, and he
was standing in the sleigh, cracking his
whip and laughing till "he shook like
bowl full of jelly"
In the great pack of toys was Susan,
hardly able to stand the waiting. AS
the sleigh got almost over Cynthia's
house, Santa Claus had reached back
and picked up the other toys and
Susan. The ribbon of her slipper must
have come united. As Santa Claus held
her in his big fat hand out in the air,
Susan's slipper must have slipped off
and fallen down, down, down. And
Santa Claus. galloping on so fast.