The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-21
NOT-SO-GO0D WILL
 CHAPTER III


 Chrfstmas Is a season of peace ard gocd will to all men. a season If snow and Christmas cards. oi .tores brilliantly lighted and crowd ed with people and presents and gay grappings and glittering tinsel and enough living rep,icas of santa Claus to leave In the mind of the average child a pleasant confusion and n confirmation of that gentle mana miraculous ability 10 be every Ehers at once.
 Christmas is also the season of torture for those most noble oi men whose fate it is to imperSon- ate the gentleman who takes all oi the praise but rone Of the blame kor the festive season.
 Of al the mpersonatorS of Santa Claus Beano suffered most but bore 1t al most nobly. The immense re- lief of being temporarily free from the Aistracting influence Of the po- lice oathed his limited brain with a balm of peace. But Beano had nc real love for childrn. In spite Of his size and forb.dding countenarce in ordinary life he was one of those s-own-ups that small boys feel are, fair game. Under his disguise s9 per cent of the young GUS tonlees who filed before him d'd so with awe and reverence but the osfer one per cent, disoeliey- CTS and sabcteurS. tcok every op- portunity to destroy his new-found peace of mind. After the third day they had succeeded complete G.
 The favorable technique was for the saboteurs to approach with the long line of waiting children. and then as Santa Claus bent over them to listen to their secret re- uoests for Christmas. to slip a thread moose over few strands oi the low hanging beard and then trail the loose end away with them from the danger zone.
 The saboteur would button-hole a meek looking child and handing the end of the threat would order him to count three and pull hard and see what Santa Claus would bring him.
 The youthful saboteur would Dc away in a trice. waiting to sec what happened and to give a suit abel horse laugh to add to the dis comfture of Santa Claus.
 This trick upScet Beano's faith In the younger generation and he eounteracted by gently strokins of his beard after each child passed. But he discounted the ingenuity of youth and the end came quite quickly.
 The climax came when one boz slipped bent pin under him a' he leaned forward to catch the whisper of a tiny tot. He pattet the child affectionately and leaned back. Action and reaction wer. instantaneous. He gave a yelp oi pain. and leaped to his feet. hftinE one of them sharply to cantact thu seat of the pants of the offending boy.
 Unfortunately 1t was the wronI hoy. a boy who was under th' Ndoring eye of an amazon ot mother. She charged like an ele' phant defending it's young ant her umbrella hit Beano betweei the eyes and sat him back upoE the Din. His leap back to his fee was SO sudden and accompanies by SO fierce an expression that th' mother was convinced he had re turne dto attack her. She screamed and defended herself by a swii attack with the umbrella.
 Under the circumstances Bear might have turned the other cneei but he was at the breaking pOin and he turned his back instead an' fed. He was a man of a Singula simplicity Of mind and it didn't oc eur to him to stop at the ofnce an' make exp.anations, particularly a fine woman. lacking originality. hat screamed after him, stop Iniei Stop Thief"
 Bsano streamed through the stof' ike a red comet with rapidly Wa sning trail of puTSuerS and ne re aIized with horror that there va more than supposition in the w0 mans accusation. The little sued leather bag of diamonds oee against hSi leg as he ran remino .ng him that once investigation De san he mixhs be forever lost m .hcuzht added fieetness to his lee and a lack of gentlenesS in his re noval of any opposition to his pro yres&.
 He gaIred upon the pursuit a the pursuit gained in numbers ana confusion but ary doubts he mlgh have had about the wisdom q