Show how a little beaver boy played santa claus claua by isabelle Isa bollo ruby owen i it was waa the season of ponce caco on earth goodwill to man alan in a beautiful canadian city gleamed the tha christmas lights brou frou windows made radiantly beautiful with glittering tinsel mingled with the rich reds and greens draped artistically eally about tiny Ga canadian naillan pines christmas of much of it its former glory for disease and death had robbed many homes of their loved lovea ones drew near influenza that dreaded scourge was at its height hospitals were filled to overflowing and churches were ere thrown open that ti the ia sick anu anti dead might be cared for no one dared venture out upon the streets without first covering t inear belr face with a mask that they may avoid giving or catching tile the flu 11 crops in some of the provin provinces cea h bad ad been i fail fallona and want and disease stalked hand in hand in stores and on the street cars turn which way you would you were met by women and little children w who he looked like they had risen from tho the dead so pallid were their faces from ravages of thee tho isco that was waa sweeping the land calls tor for help were coming from charitable organizations eve every ry day less thau than a week before christmas the lethbridge i ferald bald published a letter which I 1 had bebin sent rosanta to santa claus by a little six year old boy avy tor for the visit of santa la is looked tor for with tile the same eagerness by the children or of the tha prairies as by the little talks folks in our own idear mountain home hero here Is little bobbles bobbies letter just as it appeared 11 in the herald in 1918 dear santa claus I 1 am a little boy six years old I 1 live with my mother and my grandmother they a are re both sick with tho the flu my daddy is dead and mamma taxes lanes in washing I 1 ng please dear santa como come to ou house tills this time you forgot us last christmas and please santa bring my mamma something good to eat all I 1 want for myself Is some clothes to wear from little bobble when the morning paper carried this pathetic appeal out of the homes ot of the people sick ana suffering though they were a wave of sympathy th swept over tho the city receiving stations were named by tho the herald herala where contributions for bobby could be left in a 4 little maest modest cottage where also sorrow reigned a little utah boy listened with intense interest to tile the reading of bobbles bobbies touching appeal the heart of tile the little american warmed in sympathy to tho the cry of the little canadian strangers though they were I 1 he knew what it meant to lose by death a loved one tor for leas than u month before death had claimed his own sweet faced loving mother ills his daddy was with the gold soldiers lers of the united 9 states tates in faraway siberia and he too lived with grandmother safely hidden away in a trunk la a pair of little blue serge pants tho ia last st gift from his mother sent as sho he was speeding on a a train to a warmer climate iu ili search of health closely following the tha gift of anz ans suit of clothes came the tae sad tidings that the trail little mother wa adeau a victim of influenza with heart attuned to the cry of the child in distress and to thet the spirit of christmas giving the young american all plead to be ai owed to give bobble bobbie his suit which was too amal tor for him to wear tile tho little blue serge was quickly quick ly made M ado into a neat parcel with a noi placed inside next morning the her aid published a story which again tarred E tho the hearts of tho the people this is an exact reproduction of the message carried by b tho the paper little bobbles prayer haq haa ben been answered ills ilia path pathetic betic appeal tt to the heralda christmas tuna fund the other day touched many a heart and one of the farst to respond was anothy little boy who has boen been made very sad this christmas by tho the loss of his mother but who was able to give very tangible evidence ot or ills his quick sympathy for littfe bobble yesterday this little boy brought brou gho to the nursing mission a new pair of trousers trouser sana and knickers for bobble my ili other mother sent them to me bue bu they were too mall mail and I 1 want bobbie to have them my illy mother died a little while ago just after she send me the tha things and I 1 am living with my grandma now please see tha thae e little bobble gets this package I 1 am a little american boy six yeura years old ola too my daddy is in siberia lie he Is ono one of uncle sams soldiers A lit tle tie american the rho gift had been carried to the mission by the giver who withdrew EO quickly that no one found out who lie ho was i when lie he listened to the story as I 1 told by the editor of the paper hi h i heart swelled with joy and pride I 1 joy Ve because cause he knew bobble bobbie would receive his gife pride that lie ho arn ar american in a strange land was ono of the very first to answer a plea to help and be ablo able to pray santa claus to child in need A fulfillment of the tha proverb it is more ampro bles wd stil to give than to receive re relve when christmas dawned tho the child chila and ills his grandmother were both very ill III with the flu but his falth faith in santa clans was preserved ved by receiving thu very ery things lie he had longed tor for and anal little bibbig ills his sick mother and grandmother wore were looked after by the heralds charity fund the shadows of sorrow were tor for the time lifted A peace which pas i ath understanding hovered about as it if in ili fulfillment ot of promise ina as much as ye havo have done it unto inq of tho the least ot of these theae yo have done it unto me j 6 |