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Show H I - - ....... i , i i . H Christmas in H Cloud-land. H "Mary, dear, it's time to go to H bud, don't you think?" asked B Mrs. Grey, glancing at the clock H ;m oho entered tho pleasant sit- M ting room where her ten-year- m old daughter sat looking into the M ' glowing coals, thinking of the H happy Christmas morning that B would come after this long night H "Then good-night, mama," H said the little girl springing up M and running to give her mother H n good-night kiss. "Tell papa H good-night or me," and with, H one last loving look at the cord B suspended ahovo the broad fire-1 H place where hung her little stock- HL ing, mama's longer one, and pa- K . pa's fat gray and white sock, K she ran up the broad stairs and A was soon in her own little room L which was all warm and cozy. M) Drawing her rocking chair close M' to the fire-place, she sat down H and began slowly to unlace her H shoes, her thoughts busy with jH! tomorrow's pleasures. H Although she was only ten H years old, Mary loved to think H of Christmas bundles, of Santa B Claus, and of Christmas fairies. m- She had read so much about H them all, and was always busy H when alone devising new esca- H pades for her story-book friends. H In these imagined sports she B always joined and was a fairy I B Iler musings now wore suddon- H ly interrupted by tho jingle, M jingle of sleigh-bells. 4l wonder r If its Santa Claus" she ox- B, claimed, her brown eyes dancing B ' wyi5ocltnent, Sha rushed t( W $ Q11 tjfi ; among thopJffiP V -ficat. Tossng back hor long -- yellow curls and pressing her B eager little face close to tho B window pane, she looked towards B tho sky where she fully expected L to sco Santa Claus, roindeors jbjM and all. flvinir thrniitrlif Mm , H But she saw only masses of T big ileecy cloud-flakes, ovor H changing in form. Through B , these the moon shimmered and B a few bright-oyod stars pooped. B "Oh, I do beliovethat is Santa B away oir there by tho North M Star." breathed Mary. Then Btf she looked at tho sky overhead, f "Oh, what pretty little white K boys and girls l" she exclaimed W again, "I wonder if t hoy 're B children that live up in the B As she watched, they joined B hands and danced around what B Mary thought must bo a pile of B stockings. 1 guess they're sing- B ing a Santa Claus song," she B mused. After tho danco was B finished, each child caught up B his stocking and soon tho white B hose wore all hanging in a row. B Then the children scampered off. M "It is bod time," thought Mary. B" Again her eyes wandered B northward. "Sure enough, that's B Santa Claus," she exclaimed, B clapping her hands exultingly. H "Oh, and he's going to visit the B sky-children," she continued as B tho sleigh stopped near tho oloud- B room, and a little bulky man B with a long, white beard and H short, fat legs climbed out with V his pack on his back, Mary's B Santa Claus entered the room H where hung the stockings and in H a twinkling tilled them full of H ' goodies. Then, with a wave of 1 his hand, he was off again. "Oh! O-oh!" Mary caught hor breath as a dainty- little aloud fiiry ontoiwi the room whoro' Sut 1mm3 bwu. "Why, what's' sha siti2 to do!" she exaimsd a the fairy maiicioumy runaa to tho stocking and pulled them down. She then drew out what Mary thought must be a large chest, pushed the stockings into it, and afterwards pulled it back to it's former position. With a spiteful toss of her head, the wicked fairy floated out of sight. Soon after her departure, the children came hurrying back info in-fo flirt rnnm to find that their stockings had disappeared. First they began to sob, and, then, filled with nnything but tho Christinas spirit, they began to quarrel and fight. Another fairy floated into the 'room, and the naughty children grow quiet as they looked wonderingly at her. Mary saw her point to the chest wincn new open as she touched it. Then all was happiness in Cloud-land. "Good-night little sky-children," whispered Mary. "I must go to bed before Santa Claus comes down to visit our world." LINDA SLACK. Eng. d. |