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Show The TIN SOLDIER'St CHRISTMAS by J. RAE TOOKE j sj IT WAS the day before Christ-I Christ-I mas. In Santa Claus' work I H shop all was noise and bus-I bus-I II tie. The Tin Soldier was lar-jpM standing very straight. He Ki)s?l looked towards Dolly Dim-piX3 Dim-piX3 pie and a look of lonesome-t' lonesome-t' ness came into his face. "You don't happen to know of a place where they want a doll and a tin soldier, too, do you, Santa?" he asked anxiously. "Hm-m-m, let me see," Sanla stroked his long white whiskers thoughtfully. His eye traveled slowly lown the list of names before him. "I haven't come to any yet, but I'll see what I can do. You two have always been' great friends, haven't you? You were made by the same little lit-tle brownie, perhaps that is the reason." rea-son." Dolly Dimple skipped over and threw her arms about the bright, red shoulders of the soldier. "Let's hope for the best, captain. I think we can trust Santa." Christmas eve came, clear and frosty. At last all was ready; the toys in the sack were tucked away In the back of the sleigh, and with a mighty leap into the air, the reindeer rein-deer started. Cheerily rang the bells as the sleigh bounded over the ice. In the sack the toys were chattering gaily. "I hope I will go to some one who will keep my pink silk dress clean," said Beauty, the proud, unbreakable doll. "Well, nobody can hurt me very much," piped Peter, the rabbit, patting pat-ting his stuffed sides. The Tin Soldier said nothing. He could feel Dolly Dimple's little hand In his and he was hoping for the best. Suddenly crack, crack, crack ! went the ice beneath them. Then bump! and out of the sleigh bounced the sack of toys. "We're in the water!" sheuted Jack Tar, the dancing sailor. And sure enough, there they were, floating about in the cold water. Santa jumped from the sleigh which luckily had landed on firm Ice. Just i Dolly Threw Her Arms About the Shoulders of Tin Soldier. then the Tin Soldier stuck his head out of the top of the sack. "Swing your whip this way, Santa," he called. "I'll catch it and you can pull us over the edge." Santa swung his long whip and the soldier stood up very straight to catch it. Once, twice, three times he tried and missed, but next time, just as the water was seeping through the sack, he caught it. "Oh, I want more than ever to be left with you, captain," whispered Dolly Dimple, as she snuggled close to the Tin Soldier. On and on they went. At times it seemed they must be flying through the air, but nil at once they stopped. "The coaster with the shiny runners!" run-ners!" called Santa. "A little boy lives in this farm house and he especially espe-cially wants a sled." There was more room after the coaster had gone nnd the stops came more and more often as they drew near to a big city. One by one the toys were going and still Dolly Dimple Dim-ple clung to the arm of the Tin Soldier. Sol-dier. They were in the city now and suddenly sud-denly the sleigh stopped before a plain frame house. "There's no chimney big enough for me here," said Santa as he shouldered shoul-dered the sack of toys and started for the door. On the back of a worn tapestry chair was one thin little stocking. Santa put his hand inside, pulled out a -note and began to read. The Tin Soldier could hear the words though I they fell in whispers from Santa's lips, and his heart almost stopped j boning. "Dear Santa Claus: 'Tlease can I have a soldier with a red coat? I can piny fort with him. That's all, Santa, and thanks, Santa, dear. Your friend, Jimmie." Santa stopped aud felt around in his bag; only one soldier left. ''I wanted to leave you t11" -"" er," he said, as his hand touched Dolly Dol-ly Dimple and the soldier. "What am I to do now?" He looked at the note again. There was a rustling In the sack and the Tin Soldier stood up. Then he straightened his shoulders and threw back his head. "I'll go, Santa. I'm ready." "Thanks, captain, you're a hrave man," said Santa as lie stooped to lift him up. Gently he was placed away down in the toe of the stocking while candies and nuts came thundering down beside be-side him. For a few moments there was dead silence all about him, then came the creaking of the floor and a soft closing clos-ing of the outside door. Straining his ears he caught the last faint tinkle of the sleigh bells ns Santa and Dolly Dimple sped away into the night. How very still it was then and oh, how dark. The Tin Soldier shivered in spite of himself. Somewhere in the house a clock was ticking: tick, tock, tick, tock. How slow and tired it sounded. If only it would go a little lit-tle faster. Maybe In the daylight he wouldn't be so lonely. Where was Dolly Dimple. Would he ever, ever see her again? Pretty soon he could make out the shapes of the nuts and candies around him. Then suddenly he heard the creak, creak of footsteps somewhere In the house. Nearer and nearer they came. The chair moved, then a little hand came creeping down into the stocking, and then quick as a flash the Tin Soldier was whisked up Into the light. "Oh! Oh! a Tin Soldier!" gasped a little boy, and the Tin Soldier knew it must be Jimmie. "Look, Mamma, look what Santa brought!" Jinimie whispered loudly while he gently shook his mother's arm. "A soldier! I'm going to take him with me to Auntie's today." And that is how it happened. Eagerly he ran on ahead of his parents par-ents that night and was first at the door of his auntie's house. "Jessie, Jessie, see what Santa gave me," he called breathlessly the minute he was inside the door. His little cousin came running to meet him. "Oh, Jinimie, just what you wanted, a Tin Soldier! But wait till you see what he left me!" She hurried out of the room and came running back with something held tightly in her arans. The Tin Soldier's heart almost stopped beating. beat-ing. There was Dolly Dimple, sure enough, smiling her dimpled smile at him from little Jessie's arms. "Santa found out that Jessie and Jimmie were cousins, that's why he left me here," Dolly Dimple whispered in the ear of the Tin Soldier some time Inter. (, 1930, Western Newspaper Union.) |
