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Show Kl; First Cliristmas by Earle Hooker Eaton J3 AG up the Hole and telephone A L Without a moment's pause. Or by the wireless make it known To dear old Santa Claus, That Papa's Hoy and Mama's Joy, And Sister's Precious Mite, While glad bells clang will gaily hang His stocking up tonight! "Ting-ling! Ting-ling! Hello, hello! Is that you Santa, dear? Be sure your reindeer hear your-'Whoa! your-'Whoa! When you are passing here. What's that? You'll come and bring a drum, A jumping-jack unu ball, And other toys for little boys? Dear Saint, you're best oj all! Tis Christmas morn, and to his shop Old Santa homeward flies; Tis five o'clock, but open pop The baby's roguish eyes. We're dead for sleep, but out we creep, And dress at once to get What Santa kind, has left behind For Toddlckins. our pel. From Hole to Hole there's surely not A babe more pleased than he. And how he crows, the happy tot. And gitrgles in his glee. The jumping-jack, the ducks that quack, The drum, the horns, the ball, The chicks that peep, the horse, the sheep, He tries to eat them all! On this his first glad Christmas lark, The toys with blocks he pelts, he makes old Noah wish the Ark Had landed somewhere else! A soldier blue he breaks in two, A puncture gives the drum, He fills the air with legs and hair, And then he sucks his thumb! The Sand-Man's surely come to town, And soft is mui'i-er's lap; Clear up the wreck and snuggle down, 'Tis lime to take a nap. Then rock-a-bye, close each blue eye, Rest, my darling, rest! (He's fust asleep, with baby sheep Hugged tight against his breast!) Christmas Eve Alliance Made Two Hearts Happier 'TpHIO wind howled dismally, and Oscar Muggins, looking out at the whirling snow, put up the shutters. shut-ters. Put them up right, too, as the little grocery would be closed tomorrow. Dimly, be wondered how to spend Christmas. He checked over his stock, nibbled nib-bled a bit of cheese, and opened the hack door to throw out a rotting rot-ting apple. In the snow stood a boy. The lad dove for the apple, polishing and handling it as something precious. pre-cious. "Here!" said Oscar roughly. "I thought you threw It away," he answered, an-swered, "and see, it's pretty good." "Humph," said Oscar. "All right, keep It. But, mind, you've no business busi-ness loitering here. You should be home In this weather, and on Christmas eve, of all times." The lad shifted uneasily but did not leave. "Well?" Oscar demanded. "I was looking for work, sir." Oscar looked at him sharply. "Out on your own, son?" "Yes, sir." "Where are your folks?" His tale of bereavement, struggle strug-gle and loneliness was brief hut Impressive. Im-pressive. "How'd you like to spend Christmas Christ-mas with me?" the grocer offered. Funny, this life. A bit ago he had almost wished he wasn't closing tomorrow now it seemed jolly. "Gee!" exclaimed his new friend. "Swell !" They packed a market basket to overflowing. But Oscar turned back. "Wait a minute." lie selected select-ed his best candies and found a bit of red string. "If I keep him to help in the store he'li probably eat it anyway," he consoled, "might as well show him a Merry Christmas." Helen Gaisford. |