Show the best gift of all w j 7 IN fryy W S y f y 4 W ak r ij fx alti c 7 T B r i S s T A q y ISSN A 1 17 i yr l v ays fl L C COT copyright M GOING to write santa claus a letter asking him to bring me the things for christmas I 1 want said B bobby 0 b b y sawyer IM M a in m a says that because papa wont ever come home any more we cant have any christmas gift I 1 dont see why because papa was lost at sea santa claus clans wont conic come as he be used to I 1 bear of children writing to santa tor for what they want and im going to write to him too so bobby sat down and wrote his letter better he spelled bugle bugel and christmas and some of the words were so bungled that the old fellow must have had a hard bard time deciphering them but all the things bob wanted were named in the letter and he did not doubt for a moment that santa claus would respond generously erous ly one morning shortly before christmas peter the postman left a letter at the door addressed to robert sawyer peter who had long delivered the letters of the sawyer family would not 1 j 1111 1 I 1 v ali wrote his letter give it to anybody but bobby saying that abat santa claus required him to give any letters marked from kris kals keln gle to the child to whom minin it was addressed and to no one else bobby opened it and read dear bobby 1 I have received your letter and will bring yo you th the finest christmas present you ever received in your lif 11 11 SANTA SAINTA CLAUS bob of course ars delighted with this and lie noticed that from the time of its receipt everything about the house seemed to take on a certain cheeriness bobby laid in wait for peter when be came again and asked him a lot of 0 questions as to how and where santa claus gave him the letter reter peter said that lie ho was not permitted to tell children anything about santa clarq they must liang hang up their stockings and wait for him to fill 1111 them blim was three dayd before christmas bobby who iho was very watchful deaf easl his mother smuggling in tain packages this puzzled him for his mamma a bad told him there would bo no gifts this year and he did not expect any except what santa claus claua would bring bobby asked his bis mother if 1 what she brought in was intended for christmas but she gave him no satisfaction though she took him in her arms and gave him a bear hug bug and a dozen kisses she seemed as happy as it if she expected santa claus to bring everything she wanted for the ne day before a messenger boy came with a telegram for mrs sawyer she tore oft off the envelope and read it and looked very happy giving the messenger a half dollar bobby asked what the telegram was about she told him it was about a christmas christinas gilt gift she and all the rest of the family were to receive and when bobby kept asking again and again what hat Is it it mamma mammal she gave him another bear hug and smothered him with kisses bobby had a sister bister edith twelve years old and a brother jim ten both of them were too old to sympathize with babby in his faith in santa claus chaus bringing him the gift he be had promised him in his letter indeed they believe santa claus clans really wrote letters to children bobby tried his best to get out onedith of edith or jim what made their mother so happy but they would not tell indeed they seemed almost as happy as she having failed with them bobby tried peter the postman peter said lie he suspected santa claus had something methI Dg to do with the family happiness but hp he was not sure so poor bobby was obliged to swallow hla his curiosity and walt wait for christmas morning 1 ng B obby bobby went to bed on christmas eve determined to resist the sandman and keep his ls eyes open all night so that lie be might get a glimpse of santa claus and see what his remarkable gift was but the sandman soon began to drop sandin sand in ld Boll bobbye bobbys bys was asleep in ten minutes after his head struck the pillow when bobby awoke the sun was waa quite high in the heavens he heard beard the word bobby shouted in his ears and at the same time felt himself gently shaken he did not awaken by degrees but all at once once and there standing before him and looking down upon him smiling was his papa why papa lie he exclaimed 1 q thought you were never going to come home any more santa claus told me that he was to bring me home to my little boy for a christmas gift bobby threw his arms around his f fa f neck and hugged and hugged and it seemed that he would never v i why papa he exclaimed let go 90 mamma and edith and jim carne came in and so great was the excitement that bobby forgot to look for what wits was in his stocking that was certainly the happiest christmas the sawyer family ever evec spent or ever would spend bobby was too young to have it all explained to him but when he Is older his mother intends to tell him that his father was on a vessel that was torpedoed and sunk sir mr sawyer was reported miss ing but lie he was picked up out of the w water ater by an american cruiser and in time managed to get home after word came that lio lie was saved the letter was written to bobby by his sister as from santa claus and afterwards a telegram came saying that his father would be home on christmas morning OBSERVING THE proprieties 0 11 m pj cc 1 5 J M e C C L S e cl JuYO Cr oj dall qia gojlo tacui e I 1 |