Jimmy Scarecrow Christmas. Jimmy Scarecrow led a sad life in the winter. Jimmy's
greatest grief was his lack of occupation. He liked to be useful, and
in winter he was absolutely of no use at all. He wondered how many
such miserable winters he would have to endure. He was a young scarecrow,
and this was his first one. He was strongly made, and although his
wooden joints creaked a little when the wind blew, he did not grow in
the least rickety. Every morning, when the wintry sun peered like a hard
yellow eye across the dry corn stubble, Jimmy felt sad. But at Christmas
time his heart nearly broke. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus came in his
sledge, heaped high with presents, urging his team of reindeer across the field.
He was on his way to the farmhouse where Betsy lived with her aunt
Hannah. Betsy was a very good little girl, but very smooth yellow curls,
and she had a great many presents. Santa Claus had a large wax
dull baby for her on his arm, tucked up against the fur collar of
his coat. He was afraid to trust it in the pack lest it get
broken. When poor Jimmy Scarecrow saw Santa Claus, his heart gave a great
leap. Santa Claus, here I am, he cried out, but Santa
Claus did not hear him. Santa Claus, please give me a little present.
I was good all summer and kept the crows out of the corn.
Plaited the poor scarecrow in his choking voice, but Santa Claus passed by with
the merry halloo and a great clamor of bells. Then Jimmy Scarecrow stood in
the corn stubble and shook with sobs until his joints creaked. I am of
no use in the world, and everybody has forgotten me, he moaned,
But he was mistaken. The next morning, Bessy sat at the window holding
her Christmas doll baby, and she looked at at Jimmy Scarecrow, standing alone
in the field amidst the corn stubble. Aunt Hannah said she. Aunt Hannah
was making a crazy patchwork quilt, and she frowned hard, a triangular piece
of red silk and circular piece of pink, wondering how to fit them together?
Well, said she. Did Santa Claus bring the scarecrow any Christmas present?
No, of course he didn't. Why not because he's a scarecrow.
Don't ask silly questions. I wouldn't like to be treated so if I was
a scarecrow, said Betsy. But Aunt Hannah did not hear her. She
was busy cutting a triangular snip out of the round piece of pink silk so
the piece of red silk could be feathers stitched into it. It was sewing
hard out of doors, and the north wind blew. The scarecrow's poor old
coat got whiter and whiter with snow. Sometimes he almost vanished, and a
thick white storm. Aunt Hannah worked until the middle of the afternoon on her
quazy quilt. Then she got up and spread it out over the sofa with
an air of pride there, said she. That's done, and that makes
yes. I've got one for every bed in the house, and I've given
far away. I'd give this away if I knew of anybody that wanted it.
Aunt Hannah put on her hood and shawl, and drew some blue larne
stockings on over her shoes, and set out through the snow to carry a
slice of plum pudding to her sister Susan, who lived down the road.
Half an hour after Aunt Hannah had gone, Betsy put her little red plaid
shawl over her head and ran across the field to Jimmy Scarecrow. She carried
her new doll baby smuggled up under her shawl. Wish you merry Christmas,
she said to Jimmy Scarecrow. Wish you the same, said Jimmy, but
his voice was choked with sobs and was also muffled, for his old hat
had slipped down to his chin. Betsy looked pitifully at the old hat,
fringed with icicles like frozen tears, and the old snow laden coat. I've
brought you a Christmas present, said she, and with that she tucked her
doll baby inside Jimmy Scarecrow's coat, sticking its tiny feet into a pocket.
Thank you, said Jimmy Scarecrow faintly. You're welcome, said she. Keep
her under your overcoat, says, The snow won't with her and she won't
catch cold. She is delicate. Yes, I will, said Jimmy Scarecrow,
and he tried hard to bring one of his stiff outstretched arms around to
clasp the doll baby. Don't you feel cold in that old swimmer coat,
asked Betsy. If I batt a little exercise, I should be warm,
he replied, but he shivered and the wind whistled through his rags. You
wait a minute, said Betsy, and was off across the field. Jimmy
Scarecrow stood in the corn stubble with the doll baby under his coat and waited.
And soon Bessy was back again, with Aunt Hannah's crazy quilt trailing in
the snow behind her. Here, said she, Here is something to keep
you warm, and she folded the crazy quilt around the scarecrow and pinned it.
Aunt Hannah wants to give it away if anybody wants it, she explained.
She's got so many crazy quilts in the house now she doesn't know what
to do with them. Good Bye, Be sure you keep the doll baby
covered up, And with that she ran across the field and left Jimmy Scarecrow
alone with the crazy quilt and the doll baby. The bright fresh of colors
under Jimmie's hat brim drazzled under his eyes, and he felt a little alarmed.
I hope this quote is harmless if it is crazy, he said.
But the quilt was warm, and he dismissed his fears. Soon the doll
baby whimpered, but he creaked his joints a little, and that amused it,
and he heard it cooing inside his coat. Jimmy Scarecrow had never felt
so happy in his life as he did for an hour or so. But
after that the snow began to turn to rain, and the crazy quilt was
soaked through and through, and not only that but his coat and the poor
doll baby. It cried pitifully for a while, and then it was still,
and he was afraid it was dead. It grew very dark, and
the rain fell in sheets. The snow melted, and Jimmy Scarecrow stood half
way up his old boots and water. He was saying to himself that the
saddest hour of his life had come, when suddenly he heard Santa Claus the
say bells and his merry voice talking to his reindeer. It was after midnight,
Christmas was over, and Santa was hastening home to the North Pole.
Santa Claus, Dear Santa Claus, cried, Jimmy Scarecrow with a great sob,
and that time Santa Claus heard him and drew rein. Who's there,
he shouted out of the darkness. It's only me, replied the scarecrow.
Who's me, shouted Santa Claus. Jimmy, scarecrow. Santa got out of
his and wait it up. Have you been standing here ever since? Corn
was ripe? He asked pityingly, and Jimmy replied that he had What's that
over your shoulders? Santa Claus continued, holding up his lantern. It's a
crazy quilt. And what are you holding under your coat? The doll baby
that Bessy gave me, And I'm afraid it's dead. Poor Jimmy scarecrow sobbed.
Nonsense, cried Santa Claus. Let me see it, and with that
he pulled the doll baby out prom under the scarecrow's coat and patted its back
and shook it a little, and it began to cry, and then to
crow. It's all right, said Santa Claus. This is the doll bay
by I give Betsy, and it is not at all delicate. It went
through the measles and the chicken box, and the mumps and the whooping cough,
before it left the North Pole. Now get into the sledge, Jimmy
Scarecrow, and bring the doll baby in the crazy quilt. I have never
had any quilts that weren't in their right minds at the North Pole, but
maybe I can chew this one. Get in, send a cheer up to
his reindeer, and they drew the sledge up close in a beautiful curve.
Get in, Jimmy Scarecrow, and come with me to the North Pole,
he cried. Please, how long shall I stay? Asked Jimmy Scarecrow.
Why you are going to live with me, replied Santa Claus. I've been
looking for a person like you for a long time. Are there any crows
the scareway the North Pole? I want to be useful, Jimmy Scarecrow said
anxiously. No, answered Santa Claus. But I don't want you to scareway
crows. I want you a scare away Arctic explorers. I can keep you
in work for a thousand whirirers, and scaring away Arctic explorers from the North
Pole is much more important then scaring away crows from corn. Why if they
found the pole, there wouldn't be a piece an inch long left in a
week's time, and the earth would cave in like an apple without a core.
They would whittle it all the piece and carry it away in their pockets
for souvenirs. Come along. I am in a hurry. I will go
on two conditions, said Jimmy. First, I want to make a present.
Don't hand on Betsey. Next Christmas. You shall make them any present
you choose what else? I want some way provided to scare the crows out
of the corn next summer while I am away, said Jimmy. That is
easily managed, said Santa Claus. Just wait a minute. Santa took his
phylographic pen out of his pocket, went with his Latin close to one of
the fence posts, and wrote these words upon it. Notice to crows,
whichever coaw shall hereafter hop, fly or flop into the spield during the absence
of Jimmy scarecrow, and then from purloin steel or abstract corn shall be instantly
in a twinkling and a trice turned snow white, and be ever after a
disgrace, a by word, and a reproach to his whole race. Per
or of Santa Claus. The corn will be safe now, said Santa Claus
get in, Jimmy got into the sledge, and they flew away over the
fields, out of sight, with merry halloos and a great clamor of bells.
The next morning, there was much surprise at the farmhouse when Aunt Hannah
and Bessy looked out of the window and the scarecrow was not in the field,
holding off his stiff arms over the corn stubble. Bessy I told Aunt
Hannah she had given away the crazy quilt and the doll baby, but had
been scolded very little. You must not give away anything of yours again without
asking permission, said Aunt Hannah. And you have no right to give anything
of mine, even if you know I don't want it. Now both my
pretty quilt and your beautiful doll baby are spoiled. That was all Aunt Hannah
had said. She thought she would send John after the quilt and the doll
baby next morning, as soon as it was light. But Jimmy the scarecrow
was gone, and the crazy quilt and the doll baby with him. John
the servant man searched everywhere, but not a trace of them could he find.
They must have all blown away. Mum, he said Aunt Hannah,
we shall have to have another scarecrow next summer, said she. But the
next summer there was no need of a scarecrow, for not a crow came
past the fence post on which Santa Claus had written his notice to crows.
The cornfield was never so beautiful, and not a single grain was torn by
a crow, And everybody wondered at it, for they could not read the
crow language in which Santa had written. It is a great mystery to me
why the crows don't come into our cornfield? When there was no scarecrow,
said Aunt Hannah. But she had a still greater mystery to solve when Christmas
came round again. Then she and Betsy had each a strained present. They
found them in the sitting room on Christmas morning. Aunt Hannah's present was an
old crazy quilt, remodeled, with every piece caught square and true and matched
exactly to its neighbor. Why it's my old crazy quilt, but it isn't
crazy now, cried Aunt Hannah, and her very spectacle seemed to listen with
amazement. Bessy's present was her doll baby of the Christmas before, but the
doll was a year older. She had grown an inch and could walk and
say Mamma, and how do. She was changed a good deal, but
Bessy knew her at once. It's my doll, baby. She cried and
snatched up and kissed her. But neither aunt Anna nor Betsy ever knew that
the quilt on the doll were Jimmy Scarecrow's Christmas presents to them. And of
Jimmy Scarecrow's Christmas by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman