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Speaker 1: A kidnapped Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum. Santa Claus

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lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big rambling

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castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected

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from the rills, nooks, pixies and fairies, live with him,

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and every one is as busy as can be from

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one year's end to another. It is called the Laughing

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Valley because everything there is happy and gay. The brook

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chuckles to itself as it leaps, rollicking between its green banks.

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The wind whistles merrily in the trees, the sunbeams dance

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lightly over the soft grass, and the violets and wild

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flowers look smilingly up from their green nests. To laugh,

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one needs to be happy. To be happy, one needs

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to be content. And throughout the Laughing Valley of Santa Claus,

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contentment reigns supreme. On one side is the mighty forest

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of Burzi. At the other side stands the huge mountain

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that contains the caves of the Demons, and between them

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the valley lies smiling and peaceful. One would think that

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our good old Santa Claus, who devotes his days to

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making children happy, would have no enemies on all the earth,

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and as a matter of fact, for a long period

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of time he encountered nothing but love wherever he might go.

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But the demons who live in the mountain caves grew

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to hate Santa Claus very much, and all for the

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simple reason that he made children happy. The caves of

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the demons are five in number. A broad pathway leads

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up to the first cave, which is a finely arched

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cavern at the foot of the mountain, the entrance being

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beautifully carved and decorated. In it resides the demon of Selfishness.

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Back of this is another cavern inhabited by the demon

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of Envy. The cave of the demon of Hatred is

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next in order, and through this one passes to the

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home of the demon of Malice, situated in a dark

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and fearful cave in the very heart of the mountain.

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I do not know what lies beyond this. Some say

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there are terrible pitfalls leading to death and destruction, and

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this may well be true. However, from each one of

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the four caves mentioned there is a small, narrow tunnel

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leading to the fifth cave, a cozy little room occupied

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by the demon of repentance, and as the rocky floors

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of these passages are well worn by the track of

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passing feet. I judge that many wanderers in the caves

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of the demons have escaped through the tunnels to the

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abode of the demon of Repentance, who is said to

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be a pleasant sort of fellow, who gladly opens for

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one a little door, admitting you into fresh air and

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sunshine again. Well, these demons of the caves, thinking they

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had great cause to dislike old Santa Claus, held a

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meeting one day to discuss the matter. I'm really getting lonesome,

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said the demon of selfishness, For Santa Claus distributes so

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many pretty Christmas gifts to all the children that they

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become happy and generous through his example, and keep away

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from my cave. I'm having the same trouble, rejoined the

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demon of envy. The little ones seem quite content with

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Santa Claus. And there are few, indeed, that I can

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coax to become envious. And that makes it bad for me,

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declared the demon of hatred, For if no children pass

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through the caves of selfishness and envy, none can get

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to my cavern or to mine, added the demon of malice,

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for my part, said the demon of repentance. It is

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easily seen that if children do not visit your caves,

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they have no need to visit mine, So that I

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am quite as neglected as you are, and all because

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of this person they call Santa Claus, exclaimed the demon

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of envy. He is simply ruining our business, and something

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must be done at once. To this, they readily agreed,

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but what to do was another and more difficult matter

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to settle. They knew that Santa Claus worked all through

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the year his castle in the Laughing Valley, preparing the

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gifts he was to distribute on Christmas Eve, and at

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first they resolved to try to tempt him into their caves,

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that they might lead him on to the terrible pitfalls

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that ended in destruction. So the very next day, while

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Santa Claus was busily at work, surrounded by his little

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band of assistants, the demon of selfishness came to him

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and said, these toys are wonderfully bright and pretty. Why

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do you not keep them for yourself. It's a pity

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to give them to those noisy boys and fretful girls

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who break and destroy them so quickly. Nonsense, cried the

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old gray Beard, his bright eyes twinkling merrily as he

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turned toward the tempting demon. The boys and girls are

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never so noisy and fretful after receiving my presents, And

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if I can make them happy for one day in

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the year, I am quite content. So the demon went

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back to the others who awaited him in their caves,

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and said, I have failed, for Santa Claus is not

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at all all selfish. The following day, the demon of

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envy visited Santa Claus, said he the toy shops are

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full of playthings quite as pretty as those you are making.

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What a shame it is that they should interfere with

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your business. They make toys by machinery much quicker than

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you can make them by hand, and they sell them

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for money, while you get nothing at all for your work.

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But Santa Claus refused to be envious of the toy shops.

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I can supply the little ones, but once a year

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on Christmas Eve, he answered, for the children are money,

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and I am but one, And as my work is

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one of love and kindness, I would be ashamed to

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receive money for my little gifts. But throughout all the year,

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the children must be amused in some way, and so

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the toy shops are able to bring much happiness to

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my little friends. I like the toy shops and am

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glad to see them prosper. In spite of the second rebuff,

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the demon of hatred thought he would try to influence

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Santa Claus, so no next day he entered the busy

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workshop and said, good morning, Santa. I have bad news

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for you. Then run away like a good fellow, answered

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Santa Claus. Bad news is something that should be kept

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secret and never told. You cannot escape this, however, declared

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the demon. For in the world are a good many

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who do not believe in Santa Claus, and these you

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are bound to hate bitterly, since they have so wronged you.

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Stuff and rubbish, cried Santa. And there are others who

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resent your making children happy, and who sneer at you

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and call you a foolish old rattle pate. You are

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quite right to hate such base slanderers, and you ought

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to be revenged upon them for their evil words. But

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I don't hate em, exclaimed Santa Claus. Positively. Such people

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do me no real harm, but merely render themselves and

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their children unhappy, poor things. I'd much farther help them

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any day than injure them. Indeed, the demons could not

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tempt Old Santa Claus in any way. On the contrary,

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he was shrewd enough to see that their object in

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visiting him was to make mischief and trouble. And his

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cheery laughter disconcerted the evil ones and showed to them

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the folly of such an undertaking. So they abandoned honeyed

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words and determined to use force. It was well known

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that no harm can come to Santa Claus while he

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is in the Laughing Valley, for the fairies and rylls

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and nooks all protect him. But on Christmas Eve he

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drives his reindeer out into the big world, carrying a

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sleigh load of toys and pretty gifts to the children.

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And this was the time in the occasion when his

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enemies had the best chance to injure him. So the

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demons laid their plans and awaited the arrival of Christmas Eve.

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The moon shone big and white in the sky, and

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the snow lay crisp and sparkling on the ground. As

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Santa Claus cracked his whip and sped away out of

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the valley, into the great world beyond. The roomy sleigh

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was packed full with huge sacks of toys, and as

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the reindeer dashed on onward our jolly old Santa laughed

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and whistled and sang for very joy. For in all

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his merry life, this was the one day in the

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year when he was happiest, the day he lovingly bestowed

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the treasures of his workshop upon the little children. It

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would be a busy night for him, he well knew.

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As he whistled and shouted and cracked his whip again.

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He reviewed in mind all the towns and cities and

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farmhouses where he was expected, and figured that he had

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just enough presents to go around and make every child happy.

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The reindeer knew exactly what was expected of them, and

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dashed along so swiftly that their feet scarcely seemed to

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touch the snow covered ground. Suddenly, a strange thing happened.

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A rope shot through the moonlight, and a big noose

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that was in the end of it settled over the

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arms and bodies of Santa Claus and drew tight. Before

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he could resist or even cry out, he was jerked

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from the seat of the sleigh and tumbled head foremost

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into a snow bank, while the reindeer rushed onward with

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the load of toys and carried it quickly out of

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sight and sound. Such a surprising experience confused Old Santa

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for a moment, and when he had collected his senses,

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he found that the wicked demons had pulled him from

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the snow drift and bound him tightly with many coils

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of the stout rope. And then they carried the kidnapped

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Santa Claus away to their mountain, where they thrust the

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prisoner into a secret cave and chained him to the

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rocky wall so that he could not escape. Ha ha,

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laughed the demons, rubbing their hands together with cruel glee.

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What will the children do now, How they will cry

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and scold and storm when they find there are no

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toys in their stockings and no gifts on their Christmas trees,

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And what a lot of punishment they will receive from

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their parents, And how they will flock to our caves

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of selfishness and envy and hatred and malice. We have

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done a mighty clever thing, we demons of the caves.

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Now it so chanced that on this Christmas Eve, the

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good Santa Clause had taken with him in his sleigh,

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Nutter the Rill, Peter the Nook, Kilter the Pixie, and

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a small fairy named Whisk, his four favorite assistants. These

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little people he had often found very useful in helping

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him to distribute his gifts to the children. And when

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their master was so suddenly dragged from the sleigh, they

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were all snugly tucked underneath the seat, where the sharp

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wind could not reach them. The tiny immortals knew nothing

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of the capture of Santa Claus until some time after

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he had disappeared, But finally they missed his cheery voice,

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and as their master always sang or whistled on his journeys,

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the silence warned them that something was wrong. Little Whisks

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stuck out his head from underneath the seat and found

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Santa Claus gone and no one to direct the flight

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of the reindeer. Whoa, he called out, and the deer

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obediently slackened speed and came to a halt. Peter and

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Nutter and Kilter all jumped upon the seat and looked

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back over the track made by the sleigh, but Santa

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Claus had been left miles and miles behind. What shall

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we do, asked whisk anxiously, all the mirth and mischief

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banished from his wee face by this great calamity. We

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must go back at once and find our master, said

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Nutter the Rill, who thought and spoke with much deliberation. No, no,

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exclaimed Peter the Knook, who cross and crabbed, though he was,

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might always be depended upon in an emergency. If we

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delay or go back, there will not be time to

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get the toys to the children before morning, and that

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would grieve Santa Claus more than anything else. It is

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certain that some wicked creatures have captured him, added Kilter thoughtfully,

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and their object must be to make the children unhappy.

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So our first duty is to get the toys distributed

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as carefully as if Santa Claus were himself present. Afterward

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we can search for our master and easily secure his freedom.

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This seemed such good and sensible advice that the others

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said once resolved to adopt it. So Peter the Knook

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called to the reindeer, and the faithful animals again sprang

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forward and dashed over hill and valley, through forest and plain,

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until they came to the houses wherein children lay sleeping

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and dreaming of the pretty gifts they would find on

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Christmas morning. The little immortals had set themselves a difficult task,

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for although they had assisted Santa Claus on many of

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his journeys, their master had always directed and guided them

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and told them exactly what he wished them to do.

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But now they had to distribute the toys according to

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their own judgment. And they did not understand children as

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well as did old Santa, so it is no wonder

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they made some laughable errors. Mamie Brown, who wanted a doll,

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got a drum instead, and a drum is of no

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use to a girl who loves dolls. And Charlie Smith,

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who delights to romp and play out of doors, and

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who wanted some new rubber boots to keep his feet dry,

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received a sewing box filled with colored worsteds and threads

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in needles, which made him so provoked that he thoughtlessly

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called our dear Santa Claus a fraud. Had there been

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many such mistakes, the demons would have accomplished their evil

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purpose and made the children unhappy. But the little friends

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of the absent Santa Claus labored faithfully and intelligently to

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carry out their master's ideas, and they made fewer errors

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than might be expected under such unusual circumstances. And although

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they worked as swiftly as possible, day had begun to

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break before the toys and other presents were all distributed,

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so for the first time in many years, the reindeer

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trotted into the Laughing Valley on their return in broad daylight,

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with the brilliant sun peeping over the edge of the forest,

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to prove they were far behind their accustomed hours. Having

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put the deer in the stable, the little folk began

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to wonder how they might rescue their master, and they

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realized they must discover, first of all what had happened

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to him and where he was. So Whisk the Fairy

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transported himself to the bower of the Fairy Queen, which

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was located deep in the heart of the forest of Bursey,

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and once there it did not take him long to

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find out all about the naughty demons and how they

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had kidnapped the good Santa Claus to prevent his making

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children happy. The Fairy Queen also promised her assistance, and then,

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fortified by this powerful support, Whisk flew back to where

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Nutter and Peter and Kilter awaited him, and the four

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counseled together and laid plans to rescue their master from

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his enemies. It is possible that Santa Claus was not

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as merry as usual during the night that succeeded his capture,

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for although he had faith in the judgment of his

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little friends, he could not avoid a certain amount of worry,

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and an anxious look would creep at times into his

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kind old eyes as he thought of the disappointment that

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might await his dear little children. And the demons who

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guarded him by turns, one after another did not neglect

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to taunt him with contemptuous words in his helpless condition.

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When Christmas Day dawned, the demon of malice was guarding

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the prisoner, and his tongue was sharper than any of

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the others. The children are waking up, Santa, he cried.

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They are waking up to find their stockings empty. Ho ho,

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how they will quarrel and wail and stamp their feet

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in anger. Our caves will be full to day, old Santa,

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Our caves are sure to be full. But to this,

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as to other like taunts, Santa Claus answered nothing. He

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was much grieved by his capture, it is true, but

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his courage did not forsake him, and, finding that the

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prisoner would not reply to his jeers, the demon of

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Malice presently went away and sent the Demon of Repentance

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to take his place. This last personage was not so

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disagreeable as the others. He had gentle and refined features,

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and his voice was soft and pleasant in tone. My

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brother demons do not trust me over much, said he

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as he entered the cavern. But it is morning now

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and the mischief is done. You cannot visit the children

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again for another year, that is true, answered Santa Claus,

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almost cheerfully. Christmas Eve is past, and for the first

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time in centuries I have not visited my children. The

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little ones will be greatly disappointed, murmured the Demon of Repentance,

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almost regretfully. But that cannot be helped now. Their grief

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is likely to make the children selfish and envious and hateful.

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And if they come to the Cave of the Demons

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to day, I shall get a chance to lead some

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of them to my cave of repentance. Do you never

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repent yourself? Asked Santa Claus curiously. Oh, yes, indeed, answered

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the demon, I am even now repenting that I assisted

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in your capture. Of course, it is too late to

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remedy the evil that has been done. But repentance, you know,

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can only come after an evil thought or deed, For

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in the beginning there is nothing to repent of. So

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I understand, said Santa Claus, those who avoid evil need

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never visit your cave as a rule. That is true,

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replied the demon. Yet you who have done no evil,

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are about to visit my cave at once, for to

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prove that I sincerely regret my share in your capture,

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I am going to permit you to escape. This speech

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greatly surprised the prisoner, until he reflected that it was

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just what might be expected of the Demon of Repentance.

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The fellow at once busied himself untying the knots that

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bound Santa Claus and unlocking the chains that fastened him

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to the wall. Then he led the way through a

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long tunnel until they both emerged in the Cave of Repentance.

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I hope you will forgive me, said the demon pleadingly.

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I am not really a bad person, you know, and

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I believe I accomplish a great deal of good in

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the world. With this, he opened a back door that

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led in a flood of sunshine, and Santa Claus sniffed

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the fresh air gratefully. I bear no malice, said he

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to the demon in a gentle voice, and I am

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sure the world would be a dreary place without you.

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So good morning and a merry Christmas to you. With

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these words, he stepped out to greet the bright morning,

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and a moment later he was trudging along, whistling softly

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to himself, on his way to his home in the

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Laughing Valley. Marching over the snow toward the mountain was

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a vast army made of the most curious creatures imaginable.

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There were numberless nooks from the forest, as rough and

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crooked in appearance as the gnarled branches of the trees

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they ministered to, and there were dainty rills from the fields,

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each one bearing the emblem of the flower or plant

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it guarded. Behind these were many ranks of pixies, gnomes,

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and nymphs, and in the rear a thousand beautiful fairies

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floated along in gorgeous array. This wonderful army was led

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by whisk Peter Nutter and Kilter, who had assembled it

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to rescue Santa Claus from captivity and to punish the

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demons who had dared to take him away from his

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beloved children. And although they looked so bright and peaceful,

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the little immortals were armed with powers that would be

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very terrible to those who had incurred their anger. Woe

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to the demons of the caves, if this mighty army

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of vengeance ever met them. But lo coming to meet

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his loyal friends, appeared the imposing form of Santa Claus,

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his white beard floating in the breeze, and his bright

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eyes sparkling with pleasure at this proof of the love

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and veneration he had inspired in the hearts of the

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most powerful creatures in existence. And while they clustered around

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him and danced with glee at his safe return, he

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gave them earnest thanks for their support. But Whisk and Nutter,

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and Peter and Kilter he embraced affectionately. It is useless

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to pursue the demons, said Santa Claus to the army.

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They have their place in the world and can never

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be destroyed. But that is a great pity. Nevertheless, he

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continued musingly. So the fair and knooks, and pixies and

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rills all escorted the good man to his castle, and

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there left him to talk over the events of the

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night with his little assistants. Whisk had already rendered himself

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invisible and flown through the big world to see how

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the children were getting along on this bright Christmas morning,

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and by the time he returned, Peter had finished telling

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Santa Claus of how they had distributed the toys. We

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really did very well, cried the fairy in a pleased voice,

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for I found little unhappiness among the children this morning.

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Still you must not get captured again, my dear master,

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for we might not be so fortunate another time in

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carrying out your ideas. He then related the mistakes that

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had been made, and which he had not discovered until

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his tour of inspection, and Santa Claus at once sent

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him with rubber boots for Charlie Smith and a doll

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for Amy Brown, so that even those two disappointed ones

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became happy. As for the wicked demons of the caves,

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they were filled with anger and chagrin when they found

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that their clever capture of Santa Claus had come to naught. Indeed,

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no one on that Christmas Day appeared to be at

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all selfish or envious or hateful, And realizing that while

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the children Saint had so many powerful friends, it was

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folly to oppose him, the demons never again attempted to

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interfere with his journeys. On Christmas Eve, end of a

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kidnapped Santa Claus