Speaker 1: 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 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