Speaker 1: How Santa Claus came by William O. Stoddard now don
said Rad Burnell dolefully. Do you believe any kind of
a snow storm could stop Santa Claus from coming? Well, yes,
that's it. I heard father tell mother he couldn't get
here in time, and I know he meant something about
Christmas by the way he looked at Pettish and Molly
was Berry there. She was sound asleep in the cradle,
And mother said, Berry won't care, but it'll be at
this point for the rest of em It's an awful
snow storm, Rad, But I guess Santa Claus will come
for all of that. Just a little later, mister Burnell
said to his wife, I'm sorry we didn't get our
things in the village, Maria, but it's too late. Now.
Don't say anything to the children. It'll be bad enough
when it comes. Nobody else heard him, but Missus Burnell
looked as if she wanted to cry. That was one
of the whitest nights anybody in the world ever saw,
for the snow had thrown the thickest kind of a
white blanket over everything. Some of the roads were drifted
level from fence to fence, and the railroads were having
a tremendous time of it. Anything so black as a
locomotive could hardly feel at home pushing its way along
through so white a country, or into so white a
village as Middleville was that Christmas Eve. It was a
dreadfully long night, and Pettish woke up three times and
tried to make herself believe it was morning. The last
time she heard the great clock in the academy steeple
on the village green, pounding away at its task of
telling what time it was. I'll count, said Pettish, nine
twelve seven, fourteen fifteen six. I guess it's most time
to get up, must be it's Christmas now. Just then
she heard a noise in the next room, and she
listened with all her ears. First it was a rustle,
and then the loudest kind of a whisper, loud enough
to have been heard in daytime. Rad Rad, it's just
struck five. Let's take a scoop downstairs and see about it.
We can hurry right back again. They're pulling on their stockings,
said Pettish. I'll get up and pull on mine, but
I won't let them see me. She tried very hard
to get up without waking Molly, but it was of
no use, for Molly's sleep had been begun at the
right time and was fairly over now, considering that it
was Christmas morning. Oh, Pettish, what are you going to do?
Sh sh, Molly? The boys are going downstairs to look,
and I'm going too. Lie still. But Molly was two
years older than Pettish, and she wouldn't lie still. She
was out on the floor in a twinkling and she
made Pettish wrap herself all up in a blanket, and
she pretty nearly buried her own chubby shape and are comfortable.
That was about what Rad and Don had done already,
and they were now carefully creeping down stairs in the dark.
The door of the front parlor was nearest the foot
of the stairs, and the boys left it open after
them when they went in, but Molly and Pettish closed
it very softly and carefully the moment they were safe
in the dim, gloomy parlor. The boys were just beyond
the folding doors at that moment and did not see
that they were followed. Berry was sound asleep in her crib,
within reach of her mother, or she would have heard
her say just then, Oh John, it's a dreadful disappointment.
What will those poor children do poor Pettish, said mister Burnell.
We can explain it to the boys and they can wait,
and to Molly, but it'll be bad enough for any
of em. But Pettish would break her little heart if
she finds that Santa Claus hasn't come. It'll be almost
as much of a disappointment to Aunt Sally and Frank.
I hope they'll bring mid with them when they come,
of course they will. Now that had been a very long, white,
beautiful dark night, and a great many queer things had
happened in it. They are sure to in any night
before Christmas. But there had been a wonderfully deep snow
storm away on toward morning. Just when the Academy clock
was trying to make sound asleep, people hear that it
was really four, a tired out and frosty looking railway
train came, smoking and coughing up to the platform at
the Village railway station. It did not stop long, but
some people got out of one of the sleeping cars,
and some baggage was tumbled out of the baggage car,
and a sleepy man with a lantern, said yes, sir,
carriage your in a minute, sir, all right, we don't
want any carriage, My man, take our checks and have
our trunks brought over to mister Burnett's before seven o'clock.
We'll walk right there. Now, come, Sallie, Come along Mid Frank, Husband,
you'll drop some of those things. No, I won't, Sallie.
Mid My dear boy, look out for that box. It's
only pasteboard. I'll be careful, mother. I ain't a wait yet.
But it takes all three of us to Santa Claus
this pile. Hope it isn't far. The cold, frosty air
was fast getting Mid wide awake, and they did look,
all three of them, as if they were have done
better with a sleigh and a good team of reindeer.
The distance was short, but Aunt Sallie talked pretty nearly
all the way. We must do it, Frank, she said,
as they drew near the gate, I'm sure they've given
us up. We can get in. There never was any
bolt on the kitchen window over the pump. Middleton can
climb right in and come and open the side door
for us. Oh, but won't that be fun? Exclaimed Mid
as he hurried silently forward. Sh there, Sallie, whispered Uncle Frank.
As he and his portly, merry faced wife lugged their bundles.
After Mid, it was less than half a minute before
they were in the kitchen. They promptly shut the door
between the dining room that was the sitting room too,
and the back parlor. And then how they did work.
Plenty of wood and shavings and kindlings were dying in
front of the great Franklin stove in the dining room,
and there was quickly a blazing fire there and in
the kitchen too, and Mid insisted on lighting every lamp
and candle he could lay his hands on. Then the
bundles came open, and their contents began to shine all
around the chimney and over the mantel, and even on
some of the chairs. It's too bad we haven't any
of their stockings, began Aunt Sally. But she exclaimed the
next instant, Oh, Frank, here's Maria's work basket, all full
of stockings. I know. Then those are dons. There's a
pair of rads, Molly's pettish, Berri's the dear little kitten.
We've got em, mother, let's set the table. That's it.
You help him do it? Father, won't we give em
a surprise? It was wonderful how those three did work
and not make any noise about it, and how they
did change the looks of that dining room and kitchen
before five o'clock. Aunt Sallie even put on the tea
kettle and made some coffee. And it was evident that,
for once Santa Claus was disposed to be very much
at home. If they had not been drinking their coffee,
perhaps they might have heard a voice not many minutes
after five o'clock whispering anxiously to somebody in the back parlor.
I say, there's a light coming through the keyhole. There's
a rattle too in there. Burglars pooh, no, it's Christmas.
Oh boys, is Santa claud was really in there? Has
he got here? Is that? You pettish? And Molly too?
Keep still. I'm just going to open the door a
little mite of a crack, but you can all peek in.
Aunt Sannie's ears must have been good ones, for carefully
has done opened that door? And faint, as was the
squeak it made, she sprang suddenly toward it, is that you. Maria. Hush,
don't make a sound, not a loud noise for anything.
We won't. Aunt Sallie, hush. Even pettysh did just as
she was told for once, for she was a little
scared when the great blaze of light came shining through
the door. As Aunt Sallie pushed it wide open, it
was shut again the moment they were all in the room,
And then it was all Aunt Sallie and Uncle Frank
could do to keep up any kind of silence in
that merry assembly. They could not have done it at
all if Aunt Sallie had not told them all it's
a great secret. You must help us give Papa and
Mamma a big surprise. Now, let's get breakfast for them.
Biddy went away yesterday morning, said Molly, but I know
where the eggs are. Whatever She and Pettish could not find,
Don and Rad could, and Aunt Sallie was the best
kind of a cook. It was nearly six o'clock when
Missus Burnell said to her husband, I'm glad Berry waked up.
She's all dressed now, and I can wrap her up warm.
So am I, my dear. I'll go right down with you.
Those poor children. I haven't the heart to look at them.
Let's hurry down. So they did, and Berry went down
in her mother's arms. But they little dreamed what was coming.
A great shout welcomed them as they opened the door
of the dining room. Wish you merry Christmas, oh, Sallie, Frank,
I am so glad. But how did you get in?
Breakfast's ready? Christmas has come. Nobody could have described that
next half hour to have saved his life, and Aunt
Sallie said she had never been so happy in all hers.
Molly said, Pettish, won't you go upstairs and bring down
all their clothes? Yes, children said their mother. You must
get dressed. Yes, And mother said Pettish. There was only
two pairs of my stockings in the basket, and they're
both full. If molly'll bring the pair I had on,
there's more than enough to fill em. So there was.
For Aunt Sallie had not only bought and brought everything
mister and missus Burnell had written to her about, but
she had heaped on a huge assortment of presents on
her own account, and Pettish had at least her share.
While Uncle Frank had looked out for Molly, and nobody
had forgotten Berry or any of the boys. It was
quite the usual time when they got ready to eat
at last. But there was nothing of what Rad and
Pettish called a dispoint in any face at that reckfas
Santa Claus had come. End of How Santa Claus Came
by William O. Stoddard