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09 - Manhood Part 6 · The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

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  Chapter nine of Santa Claus's Manhood. Santa Claus Claus thought that none of the
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  children would ever know where the toys came from, which they found by their
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  bedsides when they wakened the following morning. But kindly deeds are sure to bring
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  fame, and fame has many wings to carry its tidings into far lands.
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  So for miles and miles in every direction, people were talking of Claws and
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  his wonderful gifts to the children. The sweet generousness of his work caused a
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  few selfish folk to sneer, but even these were forced to admit their respect
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  for a man so gentle natured that he loved to devote his life to pleasing
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  the helpless little ones of his race. Therefore, the inhabitants of every city
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  and village had been eagerly watching the coming of Claws, and remarkable stories of
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  his beautiful playthings were told the children to keep them patient and contented. When,
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  on the morning following the first trip of Claws with his deer, the
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  little ones came running to their parents with the pretty toys they had found,
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  and asked from whence they came. There was but one reply to the question.
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  The good Claws must have been here, my darlings, for his are
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  the only toys in all the world. But how did he get in,
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  asked the children. At this The fathers shook their heads, being themselves unable
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  to understand how Claws had gained admittance to their homes. But the mothers,
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  watching the glad faces of their dear ones, whispered that the Good Claus was
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  no mortal man, but assuredly a saint, and they piously blessed his name
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  for the happiness he had bestowed upon their children. A saint, said,
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  one with bowed head has no need to unlock doors if it pleases him to
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  enter our homes. And after, when a child was naughty or disobedient,
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  its mother would say, you must pray to the good Santa Claus for forgiveness.
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  He does not like naughty children, and unless you repent, he will
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  bring you no more pretty toys. But Santa Claus himself would not have approved
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  this speech. He brought toys to the children because they were little and helpless,
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  and because he loved them. He knew that the best of children were
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  sometimes naughty, and that the naughty ones were often good. It is the
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  way with children the world over, and he would not have changed their natures
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  had he possessed the power to do so. And that is how our clause
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  became. Santa Claus, it is possible for any man, by good deeds,
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  to enshrine himself as a saint in the hearts of the people. End
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  of chapter nine, Chapter ten of Santa Claus's Manhood. Christmas Eve, the
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  day that broke. As Claws returned from his night ride with Glossy and Flossy,
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  brought him to a new trouble. Will Nook, the chief guardian of
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  the deer, came to him surly and ill tempered to complain that he had
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  kept Glossy and Flossi beyond daybreak in opposition to his orders. Yet it could
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  not have been very long after daybreak, said Claws. It was one minute
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  after, answered Willnook, and that is as bad as one hour. I
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  shall set the stinging gnats on Glossy and Flossy, and they will thus suffer
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  terribly for their disobedience. Don't do that, begged Klaws. It was my
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  fault. But Willnook would listen to no excuses and went away, grumbling and
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  growling in his ill natured way. For this reason, Klaws entered the forest
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  to consult the seal about rescuing the good deer from punishment. To his delight,
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  he found his old friend, the Master Woodsman, seated in the circle
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  of nymphs. Ac listened to the story of the night journey to the children
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  and of the great assistance the deer had been to Claws by drawing his sledge
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  over the frozen snow. I do not wish my friend to be punished if
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  I can save them, said the toy maker, when he had finished the
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  relation. They were only one minute late, and they ran swifter than a
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  bird flies to get home before daybreak. Ak stroked his beard thoughtfully a moment,
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  and then sent for the Prince of the Knooks, who rules all his
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  people in Burzee, and also for the Queen of the Fairies and the Prince
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  of the Ryls. When all had assembled, Claws told his story again at
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  Ak's command, and then the Master addressed the Prince of the Knooks, saying,
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  the good work that Claws is doing among mankind deserves the support of every
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  honest immortal. Already he is called a saint in some of the towns,
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  and before long the name of Santa Claus will be lovingly known in every home
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  that is blessed with children. Moreover, he is a son of our forest,
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  so we owe him our encouragement. You, ruler of the knooks,
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  have known him these many years. Am I not right in saying he deserves
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  our friendship? The Prince crooked and sour of visage, as all knooks are
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  looked only upon the dead leaves at his feet, and muttered, you are
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  the master woodsman of the world. Axe smiled, but continued in soft tones.
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  It seems that the deer which are guarded by your people can be of
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  great assistance to Claus, and as they seem willing to draw his sledge,
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  I beg that you will permit him to use their services whenever he pleases.
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  The Prince did not reply, but tapped the curled point of his sandal with
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  the tip of his spear, as if in thought. Then the fairy queen
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  spoke to him in this way, If you consent to Act's request, I
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  will see that no harm comes to your deer while they are away from the
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  forest. And the Prince of the Rials added, for my part, I
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  will allow to every deer that assists claws the privilege of eating my casa plants,
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  which will give strength, and my grola plants, which give fleetness of
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  foot, and my marbon plants, which give long life. And the Queen
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  of the Nymphs said, the deer which draw the sledge of claws will be
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  permitted to bathe in the forest pool of nares, which will give them sleek
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  coats and wonderful beauty. The Prince of the Knooks, hearing these promises,
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  shifted uneasily on his seat, for in his heart he hated to refuse a
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  request of his fellow immortals, although they were asking an unusual favor at his
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  hands, and the Knooks are unaccustomed to granting favors of any kind. Finally,
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  he turned to his servants and said, call will Nook. When surly
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  will came and heard the demands of the immortals, he protested loudly against granting
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  them. Dear, our dear, said he, and nothing but dear.
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  Were they horses, it would be right to harness them like horses. But
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  no one harnesses dear, because they are free, wild creatures, owing no
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  service of any sort to mankind. It would degrade my dear to labor for
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  Claws, who is only a man in spite of the friendship lavished on him
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  by the immortals. You have heard, said the Prince to Ac. There
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  is truth in what Will says. Call Glossy and Flossi returned the Master.
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  The deer were brought to the conference, and Ac asked them if they objected
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  to drawing the sledge for Claws. No, indeed, replied Glossie. We
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  enjoyed the trip very much, and we tried to get home by daybreak,
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  said Flossi. But we're unfortunately a minute too late. A minute lost at
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  daybreak doesn't matter, said Ac. You are forgiven for that delay, provided
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  it does not happen again, said the Prince of the Knooks sternly. And
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  will you permit them to make another journey with me? Asked Clause. Eagerly,
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  the Prince reflected while he gazed at Will, who was scowling, and
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  at the Master Woodsman, who was smiling. Then he stood up and addressed
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  the company as follows, since you all urge me to grant the favor,
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  I will permit the deer to go with Claws once every year on Christmas Eve,
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  provided they always return to the forest by daybreak, he may select any
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  number he pleases, up to ten to draw his sledge, and those shall
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  be known among us as reindeer, to distinguish them from the others. And
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  they shall bathe in the pool of Nares and eat the cassa and the gral
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  and marbon plants, and shall be under the especial protection of the fairy Queen.
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  And now see scowling will Nook, for my words shall be obeyed.
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  He hobbled quickly away through the trees to avoid the thanks of Claws and the
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  approval of the other immortals, and will, looking as cross as ever,
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  followed him. But Ac was satisfied, knowing that he could rely on the
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  promise of the Prince, however grudgingly given, and Glossy and Flossi ran home,
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  kicking up their heels delightedly at every step. When is Christmas Eve,
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  Claws, asked the Master, In about ten days, he replied, Then,
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  I cannot use the deer this year, said Klaws thoughtfully, for I
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  shall not have time enough to make my sack full of toys. The shrewd
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  Prince foresaw that, responded Ak, and therefore named Christmas Eve as the day
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  you might use the deer, knowing it would cause you to lose an entire
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  year. If I only had the toys the Aguas stole from me, said
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  Klaws, sadly, I could easily fill my sack for the children. Where
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  are they asked the master. I do not know, replied Claws, but
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  the wicked Oguas probably hid them in the mountains. Ac turned to the fairy
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  queen. Can you find them? He asked, I will try, she
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  replied brightly. Then Claws went back to the Laughing Valley to work as hard
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  as he could, and a band of fairies immediately flew to the mountain that
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  had been haunted by the Oguas and began a search for the stolen toys.
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  The fairies, as we well know, possess wonderful powers, but the cunning
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  Oguas had hidden the toys in a deep cave and covered the opening with rocks
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  so no one could look in. Therefore, all search for the missing playthings
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  proved in vain for several days, and Claws, who sat at home waiting
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  for news from the fairies, almost despaired of getting the toys before for Christmas
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  Eve. He worked hard every moment, but it took considerable time to carve
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  out and to shape each toy, and to paint it properly, so that
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  on the morning before Christmas Eve, only half of one small shelf above the
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  window was filled with playthings ready for the children. But on this morning the
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  fairies who were searching the mountains had at new thought. They joined hands and
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  moved in a straight line through the rocks that formed the mountain, beginning at
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  the topmost peak, and working downward, so that no spot could be missed
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  by their bright eyes. And at last they discovered the cave where the toys
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  had been heaped up by the wicked aguas. It did not take them long
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  to burst open the mouth of the cave, and then each one seized as
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  many toys as he could carry, and they all flew to claws and laid
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  the treasure before him. The good man was rejoiced to receive, just in
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  the nick of time, such a store of playthings with which to load his
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  sledge, and he sent word to Glossy and Flossy to be ready for the
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  journey at nightfall. With all his other labors, he had managed to find
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  time since the last trip to repair the harness and to strengthen his sledge,
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  so that when the deer came to him at twilight, he had no difficulty
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  in harnessing them. We must go in another direction to night, he told
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  them, where we shall find children I have never yet visited. And we
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  must travel fast and work quickly, for my sack is full of toys and
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  running over the brim. So just as the moon arose, they dashed out
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  of the Laughing valley and across the plain and over the hills to the south.
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  The air was sharp and frosty, and the starlight touched the snowflakes and
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  made them glitter like countless diamonds. The reindeer leaped onward with strong, steady
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  bounds, and Claus's heart was so light and merry that he laughed and sang
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  while the wind whistled past his years. Wi the ho ho ho and ha
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  ha ha and a ho ho ha ha e. Now away we got or
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  the frozen snow, as merry as we can be. Jack Frost heard him
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  and came racing up with his nippers, but when he saw it was claws,
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  he laughed and turned away again. The mother owls heard him as he
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  passed near a wood, and stuck their heads out of the hollow places in
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  the tree trunks. But when they saw who it was, they whispered to
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  the owlets nesting near them that it was only Santa Claus, carrying toys to
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  the children. It is strange how much those mother owls know. Claws stopped
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  at some of the scattering farm houses and climbed down the chimneys to leave presents
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  for the babies. Soon after he reached a village and worked merrily for an
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  hour distributing playthings among the sleeping little ones. Then away again he went,
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  singing his joyous carol. Now way we go o'er the gleaming snow, while
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  the deer runs swift and free. For to girls en boys, we carried
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  the toys that will fill their hearts with gleep. The deer liked the sound
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  of his deep bass voice and kept time to the song with their hoof beats
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  on the hard snow. But soon they stopped at another chimney, and Santa
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  Claus, with sparkling eyes and face brushed red by the wind, climbed down
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  its smoky sides and left a present for every child the house contained. It
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  was a merry, happy night swiftly the deer ran, and busily their driver
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  worked to scatter his gifts among the sleeping children. But the sack was empty
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  at last, and the sledge headed homeward. And now again the race,
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  with daybreak began. Glossy and Flossie had no mind to be rebuked a second
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  time for tardiness, so they fled with a swiftness that enabled them to pass
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  the gale on which the frost king rode, and soon brought them to the
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  Laughing Valley. It is true, when Claws released his steeds from their harness,
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  the eastern sky was streaked with gray, but Glossy and Flossy were deep
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  in the forest before day fairly broke. Claws was so wearied with his night's
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  work that he threw himself upon his bed and fell into a deep slumber.
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  And while he slept, the Christmas sun appeared in the sky and shone upon
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  hundreds of happy homes, where the sound of childish laughter proclaimed that Santa Claus
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  had made them a visit. God bless him. It was his first Christmas
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  Eve, and for hundreds of years since then he has nobleeful build his mission
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  to bring happiness to the hearts of little children, end of Chapter ten,