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04 - The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - L Frank Baum · Thrilling Adventures - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Manhood, Chapter one, The Laughing Valley. When Claws came, the
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  Speaker 1: valley was empty save for the grass, the brook, the
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  Speaker 1: wild flowers, the bees, and the butterflies. If he would
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  Speaker 1: make his home here and live after the fashion of men,
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  Speaker 1: he must have a house. This puzzled him at first,
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  Speaker 1: but while he stood smiling in the sunshine, he suddenly
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  Speaker 1: found beside him Old Nelko, the servant of the master woodsmen.
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  Speaker 1: Nelko bore an axe, strong and broad, with a blade
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  Speaker 1: that gleamed like burnished silver. This he placed in the
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  Speaker 1: young man's hand, then disappeared without a word. Claws understood,
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  Speaker 1: and turning to the forest's edge, he selected a number
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  Speaker 1: of fallen tree trunks, which he began to clear of
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  Speaker 1: their dead branches. He would not cut into a living tree.
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  Speaker 1: His life among the nymphs who guarded the forest had
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  Speaker 1: taught him that a live tree is sacred, being a
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  Speaker 1: created thing endowed with feeling. But with the dead and
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  Speaker 1: fallen trees it was different. They had fulfilled their destiny
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  Speaker 1: as active members of the forest community, and now it
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  Speaker 1: was fitting that their remains should minister to the needs
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  Speaker 1: of man. The axe bit deep into the logs. At
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  Speaker 1: every stroke it seemed to have a force of its own,
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  Speaker 1: and Claws had but to swing and guide it. When
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  Speaker 1: shadows began creeping over the green hills to lie in
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  Speaker 1: the valley over night, the young man had chopped many
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  Speaker 1: logs into equal lengths and proper shapes for building a
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  Speaker 1: house such as he had seen the poorer classes of
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  Speaker 1: men in habit, then resolving to await another day before
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  Speaker 1: he tried to fit the logs together, Claws ate some
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  Speaker 1: of the sweet roots he well knew how to find.
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  Speaker 1: Drank deeply from the laughing brook, and lay down to
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  Speaker 1: sleep on the grass, first seeking a spot where no
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  Speaker 1: flot flowers grew, lest the weight of his body should
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  Speaker 1: crush them. And while he slumbered and breathed in the
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  Speaker 1: perfume of the wondrous valley, the spirit of happiness crept
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  Speaker 1: into his heart and drove out all terror and care
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  Speaker 1: and misgivings. Never more would the face of Claws be
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  Speaker 1: clouded with anxieties. Never more would the trials of life
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  Speaker 1: weigh him down, as with a burden the Laughing Valley
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  Speaker 1: had claimed him for its own. Would that we all
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  Speaker 1: might live in that delightful place. But then maybe it
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  Speaker 1: would become overcrowded for ages it had awaited a tenant.
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  Speaker 1: Was a chance that led young Claws to make his
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  Speaker 1: home in this happy vale? Or may we guess that
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  Speaker 1: his thoughtful friends, the immortals, had directed his steps when
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  Speaker 1: he wandered away from Berzi to seek a home in
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  Speaker 1: the great world. Certain it is that while the moon
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  Speaker 1: peered over the hill top and flooded with its soft
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  Speaker 1: beams the body of the sleeping stranger, the laughing valley
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  Speaker 1: was filled with the queer, crooked shapes of the friendly looks.
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  Speaker 1: These people spoke no words, but worked with skill and swiftness.
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  Speaker 1: The log's claws had trimmed with his bright axe, were
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  Speaker 1: carried to a spot beside the brook and fitted one
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  Speaker 1: upon another, And during the night a strong and roomy
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  Speaker 1: dwelling was built. The birds came sweeping into the valley
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  Speaker 1: at daybreak, and their songs, so seldom heard in the
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  Speaker 1: deep wood, aroused the stranger. He rubbed the web of
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  Speaker 1: sleep from his eyelids and looked around the house met
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  Speaker 1: his gaze. I must thank the knooks for this, said
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  Speaker 1: he gratefully. Then he walked to his dwelling and entered
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  Speaker 1: at the doorway. A large room faced him, having a
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  Speaker 1: fireplace at the end and a table and bench in
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  Speaker 1: the middle. Beside the fireplace was a cupboard. Another doorway
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  Speaker 1: was beyond. Claws entered here also and saw a smaller
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  Speaker 1: room with a bed against the wall and a stool
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  Speaker 1: set near a small stand. On the bed were many
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  Speaker 1: layers of dried moss brought from the forest. Indeed, it
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  Speaker 1: is a palace, exclaimed the smiling Claws. I must thank
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  Speaker 1: the good knooks again for their knowledge of man's needs,
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  Speaker 1: as well as for their labors in my behalf. He
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  Speaker 1: left his new home with a glad, feeling that he
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  Speaker 1: was not quite alone in the world, although he had
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  Speaker 1: chosen to abandon his forest life. Friendships are not easily broken,
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  Speaker 1: and the immortals are everywhere. Upon reaching the brook, he
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  Speaker 1: drank of the pure water, and then sat down on
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  Speaker 1: the bank to laugh at the mischievous gambols of the
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  Speaker 1: ripples as they pushed one another against rocks, or crowded
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  Speaker 1: desperately to see which should first reach the turn beyond.
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  Speaker 1: And as they raced away, he listened to the song
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  Speaker 1: they sang, rushing, pushing on we go. Not a wave
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  Speaker 1: may gently flow. All are too excited. Every drop delighted
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  Speaker 1: turns to spray in merry play as we tumble on
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  Speaker 1: our way. Next, claws searched for roots to eat, while
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  Speaker 1: the daffodils turned their little eyes up to him laughingly
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  Speaker 1: and lisped their dainty song. Blooming fairly, growing rarely never
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  Speaker 1: Flowerets were so gay, perfume, breathing joy, bequeathing as our
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  Speaker 1: colors we display. It made claws laugh to hear the
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  Speaker 1: little things voice their happiness as they nodded gracefully on
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  Speaker 1: their stems. But another strain caught his ear as the
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  Speaker 1: sunbeams fell gently across his face, and whispered, Here is
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  Speaker 1: gladness that our rays warmed the valley through the days.
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  Speaker 1: Here is happiness to give comfort unto all who live, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: cried claws in answer, there is happiness and joy in
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  Speaker 1: all things. Here, the Laughing Valley is a valley of
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  Speaker 1: peace and good will. He passed the day talking with
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  Speaker 1: the ants and beetles, and exchanging jokes with the light
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  Speaker 1: hearted butterflies. And at night he lay on his bed
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  Speaker 1: of soft moss and slept soundly. Then came the fairies,
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  Speaker 1: merry but noiseless, bringing skillets and pots and dishes and pans,
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  Speaker 1: and all the tools necessary to prepare food and to
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  Speaker 1: comfort a mortal. With these, they filled cupboard and fireplace,
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  Speaker 1: finally placing a stout suit of wool clothing on the
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  Speaker 1: stool by the bedside. When Claws awoke, he rubbed his
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  Speaker 1: eyes again and laughed and spoke aloud his thanks to
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  Speaker 1: the fairies and the Master woodsmen, who had sent them.
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  Speaker 1: With eager joy, he examined all his new possessions, wondering
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  Speaker 1: what sum might be used for. But in the days
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  Speaker 1: when he had clung to the girdle of the Great
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  Speaker 1: ac and visited the cities of Men, his eyes had
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  Speaker 1: been quick to note all the manners and customs of
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  Speaker 1: the race to which he belonged. So he guessed from
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  Speaker 1: the gifts brought by the fairies that the Master had
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  Speaker 1: expected him hereafter to live in the fashion of his
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  Speaker 1: fellow creatures. Which means that I must plow the earth
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  Speaker 1: and plant corn, he reflected, so that when winter comes
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  Speaker 1: I shall have garnered food in plenty. But as he
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  Speaker 1: stood in the grassy valley, he saw that to turn
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  Speaker 1: up the earth in furrows would be to destroy hundreds
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  Speaker 1: of pretty, helpless flowers as well as thousands of the
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  Speaker 1: tender blades of grass, and this he could not bear
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  Speaker 1: to do. Therefore, he stretched out his arms and uttered
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  Speaker 1: a peculiar whistle he had learned in the forest. Afterward, crying,
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  Speaker 1: rills of the field flowers come to me. Instantly A
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  Speaker 1: dozen of the queer little rills were squatting upon the
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  Speaker 1: ground before him, and they nodded to him in cheerful greeting.
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  Speaker 1: Claws gazed upon them earnestly. Your brothers of the forest,
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  Speaker 1: he said, I have known and loved many years. I
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  Speaker 1: shall love you also when we have become friends to me.
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  Speaker 1: The laws of the rills, whether those of the forest
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  Speaker 1: or of the field, are sacred. I have never wilfully
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  Speaker 1: destroyed one of the flowers you tend so carefully. But
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  Speaker 1: I must plant grain to use for food during the
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  Speaker 1: cold winter. And how am I to do this without
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  Speaker 1: killing the little creatures that sing to me so prettily
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  Speaker 1: of their fragrant blossoms. The yellow rill, he who tends
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  Speaker 1: the buttercups, made answer, fret not, friend, claws, The great
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  Speaker 1: Act has spoken to us of you. There is better
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  Speaker 1: work for you in life than to labor for food,
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  Speaker 1: and not being of the forest ak has no command
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  Speaker 1: over us. Nevertheless, we are glad to favor one he
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  Speaker 1: loves live. Therefore, to do the good work you are
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  Speaker 1: resolved to undertake. We the field Rills will attend to
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  Speaker 1: your food supplies. After this speech, the Rills were no
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  Speaker 1: longer to be seen, and claws drove from his mind
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  Speaker 1: the thought of tilling the earth. When next he wandered
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  Speaker 1: back to his dwelling, a bowl of fresh milk stood
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  Speaker 1: upon the table. Bread was in the cupboard, and sweet
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  Speaker 1: honey filled a dish. Beside it. A pretty basket of
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  Speaker 1: rosy apples and new plucked grapes were also awaiting him.
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  Speaker 1: He called out, thanks, my friends, to the invisible Rills,
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  Speaker 1: and straightway began to eat of the food. Thereafter, when hungry,
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  Speaker 1: he had but look into the cupboard to find goodly
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  Speaker 1: supplies brought by the kindly Rills, and the nooks cut
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  Speaker 1: and stacked much wood for his fireplace, and the fairies
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  Speaker 1: brought him warm blankets and clothing. So began his life
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  Speaker 1: in the Laughing Valley, with the favor and friendship of
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  Speaker 1: the immortals to minister to his every want. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter one