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10 - The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - L Frank Baum · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven of Claus's adulthood, how the first stockings were
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  Speaker 1: hung by the chimneys. When you remember that no child
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  Speaker 1: until Santa Claus began his travels had ever known the
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  Speaker 1: pleasure of possessing a toy, you will understand how joy
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  Speaker 1: crept into the homes of those who had been favored
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  Speaker 1: with a visit from the good Man, and how they
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  Speaker 1: talked of him day by day in loving tones, and
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  Speaker 1: were honestly grateful for his kindly deeds. It is true
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  Speaker 1: that great warriors, and mighty kings, and clever scholars of
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  Speaker 1: that day were often spoken of by the people, but
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  Speaker 1: no one of them was so greatly beloved as Santa Claus,
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  Speaker 1: because none other was so unselfish as to devote himself
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  Speaker 1: to making others happy. For a generous deed lives longer
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  Speaker 1: than a great battle or a king's decree of a
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  Speaker 1: scholar's essay, because it spreads and leaves its mark on
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  Speaker 1: all nature and endures through many generations. The bargain made
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  Speaker 1: with the nook prints change the plans of Claws for
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  Speaker 1: all future time. For being able to use the reindeer
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  Speaker 1: on but one night of each year, he decided to
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  Speaker 1: devote all the other days to the manufacture of playthings,
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  Speaker 1: and on Christmas Eve to carry them to the children
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  Speaker 1: of the world. But a year's work would, he knew,
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  Speaker 1: result in a vast accumulation of toys. So he resolved
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  Speaker 1: to build a new sledge that would be larger and stronger,
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  Speaker 1: and better fitted for swift travel than the old and
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  Speaker 1: clumsy one. His first act was to visit the Nome King,
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  Speaker 1: with whom he made a bargain to exchange three drums,
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  Speaker 1: a trumpet, and two dolls for a pair of fine
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  Speaker 1: steel runners, curled beautifully at the ends. For the Nome
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  Speaker 1: King had children of his own, who living in the
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  Speaker 1: hollows under the use earth, in mines and caverns, needing
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  Speaker 1: something to amuse them. In three days, the steel runners
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  Speaker 1: were ready, and when Claws brought the playthings to the
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  Speaker 1: Nome King, his Majesty was so greatly pleased with them
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  Speaker 1: that he presented Claws with a string of sweet toned
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  Speaker 1: sleigh bells in addition to the runners. These will please
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  Speaker 1: Glossy and Flossy, said Claws, as he jingled the bells
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  Speaker 1: and listened to their merry sound. But I should have
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  Speaker 1: two strings of bells, one for each deer. Bring me
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  Speaker 1: another trumpet and a toy, cat, replied the king, and
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  Speaker 1: you shall have a second string of bells like the first.
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  Speaker 1: It is a bargain, cried Claws, and he went home
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  Speaker 1: again for the toys. The new sledge was carefully built,
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  Speaker 1: the Knooks, bringing plenty of strong but thin boards to
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  Speaker 1: use in its construction. Claws made a high rounding dashboard
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  Speaker 1: to keep off the snow cast behind the fleet hoofs
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  Speaker 1: of the deer, and he made high sides to the
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  Speaker 1: platform so that many toys could be carried. And finally
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  Speaker 1: he mounted the sledge upon the slender steel runners made
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  Speaker 1: by the Nome King. It was certainly a handsome sledge,
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  Speaker 1: and big and roomy. Claws painted it in bright colors,
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  Speaker 1: although no one was likely to see it during his
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  Speaker 1: midnight journeys, and when all was finished he sent for
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  Speaker 1: Glossy and Flossy to come and look at it. The
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  Speaker 1: deer admired the sledge, but gravely declared it was too
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  Speaker 1: big and heavy for them to draw. We might pull
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  Speaker 1: it over the snow, to be sure, said Glossy, but
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  Speaker 1: we would not pull it fast enough to enable us
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  Speaker 1: to visit the far away cities and villages and return
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  Speaker 1: to the forest by daybreak. Then I must add two
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  Speaker 1: more deer to my team, declared Claws. After a moment's thought.
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  Speaker 1: The knook prints allowed you as many as ten, Why
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  Speaker 1: not use them, all, asked FLOSSI. Then we could speed
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  Speaker 1: like the lightning and leap to the highest roofs with ease.
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  Speaker 1: Team of ten reindeer, cried claws, delightedly. That will be splendid.
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  Speaker 1: Please return to the forest at once and select eight
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  Speaker 1: other deer as like yourselves as possible. And you must
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  Speaker 1: all eat of the casa plant to become strong, and
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  Speaker 1: of the grawl a plant to become fleet afoot, and
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  Speaker 1: of the marbon plant, that you may live long to
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  Speaker 1: accompany me on my journeys. Likewise, it will be well
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  Speaker 1: for you to bathe in the pool of nares, which
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  Speaker 1: the lovely Queen Zurline declares will render you rarely beautiful.
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  Speaker 1: Should you perform these duties faithfully, there is no doubt
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  Speaker 1: that on next Christmas Eve, my ten reindeer will be
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  Speaker 1: the most powerful and beautiful steeds the world has ever so.
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  Speaker 1: Glossy and Flossy went to the forest to choose their
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  Speaker 1: mates and Claws began to consider the question of a
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  Speaker 1: harness for them all. In the end he called upon
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  Speaker 1: Peter Nook for assistance, for Peter's heart is as kind
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  Speaker 1: as his body is crooked, and he is remarkably shrewd
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  Speaker 1: as well. And Peter agreed to furnish strips of tough
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  Speaker 1: leather for the harness. This leather was cut from the
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  Speaker 1: skins of lions that had reached such an advanced age
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  Speaker 1: that they died naturally, and on one side was tawny hair,
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  Speaker 1: while the other side was cured to the softness of
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  Speaker 1: velvet by the deft Nooks. When Claws received these strips
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  Speaker 1: of leather, he sowed them neatly into a harness for
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  Speaker 1: the ten reindeer, and it proved strong and serviceable, and
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  Speaker 1: lasted him for many years. The harness and sledge were
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  Speaker 1: prepared at odd times, for Claws devoted most of his
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  Speaker 1: days to the making of toys. These were now much
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  Speaker 1: better than the first ones had been, for the immortals
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  Speaker 1: often came to his house to watch him work and
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  Speaker 1: to offer suggestions. It was Nesile's idea to make some
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  Speaker 1: of the dolls, say Papa and Mamma. It was a
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  Speaker 1: thought of the knooks to put a squeak inside the lambs,
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  Speaker 1: so that when a child squeezed them, they would say
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  Speaker 1: ba a a. And the fairy queen advised Claus to
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  Speaker 1: put whistles in the birds so they could be made
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  Speaker 1: to sing, and wheels on the horses so children could
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  Speaker 1: draw them around. Many animals perished in the forest from
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  Speaker 1: one cause or another, and their fur was brought to
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  Speaker 1: Claws that he might cover it with the small images
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  Speaker 1: of beasts he made for playthings. A merry real suggested
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  Speaker 1: that Claws make a donkey with a nodding head, which
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  Speaker 1: he did and afterward found that it amused the little
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  Speaker 1: ones immensely. And so the toys grew in beauty and
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  Speaker 1: attractiveness every day, until they were the wonder of even
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  Speaker 1: the immortals. When another Christmas Eve drew near, there was
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  Speaker 1: a monster load of beautiful gifts for the children ready
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  Speaker 1: to be loaded upon the big sledge. Claws filled three
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  Speaker 1: sacks to the brim and tucked every corner of the
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  Speaker 1: sledge box full of toys. Besides, then at twilight, the
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  Speaker 1: ten reindeer appeared, and Flossi introduced them all to Claws.
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  Speaker 1: They were racer and pacer, reckless and speckless, fearless and peerless,
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  Speaker 1: and ready and steady, who with Glossy and Flossy made
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  Speaker 1: up the ten who have traversed the world these hundreds
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  Speaker 1: of years with their generous master. They were all exceedingly beautiful,
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  Speaker 1: with slender limbs, spreading antlers, velvety dark eyes, and smooth
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  Speaker 1: coats of fawn color spotted with white. Claws loved them
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  Speaker 1: at once and has loved them ever since, for they
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  Speaker 1: are loyal friends and have rendered him priceless service. The
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  Speaker 1: new harness fitted them nicely, and soon they were all
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  Speaker 1: fastened to the sledge by twos, with Glossy and Flossy
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  Speaker 1: in the lead. These wore the strings of sleigh bells,
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  Speaker 1: and were so delighted with the music they made that
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  Speaker 1: they kept prancing up and down to make the bells ring. Claws,
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  Speaker 1: now seated himself in the sledge, drew a warm robe
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  Speaker 1: over his knees and his fur cap over his ears,
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  Speaker 1: and cracked his long whip as a signal to start. Instantly,
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  Speaker 1: the ten leaped forward and were away like the wind,
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  Speaker 1: while jolly Claws laughed gleefully to see them run, and
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  Speaker 1: shouted the song in his big hardy voice. Wi the
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  Speaker 1: ho ho ho a ha ha ha and ho ho
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  Speaker 1: ha ha he. Now away we goat or the frozen
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  Speaker 1: in snow, as merry as we can be. There are
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  Speaker 1: many joys in our load of toys, as many a
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  Speaker 1: child will know. We'll scatter them wide on our wild
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  Speaker 1: night ride or the crisp ben sparkling snow. Now. It
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  Speaker 1: was on this same Christmas Eve that little Margot and
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  Speaker 1: her brother Dick, and her cousins Ned and Sarah, who
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  Speaker 1: were visiting at Margo's house, came in from making a
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  Speaker 1: snow man, with their clothes damp, their mittens stripping, and
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  Speaker 1: their shoes and stockings wet through and through. They were
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  Speaker 1: not scolded, for Margot's mother knew the snow was melting,
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  Speaker 1: but they were sent early to bed that their clothes
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  Speaker 1: might be hung over chairs to dry. The shoes were
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  Speaker 1: placed on the red tiles of the hearth, where the
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  Speaker 1: heat from the hot embers would strike them, and the
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  Speaker 1: stockings were carefully hung in a row by the chimney
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  Speaker 1: directly over the fireplace that was the recent Santa Claus
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  Speaker 1: noticed them when he came down the chimney that night,
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  Speaker 1: and all the household were fast asleep. He was in
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  Speaker 1: a tremendous hurry, and seeing the stockings all belonged to children,
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  Speaker 1: he quickly stuffed his toys into them and dashed up
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  Speaker 1: the chimney again, appearing on the roof so suddenly that
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  Speaker 1: the reindeer were astonished at his agility. I wish they
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  Speaker 1: would all hang up their stockings, he thought, as he
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  Speaker 1: drove to the next chimney. It would save me a
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  Speaker 1: lot of time, and I could then visit more children
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  Speaker 1: before daybreak. When Margot and Nick, and Ned and Sarah
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  Speaker 1: jumped out of bed next morning and ran downstairs to
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  Speaker 1: get their stockings from the fireplace, they were filled with
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  Speaker 1: delight to find the toys from Santa Claus inside them.
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  Speaker 1: In face, I think they found more presents in their
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  Speaker 1: stockings than any other children of that city had received,
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  Speaker 1: for Santa Claus was in a hurry and did not
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  Speaker 1: stop to count the toys. Of course, they told all
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  Speaker 1: their little friends about it, and of course every one
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  Speaker 1: of them decided to hang his own stockings by the
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  Speaker 1: fireplace the next Christmas Eve. Even Bessie Blithesome, who made
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  Speaker 1: a visit to that city with her father, the Great
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  Speaker 1: Lord of Lurd heard the story from the children, and
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  Speaker 1: hung her own pretty stockings by the chimney when she
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  Speaker 1: returned home at Christmas time. On his next trip, Santa
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  Speaker 1: Claus found so many stockings hung up in anticipation of
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  Speaker 1: his visit that he could fill them in a jiffy
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  Speaker 1: and be away again in half the time required to
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  Speaker 1: hunt the children up and place the toys by their bedsides.
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  Speaker 1: The custom grew year after year and has always been
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  Speaker 1: a great help to Santa Claus. And with so many
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  Speaker 1: children to visit, he surely needs all the help we
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  Speaker 1: are able to give him. End of Chapter eleven. Chapter
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  Speaker 1: twelve of Claus's Manhood the first Christmas Tree Claws had
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  Speaker 1: always kept his promise to the Nooks by returning to
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  Speaker 1: the Laughing Valley by daybreak. But only the swiftness of
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  Speaker 1: his reindeer has enabled him to do this, for he
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  Speaker 1: travels over all the world. He loved his work, and
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  Speaker 1: he loved the brisk night ride on his sledge and
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  Speaker 1: the gay tinkle of the sleigh bells. On that first
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  Speaker 1: trip with the ten reindeer, only Glossy and Flossy wore bells,
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  Speaker 1: but each year thereafter for eight years, Claws carried presents
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  Speaker 1: to the children of the Nome king, and that good
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  Speaker 1: natured monarch gave him in return a string of bells
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  Speaker 1: at each visit, so that finally every one of the
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  Speaker 1: ten deer was supplied. And you may imagine what a
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  Speaker 1: merry tune the bells played as the sledge spread over
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  Speaker 1: the snow. The children's stockings were so long that it
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  Speaker 1: required a great many toys to fill them, and soon
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  Speaker 1: Claws found there were other things besides toys that children love,
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  Speaker 1: So he sent some of the fairies, who were always
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  Speaker 1: his good friends, into the tropics, from whence they returned
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  Speaker 1: with great bags full of oranges and bananas, which they
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  Speaker 1: had plucked from the trees. And other fairies flew to
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  Speaker 1: the wonderful valley of funny Land, where delicious candies and
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  Speaker 1: bon bonds grew thickly on the bushes, and returned laden
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  Speaker 1: with many boxes of sweetmeats for the little ones. These
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  Speaker 1: things Santa Claus on each Christmas Eve placed in the
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  Speaker 1: long stockings together with his toys, and the children were
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  Speaker 1: glad to get them. You may be sure there are
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  Speaker 1: also warm countries where there is no snow in winter,
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  Speaker 1: but claws and his reindeer visited them as well as
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  Speaker 1: the colder climes, for there were little wheels inside the
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  Speaker 1: runners of his sledge, which permitted it to run as
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  Speaker 1: smoothly over bare ground as on the snow. And the
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  Speaker 1: children who lived in the warm countries learned to know
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  Speaker 1: the name of Santa Claus, as well as those who
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  Speaker 1: lived nearer to the Laughing Valley. Once, just as the
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  Speaker 1: reindeer were ready to start on their yearly trip, a
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  Speaker 1: fairy came to Claws and told him of three little
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  Speaker 1: children who lived beneath a rude tent of skins on
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  Speaker 1: a broad plain where there were no trees whatever. These
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  Speaker 1: poor babies were miserable and unhappy, for their parents were
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  Speaker 1: ignorant people who neglected them. Sadly, Claws resolved to visit
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  Speaker 1: these children before he returned home, and during his ride
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  Speaker 1: he picked up the bushy top of a pine tree
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  Speaker 1: which the wind had broken off, and placed it in
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  Speaker 1: his sledge. It was nearly morning when the deer stopped
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  Speaker 1: before the lonely tent of skins where the poor children
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  Speaker 1: lay asleep. Claws at once planted the bit of pine
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  Speaker 1: tree in the sand and stuck many candles on the branches.
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  Speaker 1: Then he hung some of his prettiest toys on the tree,
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  Speaker 1: as well as several bags of candies. It did not
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  Speaker 1: take long to do all this, for Santa Claus works quickly,
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  Speaker 1: and when all was ready, he lighted the candles, and,
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  Speaker 1: thrusting his head in at the opening of the tent,
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  Speaker 1: he shouted, Merry Christmas, little ones. With that he leaped
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  Speaker 1: on to his sledge and was out of sight before
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  Speaker 1: the children, rubbing the sleep from their eyes, could come
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  Speaker 1: out to see who had called them. You can imagine
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  Speaker 1: the wonder and joy of those little ones, who had
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  Speaker 1: never in their lives known a real pleasure beaufort when
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  Speaker 1: they saw the tree sparkling with lights that shone brilliant
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  Speaker 1: in the gray dawn, and hung with toys enough to
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  Speaker 1: make them happy for years to come. They joined hands
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  Speaker 1: and danced around the tree, shouting and laughing until they
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  Speaker 1: were obliged to pause for breath. And their parents also
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  Speaker 1: came out to look and wonder, and thereafter had more
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  Speaker 1: respect and consideration for their children since Santa Claus had
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  Speaker 1: honored them with such beautiful gifts. The idea of a
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  Speaker 1: Christmas tree pleased Claws, and so the following year, He
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  Speaker 1: carried many of them in his sledge and set them
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  Speaker 1: up in the homes of poor people who seldom saw trees,
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  Speaker 1: and placed candles and toys on the branches. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: he could not carry enough trees in one load of
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  Speaker 1: all who wanted them. But in some homes the fathers
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  Speaker 1: were able to get trees and have them all ready
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  Speaker 1: for Santa Claus when he arrived. And these the good
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  Speaker 1: claws always decorated as prettily as possible, and hung with
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  Speaker 1: toys enough for all the children who came to see
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  Speaker 1: the tree lighted. These novel ideas and the generous manner
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  Speaker 1: in which they were carried out, made the children long
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  Speaker 1: for that one night in the year when their friend
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  Speaker 1: Santa Claus should visit them, And as such anticipation is
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  Speaker 1: very pleasant and comforting. The little ones gleaned much happiness
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  Speaker 1: by wondering what would happen when Santa Claus next arrived.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps you remember that stern Barren Brown who once drove
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  Speaker 1: claws from his castle and forbade him to visit his children. Well,
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  Speaker 1: many years afterwards, when the old baron was dead and
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  Speaker 1: his son ruled in his place, the new baron Brown
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  Speaker 1: came to the house of Claws with his train of
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  Speaker 1: knights and pages and henchmen, and, dismounting from his charger,
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  Speaker 1: bared his head humbly before the friend of children. My
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  Speaker 1: father did not know your goodness and worth, he said,
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  Speaker 1: and therefore threatened to hang you from the castle walls.
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  Speaker 1: But I have children of my own who long for
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  Speaker 1: a visit from Santa Claus, and I have come to
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  Speaker 1: beg that you will favor them hereafter, as you do
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  Speaker 1: other children. Claws was pleased with this speech, for Castle
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  Speaker 1: Brown was the only place he had never visited, and
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  Speaker 1: he gladly promised to bring presents to the baron's children
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  Speaker 1: the next Christmas Eve. The baron went away contented, and
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  Speaker 1: Claws kept his promise faithfully. Thus did this man, through
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  Speaker 1: very goodness, conquer the hearts of all. And it is
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  Speaker 1: no wonder he was ever merry and gay, for there
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  Speaker 1: was no home in the wide world where he was
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  Speaker 1: not welcomed more royally than any king. End of Chapter twelve,
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  Speaker 1: end of Santa Claus's Manhood