Latest / Thrilling Adventures - Daily / 05 - The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - L Frank Baum

Transcript

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

0:00
Speaker 1: Chapter two, How Claws made the first toy. Truly, our
0:10
Speaker 1: claws had wisdom for his good fortune, but strengthened his
0:14
Speaker 1: resolve to befriend the little ones of his own race.
0:17
Speaker 1: He knew his plan was approved by the immortals, else
0:20
Speaker 1: they would not have favored him so greatly. So he
0:24
Speaker 1: began at once to make acquaintance with mankind. He walked
0:28
Speaker 1: through the valley to the plain beyond, and crossed the
0:31
Speaker 1: plain in many directions to reach the abodes of men.
0:35
Speaker 1: These stood stingly or in groups of dwellings called villages,
0:39
Speaker 1: And in nearly all the houses, whether big or little,
0:42
Speaker 1: Claws found children. The youngsters soon came to know his merry,
0:47
Speaker 1: laughing face and the kind glance of his bright eyes.
0:51
Speaker 1: And the parents, while they regarded the young man with
0:54
Speaker 1: some scorn for loving children more than their elders, were
0:58
Speaker 1: content that the girls and boys had found and a
1:00
Speaker 1: playfellow who seemed willing to amuse them. So the children
1:05
Speaker 1: romped and played games with Claws, and the boys rode
1:08
Speaker 1: upon his shoulders, and the girls nestled in his strong arms,
1:13
Speaker 1: and the babies clung fondly to his knees. Wherever the
1:17
Speaker 1: young man chanced to be the sound of childish laughter
1:21
Speaker 1: followed him. And to understand this better, you must know
1:26
Speaker 1: that children were much neglected in those days, and received
1:29
Speaker 1: little attention from their parents, so that it became to
1:32
Speaker 1: them a marvel that so goodly a man as Claws
1:35
Speaker 1: devoted his time to making them happy, And those who
1:40
Speaker 1: knew him were, you may be sure, very happy. Indeed,
1:44
Speaker 1: the sad faces of the poor and abused grew bright,
1:48
Speaker 1: for once the cripple smile despite his misfortune. The ailing
1:53
Speaker 1: ones hushed their moans, and the grieved ones their cries
1:56
Speaker 1: when their merry friend came nigh to comfort them. Only
2:00
Speaker 1: at the beautiful palace of the Lord of Lurd, and
2:03
Speaker 1: at the frowning castle of the barren Brown was Claw's
2:06
Speaker 1: refused admittance. There were children at both places, but the
2:11
Speaker 1: servants at the palace shut the door in the young
2:13
Speaker 1: stranger's face, and the fierce baron threatened to hang him
2:17
Speaker 1: from an iron hook on the castle walls, whereupon Claws
2:21
Speaker 1: sighed and went back to the poorer dwellings, where he
2:24
Speaker 1: was welcome. After a time, the winter drew near. The
2:31
Speaker 1: flowers lived out their lives and faded, and disappeared. The
2:34
Speaker 1: beetles burrowed far into the warm earth, and the butterflies
2:39
Speaker 1: deserted the meadows, and the voice of the brook grew hoarse,
2:42
Speaker 1: as if it had taken cold. One day, snowflakes filled
2:47
Speaker 1: all the air in the Laughing valley, dancing boisterously toward
2:51
Speaker 1: the earth, and clothing in pure white raiment the roof
2:54
Speaker 1: of Claws's dwelling. At night, Jack Frost rapped at the door.
3:01
Speaker 1: Come in, cried Claws. Come out, answered Jack, for you
3:06
Speaker 1: have a fire inside. So Claws came out. He had
3:11
Speaker 1: known Jack Frost in the forest and liked the jolly rogue,
3:14
Speaker 1: even while he mistrusted him. There will be rare sport
3:19
Speaker 1: for me to night, Claws shouted the sprite. Isn't this
3:22
Speaker 1: glorious weather? I shall nip scores of noses and ears
3:26
Speaker 1: and toes before daybreak. If you love me, Jack, spare
3:31
Speaker 1: the children, begged Claws, And why, asked the other in surprise.
3:39
Speaker 1: They are tender and helpless, answered Claws. But I love
3:44
Speaker 1: to nip the tender ones, declared Jack. The older ones
3:48
Speaker 1: are tough and tire my fingers. The young ones are
3:52
Speaker 1: weak and cannot fight. You, said Claws true, agreed Jack thoughtfully. Well,
4:01
Speaker 1: I will not pinch a child this night, if I
4:03
Speaker 1: can resist the temptation, he promised. Good night, Claws, good night.
4:10
Speaker 1: The young man went in and closed the door, and
4:13
Speaker 1: Jack Frost ran on to the nearest village. Claws threw
4:18
Speaker 1: a log on the fire, which burned up brightly. Beside
4:21
Speaker 1: the hearth sat Blinky, a big cat given him by
4:24
Speaker 1: Peter the Nook. Her fur was soft and glossy, and
4:28
Speaker 1: she purred never ending songs of contentment. I shall not
4:33
Speaker 1: see the children again soon, said Claws to the cat,
4:37
Speaker 1: who kindly paused in her song to listen. The winter
4:41
Speaker 1: is upon us. The snow will be deep for many days,
4:44
Speaker 1: and I shall be unable to play with my little friends.
4:50
Speaker 1: The cat raised a paw and stroked her nose thoughtfully,
4:53
Speaker 1: but made no reply. So long as the fire burned
4:57
Speaker 1: and Claws sat in his easy chair by the she
5:00
Speaker 1: did not mind the weather. So passed many days and
5:05
Speaker 1: many long evenings. The cupboard was always full, but Claws
5:10
Speaker 1: became weary with having nothing to do more than to
5:12
Speaker 1: feed the fire from the big wood pile the knooks
5:15
Speaker 1: had brought him. One evening, he picked up a stick
5:19
Speaker 1: of wood and began to cut it with his sharp knife.
5:22
Speaker 1: He had no thought at first except to occupy his time,
5:26
Speaker 1: and he whistled and sang to the cat as he
5:29
Speaker 1: carved away portions of the stick. Puss sat up on
5:32
Speaker 1: her haunches and watched him, listening at the same time
5:35
Speaker 1: to her master's merry whistle, which she loved to hear,
5:38
Speaker 1: even more than her own purring songs. Claws glanced at Puss,
5:42
Speaker 1: and then at the stick he was whittling, until presently
5:45
Speaker 1: the wood began to have a shape, and the shape
5:49
Speaker 1: was like the head of a cat, with two ears
5:51
Speaker 1: sticking upward. Claws stopped whistling to laugh, and then both
5:56
Speaker 1: he and the cat looked at the wooden image in
5:58
Speaker 1: some surprise. Then he carved out the eyes and the nose,
6:03
Speaker 1: and rounded the lower part of the head so that
6:05
Speaker 1: it rested upon a neck. Puss hardly knew what to
6:09
Speaker 1: make of it now, and sat up stiffly, as if
6:11
Speaker 1: watching with some suspicion what would come next. Claws knew
6:17
Speaker 1: the head gave him an idea. He plied his knife
6:20
Speaker 1: carefully and with skill, forming slowly the body of the cat,
6:24
Speaker 1: which he made to sit upon its haunches, as the
6:26
Speaker 1: real cat did, with her tail wound around her two
6:29
Speaker 1: front legs. The work cost him much time, but the
6:34
Speaker 1: evening was long and he had nothing better to do. Finally,
6:38
Speaker 1: he gave a loud and delighted laugh at the result
6:42
Speaker 1: of his labors, and placed the wooden cat, now completed,
6:45
Speaker 1: upon the hearth opposite the real one. Puss thereupon glared
6:50
Speaker 1: at her image, raised her hair in anger, and uttered
6:53
Speaker 1: a defiant mew. The wooden cat paid no attention, and claws,
6:59
Speaker 1: much amused, laughed again. Then Blinky advanced toward the wooden
7:04
Speaker 1: image to eye it closely and smell of it intelligently.
7:08
Speaker 1: Eyes and nose told her the creature was wood in
7:11
Speaker 1: spite of its natural appearance. So Puss resumed her seat
7:15
Speaker 1: and her purring. But as she neatly washed her face
7:18
Speaker 1: with her padded paw, she cast more than one admiring
7:21
Speaker 1: glance at her clever master. Perhaps she felt the same
7:25
Speaker 1: satisfaction we feel when we look upon good photographs of ourselves.
7:31
Speaker 1: The cat's master was himself pleased with his handiwork, without
7:34
Speaker 1: knowing exactly why. Indeed, he had great cause to congratulate
7:39
Speaker 1: himself that night, and all the children throughout the world
7:42
Speaker 1: should have joined him rejoicing, for Claws had made his
7:46
Speaker 1: first toy. End of Chapter two, Chapter three, how the
7:58
Speaker 1: ryls colored the toys. A hush lay on the laughing valley,
8:04
Speaker 1: now snow covered it like a white spread, and pillows
8:08
Speaker 1: of downy flakes drifted before the dwelling where Claws sat
8:12
Speaker 1: feeding the blaze of the fire. The brook gurgled on
8:14
Speaker 1: beneath a heavy sheet of ice, and all living plants
8:17
Speaker 1: and insects nestled close to Mother Earth to keep warm.
8:21
Speaker 1: The face of the moon was hid by dark clouds,
8:24
Speaker 1: and the wind, delighting in the wintry sport, pushed and
8:28
Speaker 1: whirled the snowflakes in so many directions that they could
8:31
Speaker 1: get no chance to fall to the ground. Claws heard
8:36
Speaker 1: the wind whistling and shrieking in its play, and thanked
8:39
Speaker 1: the good nooks again for his comfortable shelter. Blinkie washed
8:44
Speaker 1: her face lazily and stared at the coals with a
8:46
Speaker 1: look of perfect content. The toy cat sat opposite the
8:51
Speaker 1: real one and gazed straight ahead as toy cats should. Suddenly,
8:57
Speaker 1: Claws heard a noise that sounded different from the voice
8:59
Speaker 1: of the wind. It was more like a wail of
9:02
Speaker 1: suffering and despair. He stood up and listened, but the wind,
9:08
Speaker 1: growing boisterous, shook the door and rattled the windows to
9:11
Speaker 1: distract his attention. He waited until the wind was tired,
9:16
Speaker 1: and then, still listening, he heard once more the shrill
9:20
Speaker 1: cry of distress. Quickly, he drew on his coat, pulled
9:25
Speaker 1: his cap over his eyes, and opened the door. The
9:28
Speaker 1: wind dashed in and scattered the embers over the hearth,
9:31
Speaker 1: at the same time, blowing Blinkie's fur so furiously that
9:34
Speaker 1: she crept under the table to escape. Then the door
9:38
Speaker 1: was closed and Claws was outside, peering anxiously into the darkness.
9:45
Speaker 1: The wind laughed and scolded and tried to push him over,
9:48
Speaker 1: but he stood firm. The helpless flake stumbled against his
9:52
Speaker 1: eyes and dimmed his sight, but he rubbed them away
9:55
Speaker 1: and looked again. Snow was everywhere, white and glittering. It
10:00
Speaker 1: covered the earth and filled the air. The cry was
10:04
Speaker 1: not repeated. Claws turned to go back into the house,
10:09
Speaker 1: but the long wind caught him unawares, and he stumbled
10:13
Speaker 1: and fell across a snow drift. His hand plunged into
10:17
Speaker 1: the snow drift, and touched something that was not snow.
10:21
Speaker 1: This he seized, and, pulling it gently toward him, found
10:24
Speaker 1: it to be a child. The next moment, he had
10:27
Speaker 1: lifted it in his arms and carried it into the house.
10:32
Speaker 1: The wind followed him through the door, but Claw shut
10:34
Speaker 1: it out Quickly. He laid the rescued child on the hearth,
10:38
Speaker 1: and brushing away the snow, he discovered it to be
10:41
Speaker 1: weakum the little boy who lived in a house beyond
10:44
Speaker 1: the valley. Claws wrapped a warm blanket around the little
10:48
Speaker 1: one and rubbed the frost from its limbs. Before long,
10:52
Speaker 1: the child opened his eyes, and, seeing where he was,
10:56
Speaker 1: smiled happily. Then Claws warmed milk and fed it to
11:00
Speaker 1: the boy slowly, while the cat looked on with sober curiosity. Finally,
11:07
Speaker 1: the little one curled up in his friend's arms and
11:09
Speaker 1: sighed and fell asleep, and Claws, filled with gladness that
11:14
Speaker 1: he had found the wanderer, held him closely while he slumbered.
11:19
Speaker 1: The wind, finding no more mischief to do, climbed the
11:22
Speaker 1: hill and swept on toward the north. This gave the
11:24
Speaker 1: wary snowflakes time to settle down to earth, and the
11:27
Speaker 1: valley became still again. The boy, having slept well in
11:31
Speaker 1: the arms of his friend, opened his eyes and sat up. Then,
11:35
Speaker 1: as a child will, he looked around the room and
11:38
Speaker 1: saw all that it contained. Your cat is a nice cat, Claws,
11:44
Speaker 1: he said, at last, let me hold it. But Puss
11:48
Speaker 1: objected and ran away. The other cat won't run, Claws
11:52
Speaker 1: continued the boy. Let me hold that one. Claws placed
11:57
Speaker 1: the toy in his arms, and the boy held it
11:59
Speaker 1: lovingly and kiss the tip of its wooden ear. How
12:03
Speaker 1: did you get lost in the storm, Weakam, asked Claws.
12:08
Speaker 1: I started to walk to my Auntie's house and lost
12:10
Speaker 1: my way, answered Weakam. Were you frightened? It was cold,
12:17
Speaker 1: said Weakam, and the snow got in my eyes so
12:19
Speaker 1: I could not see. Then I kept on till I
12:22
Speaker 1: fell on the snow without knowing where I was, and
12:25
Speaker 1: the wind blew the flakes over me and covered me up.
12:28
Speaker 1: Claws gently stroked his head, and the boy looked up
12:31
Speaker 1: at him and smiled. I'm all right now, said weakm Yes,
12:37
Speaker 1: replied Claws, happily. Now I will put you in my
12:40
Speaker 1: warm bed, and you must sleep until morning, when I
12:43
Speaker 1: will carry you back to your mother. May the cat
12:47
Speaker 1: sleep with me, asked the boy, Yes, if you wish
12:51
Speaker 1: it to, answered Claws. It's a nice cat, Weakham said, smiling,
12:56
Speaker 1: as Claws tucked the blankets around him, and presently the
13:00
Speaker 1: one fell asleep with a wooden toy in his arms.
13:04
Speaker 1: When morning came, the sun claimed the laughing valley and
13:07
Speaker 1: flooded it with its rays. So Claws prepared to take
13:11
Speaker 1: the lost child back to its mother. May I keep
13:15
Speaker 1: the cat, Claws asked weakm It's nicer than real cats.
13:21
Speaker 1: It doesn't run away or scratch or bite. May I
13:24
Speaker 1: keep it? Yes? Indeed, answered Claws, please that the toy
13:29
Speaker 1: he had made could give pleasure to the child. So
13:32
Speaker 1: he wrapped the boy and the wooden cat in a
13:34
Speaker 1: warm cloak, perching the bundle upon his own broad shoulders,
13:38
Speaker 1: and then he tramped through the snow and the drifts
13:40
Speaker 1: of the valley and across the plain beyond to the
13:43
Speaker 1: poor cottage where Wickham's mother lived. See Mamma, cried the
13:48
Speaker 1: boy as soon as they entered. I've got a cat.
13:53
Speaker 1: The good woman wept tears of joy over the rescue
13:56
Speaker 1: of her darling, and thanked Claws many times for his
13:59
Speaker 1: kind act. So he carried a warm and happy heart
14:02
Speaker 1: back to his home in the valley. That night, he
14:07
Speaker 1: said to Puss, I believe the children will love the
14:11
Speaker 1: wooden cats almost as well as the real ones, and
14:14
Speaker 1: they can't hurt them by pulling their tails in ears.
14:18
Speaker 1: I'll make another. So this was the beginning of his
14:22
Speaker 1: great work. The next cat was made better than the first.
14:27
Speaker 1: While Klaw sat whittling it out, the yellow rill came
14:29
Speaker 1: in to make him a visit, and so pleased was
14:32
Speaker 1: he with the man's skill, that he ran away and
14:35
Speaker 1: brought several of his fellows. There sat the red rill,
14:38
Speaker 1: the Black rill, the Green rill, the Blue rill, and
14:42
Speaker 1: the yellow rill in a circle on the floor, while
14:44
Speaker 1: Claws whittled and whistled, and the wooden cat grew into shape.
14:50
Speaker 1: If it could be made the same color as the
14:52
Speaker 1: real cat, no one would know the difference, said the
14:55
Speaker 1: yellow rill thoughtfully. The little ones maybe would not the difference,
15:01
Speaker 1: replied Claws, pleased with the idea. I will bring you
15:05
Speaker 1: some of the red that I color my roses and
15:07
Speaker 1: tulips with, cried the red rill, And then you can
15:11
Speaker 1: make the cat's lips and tongue red. I will bring
15:15
Speaker 1: some of the green that I color my grasses and
15:17
Speaker 1: leaves with, said the green rill, and then you can
15:21
Speaker 1: color the cat's eyes green. Ah, they will need a
15:25
Speaker 1: bit of yellow, also, remarked the yellow rill. I must
15:28
Speaker 1: fetch some of the yellow that I use to color
15:30
Speaker 1: my buttercups and goldenrods with. The real cat is black,
15:36
Speaker 1: said the black rill. I will bring some of the
15:39
Speaker 1: black that I used to color the eyes of my
15:41
Speaker 1: pansies with, and then you can paint your wooden cat black.
15:47
Speaker 1: I see you have a blue ribbon around Blinkie's neck,
15:50
Speaker 1: added the blue rill. I will get some of the
15:53
Speaker 1: color that I used to paint the bluebells and forget
15:55
Speaker 1: me nots with, and then you can carve a wooden
15:58
Speaker 1: ribbon on the toy cat's neck and painted blue. So
16:02
Speaker 1: the rills disappeared, and by the time claws had finished
16:05
Speaker 1: carving out the form of the cat, they were all
16:08
Speaker 1: back with the paints and brushes. They made Blinky sit
16:13
Speaker 1: upon the table that claws might paint the toy cat
16:15
Speaker 1: just the right color, and when the work was done,
16:18
Speaker 1: the rills declared it was exactly as good as a
16:21
Speaker 1: live cat, that is, to all appearances, added the red rill.
16:28
Speaker 1: Blinkie seemed a little offended by the attention bestowed upon
16:31
Speaker 1: the toy and that she might not seem to approve
16:34
Speaker 1: the imitation cat. She walked to the corner of the
16:36
Speaker 1: hearth and sat down with a dignified air. But Claws
16:40
Speaker 1: was delighted, and as soon as morning came he started
16:43
Speaker 1: out and tramped through the snow, across the valley and
16:47
Speaker 1: the plain, until he came to a village. There, in
16:50
Speaker 1: a poor hut, near the walls of the beautiful palace
16:53
Speaker 1: of the Lord of Lurd, a little girl lay upon
16:55
Speaker 1: a wretched cot, moaning with pain. Claws approached the child
17:00
Speaker 1: and kissed her and comforted her, And then he drew
17:03
Speaker 1: the toy cat from beneath his coat where he had
17:06
Speaker 1: hidden it, and placed it in her arms. Ah, how
17:10
Speaker 1: well he felt himself repaid for his labor and his
17:13
Speaker 1: long walk. When he saw the little one's eyes grow
17:16
Speaker 1: bright with pleasure. She hugged the kiddy tight to her
17:20
Speaker 1: breast as if it had been a precious gem, and
17:22
Speaker 1: would not let it go for a single moment. The
17:26
Speaker 1: fever was quieted, the pain grew less, and she fell
17:30
Speaker 1: into a sweet and refreshing sleep. Claws laughed and whistled
17:35
Speaker 1: and sang all the way home. Never had he been
17:38
Speaker 1: so happy as on that day. When he entered his house,
17:42
Speaker 1: he found Chiegra, the lioness, awaiting him. Since his babyhood,
17:47
Speaker 1: Chiegra had loved Claws, and while he dwelt in the forest,
17:50
Speaker 1: she had often come to visit him at Nesile's bower.
17:54
Speaker 1: After Claws had gone to live in the Laughing Valley,
17:57
Speaker 1: Chiegra became lonely and ill at ease. And now she
18:00
Speaker 1: had braved the snow drifts which all lions abhorre, to
18:04
Speaker 1: see him once more. Chiagro was getting old and her
18:08
Speaker 1: teeth were beginning to fall out, while the hairs that
18:11
Speaker 1: tipped her ears and tail had changed from tawny yellow
18:15
Speaker 1: to white. Claws found her lying on his hearth, and
18:20
Speaker 1: he put his arms round the neck of the lioness
18:23
Speaker 1: and hugged her lovingly. The cat had retired into a
18:27
Speaker 1: far corner she did not care to associate with. Chiagra.
18:31
Speaker 1: Claws told his friend about the cats he had made
18:34
Speaker 1: and how much pleasure they had given Wakham and the
18:36
Speaker 1: sick girl. Chiagra did not know much about children. Indeed,
18:41
Speaker 1: if she met a child, she could scarcely be trusted.
18:43
Speaker 1: Not to devour it. But she was interested in Claus's
18:47
Speaker 1: new labors, and said, these images seemed to me very attractive.
18:52
Speaker 1: Yet I cannot see why you should make cats, which
18:55
Speaker 1: are very unimportant animals. Suppose now that I am here,
18:59
Speaker 1: you make the image of a lioness, the queen of
19:02
Speaker 1: all beasts, Then indeed your children will be happy and safe.
19:06
Speaker 1: At the same time, Claws thought this was a good suggestion,
19:11
Speaker 1: so he got a piece of wood and sharpened his
19:13
Speaker 1: knife while Chiagra crouched upon the hearth at his feet.
19:18
Speaker 1: With much care, he carved the head in the likeness
19:21
Speaker 1: of the lioness, even to the two fierce teeth that
19:24
Speaker 1: curved over her lower lip and the deep frowning lines
19:27
Speaker 1: above her wide open eyes. When it was finished, he said,
19:33
Speaker 1: you have a terrible look, Chiagra. Then the image is
19:38
Speaker 1: like me, she answered, for I am indeed terrible to
19:41
Speaker 1: all who are not my friends. Claws now carved out
19:46
Speaker 1: the body, with Chiagra's long tail trailing behind it. The
19:50
Speaker 1: image of the crouching lioness was very lifelike. It pleases me,
19:56
Speaker 1: said Chiagra, yawning and stretching her body gracefully. Now I
20:00
Speaker 1: will watch while you paint. He brought the paints the
20:05
Speaker 1: Rills had given him from the cupboard and colored the
20:07
Speaker 1: image to resemble the real Chiagra. The lioness placed her big,
20:12
Speaker 1: padded paws upon the edge of the table and raised
20:15
Speaker 1: herself while she carefully examined the toy that was her likeness.
20:19
Speaker 1: You are indeed skillful, she said proudly. The children will
20:24
Speaker 1: like that better than cats, I'm sure, then, snarling at Blinkie,
20:29
Speaker 1: who arched her back in terror and whined fearfully, she
20:32
Speaker 1: walked away toward her forest home with stately strides. End
20:38
Speaker 1: of chapter three.