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12 - The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus - L Frank Baum · Adventure Books Collection

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Old Age, Chapter two, When the World grew Old. The next morning,
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when Santa Claus opened his eyes and gazed around the familiar room which he
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had feared he might never see again, he was astonished to find his old
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strength renewed, and to feel the red blood of perfect health coursing through his
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veins. He sprang from his bed and stood where the bright sunshine came in
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through his window and flooded him with its merry, dancing rays. He did
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not then understand what had happened to restore him to the vigor of youth.
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But in spite of the fact that his beard remained the color of snow and
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that wrinkle still lingered in the corners of his bright eyes, Old Santa Claus
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felt as brisk and merry as a boy of sixteen, and was soon whistling
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contentedly as he busied himself fashioning new toys. Then Act came to him and
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told of the mantle of immortality and how Claus had won it through his love
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for little children. It made Santa look grave for a moment to think he
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had been so favored, but it also made him glad to realize that now
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he need never fear being parted from his dear ones at once he began preparations
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for making a remarkable assortment of pretty and amusing playthings, and in larger quantities
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than ever before, for now that he might always devote himself to this work,
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he decided that no child in the world, poor or rich, should
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hereafter go without a Christmas gift, if he could manage to supply it.
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The world was new in the days when dear old Santa Claus first began toy
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making, and won by his loving deeds the mantle of immortality. And the
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task of supplying cheering words, sympathy, and pretty playthings to all the young
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of his race did not seem a difficult undertaking at all. But every year
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more and more children were born into the world, and these, when they
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grew up, began spreading slowly over all the face of the earth, seeking
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new homes, so that Santa Claus found each year that his journeys must extend
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farther and farther from the Laughing Valley, and that the packs of toys must
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be made larger and ever larger. So at length he took counsel with his
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fellow immortals how his work might keep pace with the increasing number of children,
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that none might be neglected. And the immortals were so greatly interested in his
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labors that they gladly rendered him their assistance. Ac gave him his man Kilter,
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the silent and swift, and the knook Prints gave him Peter, who
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was more crooked and less surly than any of his brothers. And the real
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Prince gave him Nutter, the sweetest tempered rill ever known, And the fairy
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Queen gave him Whisk, that tiny, mischievous but lovable fairy who knows to
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day almost as many children as does Santa Claus himself. With these people to
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help make the toys, and to keep his house in order, and to
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look after the sledge and the harness, Santa Claus found it much easier to
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prepare his yearly load of gifts, and his days began to follow one another
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smoothly and pleasantly. Yet after a few generations his worries were renewed, for
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it was remarkable how the number of people continued to grow, and how many
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more children there were every year to be served. When the people filled all
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the cities and lands of one country, they wandered into another part of the
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world, and the men cut down the trees in many of the great forests
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that had been ruled by Ak, and with the wood they built new cities.
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And where the forests had been were fields of grain and herds of browsing
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cattle. You might think the master woodsmen would rebel at the loss of his
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forests, but not so. The wisdom of Ak was mighty and far seeing.
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The world was made for men, said he to Santa Claus. And
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I have but guarded the forests until men needed them for their use. I
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am glad my strong trees can furnish shelter for men's weak bodies and warm them
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through the cold winters. But I hope they will not cut down all the
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trees, for mankind needs the shelter of the woods in summer as much as
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the warmth of blazing logs in winter. And however crowded the world may grow,
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I do not think men will ever come to Burzee, nor to the
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great Black Forest, nor to the wooded wilderness of Brass, unless they seek
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their shades for pleasure, and not to destroy their giant trees. By and
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by people made ships from the tree trunks and crossed over oceans and built cities
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in far lands. But the oceans made little difference to the journeys of Santa
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Claus. His reindeer sped over the waters as swiftly as over land, and
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his sledge headed from east to west and followed in the wake of the sun,
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so that as the earth rolled slowly over, Santa Claus had all of
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twenty four hours to encircle it each Christmas Eve, and the speedy reindeer enjoyed
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these wonderful journeys more and more so year after year, and generation after generation,
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and century after century. The world grew older, and the people became
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more numerous, and the labors of Santa Claus steadily increased. The fame of
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his good deeds spread to every household where children dwelt, and all the little
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ones loved him dearly, and the fathers and mothers honored him for the happiness
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he had given them when they too were young, and the aged grand sires
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and grand dams remembered him with tender gratitude and blessed his name. Chapter three.
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The Deputies of Santa Claus. However, there was one evil following in
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the path of civilization that caused Santa Claus a vast amount of trouble before he
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discovered a way to overcome it, but fortunately it was the last trial he
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was forced to undergo. One Christmas Eve, when his reindeer had leaped to
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the top of a new building, Santa Claus was surprised to find that the
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chimney had been built much smaller than usual, but he had no time to
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think about it just then, so he drew in his breath and made himself
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as small as possible and slid down the chimney. I ought to be at
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the bottom by this time, he thought, as he continued to slip downward,
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but no fireplace of any sort met his view, and by and by
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he reached the very end of the chimney, which was in the cellar.
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This is odd, he reflected, much puzzled by this experience. If there
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is no fireplace, what on earth is the chimney good for. Then he
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began to climb out again and found it hard work, the space being so
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small, and on his way up he noticed a thin round pipe sticking through
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the side of the chimney, but could not guess what it was for.
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Finally he reached the roof and said to the reindeer, there was no need
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of my going down that chimney, for I could find no fireplace through which
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to enter the house. I fear the children who live there must go without
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playthings this Christmas. Then he drove on, but soon came to another new
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house with a small chimney. This caused Santa Claus to shake his head doubtfully,
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but he tried the chimney nevertheless, and found it exactly like the other.
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Moreover, he nearly stuck fast in the narrow flu and tore his jacket
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trying to get out again. So although he came to several such chimneys that
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night, he did not venture to descend any more of them. What in
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the world are people thinking of to build such useless chimneys, he exclaimed,
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In all the years I have traveled with my reindeer, I have never seen
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the like before. True enough, but Santa Claus had not then discovered that
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stoves had been invented and were fast coming into use. When he did find
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it out, he wondered how the builders of those houses could have so little
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consideration for him, when they knew very well it was his custom to climb
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down chimneys and enter houses by way of the fireplaces. Perhaps the men who
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built those houses had outgrown their own love for toys and were indifferent whether Santa
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Claus called on their children or not. Whatever the explanation might be, the
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poor children were forced to bear the burden of grief and disappointment. The following
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year, Santa Claus found more and more of the new fashioned chimneys that had
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no fireplaces, and the next year still more. The third year, so
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numerous had the narrow chimneys become. He even had a few toys left in
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his sledge that he was unable to give away because he could not get to
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the children. The matter had now become so serious that it worried the good
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Man greatly, and he decided to talk it over with Kilter and Peter,
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and Nutter and Whisk. Kilter already knew something about it, for it had
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been his duty to run around to all the houses just before Christmas and gather
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up the notes and letters to Santa Claus that the children had written, telling
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what they wished to put in their stockings or hung on their Christmas trees.
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But Kilter was a silent fellow and seldom spoke of what he saw in the
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cities and villages. The others were very indignant. Those people act as if
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they do not wish their children to be made happy, said sensible Peter in
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a vexed tone. The idea of shutting out such a generous friend to their
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little ones. But it is my intention to make children happy, whether their
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parents wish it or not, returned Santa Claus. Years ago, when I
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first began making toys, children were even more neglected by their parents than they
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are now. So I have learned to pay no attention to thoughtless or selfish
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parents, but to consider only the longings of childhood. You are right,
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my master, said Nutter the rill many children would lack a friend if you
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did not consider them and try to make them happy, then declared the laughing
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whisk. We must abandon any thought of using these new fashioned chimneys, but
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become burglars and break into the houses some other way. What way, asked
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Santa Claus. Why walls of brick and wood and plaster are nothing to fairies.
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I can easily pass through them whenever I wish, and so Conpeter and
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Nutter and Kilter. Is it not so, comrades? I often passed through
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the walls when I gather up the letters, said Kilter, And that was
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a long speech for him, and so surprised Peter and Nutter that their big
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round eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Therefore, continued the fairy,
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you may as well take us with you on your next journey, and when
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we come to one of those houses with the stoves instead of the fireplaces,
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we will distribute the toys to the children without the need of using a chimney.
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That seems to me a good plan, replied Santa Claus, well pleased
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at having solved the problem. We will try it next year. That was
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how the Fairy, the Pixie, the Nook and the rill all rode in
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the sledge with their master the following Christmas Eve, and they had no trouble
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at all in entering the new fashioned houses and leaving toys for the children that
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lived in them. And their deft services not only relieved Santa Claus of much
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labor, but an him to complete his own work more quickly than usual,
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so that the merry party found themselves at home with an empty sledge of full
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hour before daybreak. The only drawback to the journey was that the mischievous whisk
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persisted in tickling the reindeer with the long feather to see them jump, and
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Santa Claus found it necessary to watch him every minute, and to tweak his
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long ears once or twice to make him behave himself. But taken altogether,
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the trip was a great success, and to this day the four little folk
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always accompany Santa Claus on his yearly ride and help him in the distribution of
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his gifts. But the indifference of parents, which had so annoyed the good
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Saint, did not continue very long, and Santa Claus soon found they were
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really anxious he should visit their homes on Christmas Eve and leave presents for their
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children. So to lighten his task, which was fast becoming very difficult.
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Indeed, Old Santa decided to ask the parents to assist him. Get your
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Christmas trees all ready for my coming, he said to them, and then
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I shall be able to leave the presents without loss of time, and you
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can put them on the trees when I am gone. And to others,
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he said, see that the children's stockings are hung up in readiness for my
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coming, and then I can fill them as quick as a wink. And
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often when parents were kind and good natured, Santa Claus would simply fling down
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his package of gifts and leave the fathers and mothers to fill the stockings after
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he had darted away in his sledge. I will make all loving parents my
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deputies, cried the jolly old fellow, and they shall help me to do
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my work. For in this way I shall save many precious minutes, and
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few children need be neglected for lack of time to visit them. Besides carrying
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around the big packs in his swift flying sledge, Old Santa began to send
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great heaps of toys to the toy shops, so that if parents wanted larger
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supplies for their children, they could easily get them. And if any children
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were by chance missed by Santa Claus on his yearly rounds, they could go
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to the toy shops and get enough to make them happy and contented. For
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the loving friend of the little ones decided that no child, if he could
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help it, should long for toys in vain, and the toy shops also
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proved convenient whenever a child fell ill and needed a new toy to amuse it,
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and sometimes on birthdays, the fathers and mothers go to the toy shops
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and get pretty gifts for their children in honor of the happy event. Perhaps
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you will now understand how, in spite of the bigness of the world,
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Santa Claus is able to supply all the children with beautiful gifts. To be
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sure, the old gentleman is rarely seen in these days, but it is
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not because he tries to keep out of sight, I assure you. Santa
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Claus is the same loving friend of children that in the old days used to
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play and romp with them by the hour, And I know he would love
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to do the same now if he had the time. But you see,
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he is so busy all the year making toys, and is so hurried on
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that one night when he visits our homes with his packs, that he comes
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and goes among us like a flash. It is almost impossible to catch a
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glimpse of him. And although there are millions and millions more children in the
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world than there used to be, Santa Claus has never been known to complain
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of their increasing numbers. The more the merrier he cries with his jolly laugh,
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And the only difference to him is the fact that his little workmen have
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to make their busy fingers fly faster every year to satisfy the demands of so
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many little ones. In all this world, there is nothing so beautiful as
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a happy child, says good old Santa Claus. And if he had his
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way, the children would all be beautiful, for all would be happy.
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End of chapter three, end of the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.