f in rhyme:_
One Christmas, in the early din
That ever leads the morning in,
I heard the happy children shout
In rapture at the toys turned out
Of bulging little socks and shoes--
A joy at which I could but choose
To listen enviously, because
I'm always just "Old Santa Claus,"--
But ere my rising sigh had got
To its first quaver at the thought,
It broke in laughter, as I heard
A little voice chirp like a bird,--

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"Old Santa's mighty good, I know.
And awful rich--and he can go
Down ever' chimbly anywhere
In all the world!--But I don't care,
_I_ wouldn't trade with _him_, and be
Old Santa Clause, and him be me,
Fer all his toys and things!--and _I_
Know why, and bet you _he_ knows why!--
They _wuz_ no Santa Clause when _he_
Wuz ist a little boy like me!"

[Illustration: What "Old Santa" overheard--tailpiece]

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THE STEPMOTHER

First she come to our house,
Tommy run and hid;
And Emily and Bob and me
We cried jus' like we did
When Mother died,--and we all said
'At we all wisht 'at we was dead!

And Nurse she couldn't stop us;
And Pa he tried and tried,--
We sobbed and shook and wouldn't look,
But only cried and cried;
And nen some one--we couldn't jus'
Tell who--was cryin' same as us!

Our Stepmother! Yes, it was her,
Her arms around us all--
'Cause Tom slid down the banister
And peeked in from the hall.--
And we all love her, too, because
She's purt' nigh good as Mother was!

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[Illustration: When old Jack died--headpiece]

WHEN OLD JACK DIED

When Old Jack died, we stayed from school (they said,
At home, we needn't go that day), and none
Of us ate any breakfast--only one,
And that was Papa--and his eyes were red
When he came round where we were, by the shed
Where Jack was lying, half-way in the sun
And half-way in the shade. When we begun
To cry out loud, Pa turned and dropped his head
And went away; and Mamma, she went back
Into the kitchen. Then, for a long while,
All to ourselves, like, we stood there and cried.
We thought so many good things of Old Jack,
And funny things--although we didn't smile--
We couldn't only cry when Old Jack died.

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When Old Jack died, it seemed a human friend
Had suddenly gone from us; that some face
That we had loved to fondle and embrace
From babyhood, no more would condescend
T