weighed nigh unto two hundred
pounds. Otis and I did n't like Susan Prickett, and we were hopin' you
'd put a cold potato in her stockin'."

"But Susan was a good girl," remonstrated Santa Claus. "You know I put
cold potatoes only in the stockin's of boys and girls who are bad and
don't believe in Santa Claus."

"At any rate," said Joel, "you filled all the stockin's with candy and
pop-corn and nuts and raisins, and I can remember you said you were
afraid you 'd run out of pop-corn balls before you got around. Then
you left each of us a book. Elvira got the best one, which was 'The
Garland of Frien'ship,' and had poems in it about the bleeding of
hearts, and so forth. Father was n't expectin' anything, but you left
him a new pair of mittens, and mother got a new fur boa to wear to
meetin'."

"Of course," said Santa Claus, "I never forgot father and mother."

"Well, it was as much as I could do to lay still," continued Joel, "for
I 'd been longin' for a sled, an' the sight of that red sled with
'Yankee Doodle' painted on it jest made me wild. But, somehow or
other, I began to get powerful sleepy all at once, and I could n't keep
my eyes open. The next thing I knew Otis was nudgin' me in the ribs.
'Git up, Joel,' says he; 'it's Chris'mas an' Santa Claus has been
here.' 'Merry Christ'mas! Merry Chris'mas!' we cried as we tumbled
out o' bed. Then Elvira an' Thankful came in, not more 'n half
dressed, and Susan came in, too, an' we just made Rome howl with 'Merry
Chris'mas! Merry Chris'mas!' to each other. 'Ef you children don't
make less noise in there,' cried father, 'I'll hev to send you all back
to bed.' The idea of askin' boys an' girls to keep quiet on Chris'mas
mornin' when they 've got new sleds an' 'Garlands of Frien'ship'!"

Santa Claus chuckled; his rosy cheeks fairly beamed joy.

"Otis an' I did n't want any breakfast," said Joel. "We made up our
minds that a stockin'ful of candy and pop-corn and raisins would stay
us for a while. I do believe there was n't buckwheat cakes enough in
the township to keep us indoors that mornin'; buckwheat cakes don't
size up much 'longside of a red sled with 'Yankee Doodle' painted onto
it and a black sled named 'Snow Queen.' _We_ did n't care how cold it
was--so much the better for slidin' down hill! All the boys had new
sleds--Lafe Dawson, Bill Holbrook, Gum Adams, Rube Playford, Leander
Merrick, Ezra Purple--all on 'em had new sleds excep' Martin Peavey,