lt either. It
is natural, I suppose; at any rate, it is the way of the world. People
lose their belief in a great many things as they grow older; but that
does not make the things not true, thank goodness! and their faith often
comes back after a while. But, bless me!" he added, briskly, "I'm
moralizing, and who thanks a man for doing that? Suppose--"

"Black eyes or blue, sir?" said a tiny voice close to them.

Jem and Flora turned round, and saw it was one of the small workers who
was asking the question.

"Whom for?" inquired S.C.

"Little girl in the red brick house at the corner," said the workwoman;
"name of Birdie."

"Excuse me a moment," said S.C. to the children, and he turned to the big
book and began to run his fingers down the pages in a business-like
manner. "Ah! here she is!" he exclaimed at last. "Blue eyes, if you
please, Thistle, and golden hair. And let it be a big one. She takes good
care of them."

"Yes, sir," said Thistle; "I am personally acquainted with several dolls
in her family. I go to parties in her dolls' house sometimes when she is
fast asleep at night, and they all speak very highly of her. She is most
attentive to them when they are ill. In fact, her pet doll is a cripple,
with a stiff leg."

She ran back to her work and S.C. finished his sentence.

"Suppose I show you my establishment," he said. "Come with me."

It really would be quite impossible to describe the wonderful things he
showed them. Jem's head was quite in a whirl before she had seen one-half
of them, and even Baby condescended to become excited.

"There must be a great many children in the world, Mr. Claus,"
ventured Jem.

"Yes, yes, millions of 'em; bless 'em," said S.C., growing rosier with
delight at the very thought. "We never run out of them, that's one
comfort. There's a large and varied assortment always on hand. Fresh ones
every year, too, so that when one grows too old there is a new one ready.
I have a place like this in every twelfth chimney. Now it's boys, now
it's girls, always one or t'other; and there's no end of playthings for
them, too, I'm glad to say. For girls, the great thing seems to be dolls.
Blitzen! what comfort they _do_ take in dolls! but the boys are for
horses and racket."

They were standing near a table where a worker was just putting the
finishing touch to the dress of a large wax doll, and just at that
moment, to Jem's surprise, she set it on the floor, upon its feet,
quite c