was tight, she slipped inside
An' turned the gas on good an' wide!
An' she screamed, "Look out that you don't get smothered:
Climb up on the roof where I won't be bothered!"

When the house filled up with the gas inside,
It trembled an' jiggled from side to side;
An' when the gas filled it good an' full
The ole foundations began to pull;
Then Huldy she pushed it a little mite,
An' the house riz up in the air all right!
An' it riz an' riz like a ole balloon.
An' Ann got aboard of it none too soon;
For it flew away off up into the sky
With her holdin' on by her hands--Oh my!
But she clum on top, an' you'd oughter have seen
Them workin' that wheel like a flyin' machine!
Well, after they'd flew an hour or so
They came to a mountain all covered with snow,
An' there on the top they happened to see
A enermous great big Christmas tree!
Then Huldy steered 'em over the top,
An' they let down an anchor to make 'em stop;
An' Willie an' Wallie they yelled with glee,
An' jumped right into that Christmas tree!
They let down a ladder for them two girls
That didn't darst jump for spoilin' their curls!
They was toys an' games an' wagons an' dolls,
All trimmed with tinsel an' fol-de-rols!
For Santa Claus had just drove away,
An' Wallie he said that he seen the sleigh!
Well, when they'd eat all the candy they could,
They loaded their house with things up good.
(But they hurried for fear that the old man'd come back
An' catch 'em an' give 'em a larrupin' whack!)
Then they got on the roof, an' they cut the string
An' away they flew like everything!

[Illustration]

The twins worked the wheel an' Huldy steered,
An' Pinkie clung tight--she was awfully skeered:
They got back home at half-past six,
But, oh! they got into a nawful fix!
For just as they sunk the house gave a lurch
An' they landed right on top of a church!
An' they punched a hole through the roof with the steeple,
To the great amazement of all of the people!
An' the toys fell out of that house in the air,
An' all the children in the town was there.
So every one got a present again
'Cept Willie an' Wallie an' Huldy an' Jane--
An' it served 'em right, don't you think? because
They'd stolen the presents from Santa Clause.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

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