THREE CHEERS FOR SANTA

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 302, 21 December 1945, Page 9

THREE CHEERS FOR SANTA

Prize-winning Story by Jeunne Lunn. Santa Claus set out on Christmas Eve with his sack over his back. But do you know it had a hole in it, which he didn't notice! He hadn't gone very far before a fine clockwork motor car fell out into the road, and after that a lovely fairy doll tumbled out. A clown was driving the motor car, and he was very much surprised to find himself in the road. The doll fell just bv him, but except for making one of her wings the tiniest bit muddy, she wasn t damaged at all. "Hoy!" cried the clown. "Jump into my car and we'll soon catch up to Santa Claus." .. , ~ He opened the door and the doll climbed in. Then the clown wound up his car, and off he started, bumping over the frosty road. ~ , ' When he had gone a little way he saw two nuts and an orange which had fallen out of the sack. The doll jumped out, nicked them up, and stowed them in the back of the car. Then they went on acain. Soon they found an apple and a chocolate,' and these went into the car, to "Hoy-oy!" sudddenly cried the clown, putting the brake on so suddenly that the fairy doll slKrt from the back seat to the fr "Hoy-oy! There's a bright new penny and a banana, fairy doll! Put them in very soon the car was packed with things. It was quite easy to follow the way Santa went, because of all the dropped presents; but suddenly Santa discovered tlie hole and pinned it up. After that the toys didn't find any more presents on the road , and soon they were left far behind, quite lost. i "Hoy-oy!" the clown said to the fairy doll. "Now what shall we do!" "O-oh!" cried the doll. I don t like being lost and I'm very cold."

"Look, there's a little new house over there behind these trees," said the clown. "What about driving up and seeing if there are any children there? We were meant to be given to children, you know." So off he drove. He asked the house cat to open the door for him, and then drove cleverly up the stairs to a room where two children were fast asleep. And would you believe it, Santa Claus had passed them by and both their stockings were empty! Their house was a new one and old Santa had forgotten to add it to his list. "Hoy-oy!" said the clown. "This Is where we come in useful. Unpack all the fruit and chocolate from the back of the car, fairy doll, and help me to stuff it into their stockings." In half an hour those stockings were full to bursting. With the help of the fairy doll, the clown hoisted his car on the very top and climbed into the driving seat. The doll sat herself on the other stocking, and there was peace. How pleased the two children were on Christmas morning! "Three cheers for Santa Claus!" they cried. "But they didn't hear a tired voice sav, "Hoy-oy! Three cheers for the clown and the fairy doll, you mean!"