SANTA AND THE BURGLARS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21379, 31 December 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

SANTA AND THE BURGLARS

By JEAN VIVIENNB FAII- (age 10). Box 34, Taupo. J

Children, when you woke up l ast Christmas morning you found your toys in your stockings. Wasn't it fun taking them out one at a time and finding that Santa had not forgotten one of the things you had wanted so badly? Once Santa was nearly unable to pay his usual Christmas visit. I am sure you would like to hear the story, so I will* tell it now. Santa had been busy all the year and had just finished making the very last toy on Christmas Eve. There were dolls and lots of teasets, balls, tennis racquets and other wonderful things for girls, while for boys he had made ships, bows and arrows, horses, soldiers, guns, footballs, cricket sets and such like. Then off Santa hurried in his reindeer sleigh to see Queen Mab, who, as you all know, is the Fairy Queen who makes up the list df the names of the children who have" been good all the year. While Santa was away, some elves who made their living stealing things from jieople, looked in the window and saw all the toys. These were really picked elves who would have been called burglars in any other place but fairyland, and we will call them burglar elves. The burglar elves hated Queen Mab because she had had them punished every time they were caught stealingKnowing that the names of thenchildren would not be on Queen Mab's list, they decided to break the window and steal the toys. y When Santa returned he found all the toys gone. He sat down to think what he could do. He certainly could not disappoint the children. Would he send word he was sick ? No, that would be a lie, and it would never do for Santa to tell lieg. Unable to see any way out of hi? difficulty, he went out for a walk to clear his mind.

Meanwhile the burglar elves had given all tiio toys to their children, who were having a wonderful'time. The burglar elves then hurriei] off on their eagle-horse, for they were in a hurry to do as many wicked things as possible before Christmas morning. They were flying along and the eagle-horse looked just like a bird. Their children, who hfid found bows and arrows, saw the big bird coming, and shot at it.

Down fell the eagle-horse, and the children found they had shot down their

parents! Wasn't that a wicked thing to do ? Their parents were not a bit pleased, as their legs were broken. Santa came along, and, in spite of his own trouble, stopped to help them. He took them home and put them to bed. He called up the fairy doctor, who recognised the burglar elves, and did not want to help them. Santa asked him to, and in the end he waved a fairy wand over them. The broken legs mended, and the burglar elves felt ashamed of the dreadful thing they had done to Santa. They told him how sorry they were, and made their children bring all the toys back. Santa was delighted to see his'toys again, and rushed out to get his reindeer and sleigh, so that he could get round to most of the children before they woke up. The burglar elves and their children helped him to load the toys and then to fill the children's stockings before daybreak. ' That's the story. It was touch and go for dear old Santa, wasn't it?