HOW SANTA CLAUS WENT OUT ON STRIKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 57

HOW SANTA CLAUS WENT OUT ON STRIKE.

By Oxe of the Witness Little Folks. There was great trouble in Fairyland. It wanted only two days to Xmas Eve, and Santa Claus refused to take the toys Tound. " I won't do it any more," he said obstinately. "The children don't believe in me now. They say it is their fathers and mothers who fill their stockings'." They shall just see whether it is or not. I won't visit children who call me a myth. They think they know everything; but they'll find out their mistake." In vain the fairies begged and entreated. Santa Claus was firm. So on Xmas morning no rows of well-filled stockings greeted the children's eyes, and great was their disappointment. What the English children said and did I do not know, I was only told about the colonials. They first of all attacked their parents, demanding to know ■why there were no Xmas presents that year. The parents replied that they did not know; they supposed Santa Clans must be offended. The children declared that there was no such person as Santa. Claus, and ■went on to remark that their relatives must be extremely foolish to believe such a thing. They then held a meeting among themselves to decide what was best to be done. Several of them made speeches in which they 'said they knew it was all their relatives' fault. It was just like the " grownups." They did not choose to give any presents that year,- and then laid the blame on an imaginary Santa Claus. It was a great shame, something ought to be done — and a lot more in the same strain. These speeches were wildly applauded, and all agreed that something ought to be done; but no one could suggest what. At last a little girl got up to speak. She was very pretty, witli long golden curls and bright blue eyes. " Don't you think," she said, timidly, " that we might have made a mistake, and there may be a Santa Claus, and perhaps he is angry with us for not believing in him?" The children looked at her in silent astonishment. " Rubbish ! " said Jimmie Brown, the chairman. " You'll want us to believe in the Man in the Moon next." But the others said, " What do you think we had better do?" " Well," said Daisy, the little girl, " 1 thought if we were to write a nice letter to Santa Claus and explain things, he might come to us again." " That's all veiy fine," cried Jimmie ; " but how will you send the letter — through the post? " Daisy grew rosy-red, she did not like being laughed at. " J thought if one of us was to go down, after dark, to the shores of the lake — mother always says that if fairies come anywhere it must be there — we might ask them to give Santa Claus our letter." Jimmie went off into a fit of laughter, but the others thought they might as well try. "It won't do any harm," they argued, "only you must take it, Daisy." Daisy agreed, and they set about writing the letter at once. Master Jimmie deported, declaring he would have nothing more to d ) with such a set of babies. The letter ran as follows: — " Dear Santa Claus, — We beg your pardon for not believing in you. We had no proof of your existence, otherwise we should have done so. We hope you will forgive us and we, the undersigned, do all promise to believe in you from Tienceforth. " This letter was signed by all present, and S;iven into Daisy's charge. That night she ay in her little white bed, waiting until the "grown-ups" should be assembled on the verandah, according to their nightly custom. Then was her chance to visit the lake. She had not breathed a word of it to anyone, not even to her mother. She knew they would only laugh at her and most likely forbid her visit. As soon as the house was quiet, she stole out of bed. slipped on her dress, and put on her shoes and stockings. Her bedroom being at the back of the house, she easily got away unobserved, and was soon on her way to the lake. On arriving there she found no fairies. " Perhaps they will come," she thought, and sat down "to wait. The lake was sparkling in the moonlight, and from the waterlilies near by a faint, sweet perfume was coining. Suddenly out of these lilies flew what seemed to be a crowd of while butterflies, but when they settled near Daisy she saw that they were fairies. They were little figures dressed in glittering white, with silver wings. One had a crown of flowers upon her head. She was the fairies' Queen. "Little girl,'' she said lo Daisy, "what eta you here? " Daisy, who had risen to her feet, -bowed very low and made her request. The Queen gave the letter to an attendant, who flew away with it. " Wait here," she said. " for Santa Clans' s answer." So Daisy waited, and soon the fairy returned. "He is coming,'' she said, and in a very few minutes Santa Claus himself appeared. A red-faced, jolly-looking old fellow, with a long grey beard and merry blue eyes. "Well, little gill," he said, going up to Daisy, "so j-ou young ones have changed jrour opinion?." "Yes* sir*" answered Daisy, sUyly; then

she added pleadingly, "Will you forgive us? "

" Forgive you ! yes," said the jolly old fellow, whose good temper was quite restored, "I never could be angry long with children. Now, all who really believe in me mnst hang up their stockings on New Year's Eve."

" Oh, thank you so much," cried Daisy. "I wish I could do something for you."

"You can give me a kiss, if you will," said Santa.

Daisy put her arms round his neck and gave him a good hug, although his beard tickled her very much. He was delighted, and told the fairies to carry her home, because she must be tired. Daisy hardly remembered her journey, she was so sleepy. She woke up to find herself sitting on the back doorstep, the fairies hpving left her there. At first she was so surprised that she called out and her mother came. "Why, Daisy, walking in your sleep again," she said, and carried the little girl off to bed.

On New Year's Eve all the children hung up their stockings, which on New Year's morning were full of the nicest toys, lollies, etc., that you can imagine. But Jimmie Brown alone held out. He would not hang up his stockings. And in the night he heard " pitter patter " across his rrootm t and he saw his two stockings walking up •to his bed. They were stuffed full of something, he did not know what, but it was very heavy, as he found out when they climbed up and stood on top of him. They were such a weight he could not move. They ran races up and down him, danced, jumped, and performed other similar feats. At last he was able to cry out, his mother rushed in, and the stockings vanished.

" It was nightmare," said mamma, when she was told all, " and no wonder, considering all the pudding and cake you've eaten lately."

Daisy, when she heard about it, thought differently. "It was because he would not believe in Santa Claus," she said to herself. LITTLE DORRIT.