to him which made him so happy to read and which kept his fire going all
through the year, and Boy of the North wagged his tail as the fire was
started.
DECEMBER 28: Homes without Chimneys
“When they began to build these great, big apartment houses, years ago,
Santa Claus was on the lookout,” said daddy. ‘Now,’ he said to himself,
‘I must think out a way to get to the children who will live in those big
buildings.’
“The people went on building, and they were so interested in watching
the floors grow—one went right on top of the other—that they seemed to
forget all about Santa Claus and his one trip of the year, which is worth
more than anything else that happens.
“And then the people began to build fire-escapes. For they said that when
the buildings were so large and there were so many rooms and so many
families, they must have a way of getting out in case of fire. And from
top to bottom of every building—on every side—they put fire escapes, so
that no home was without one.
“‘Well,’ said Santa Claus, as he drove his reindeer over the roofs of the
city that night, to see about his Christmas trip, ‘that is something I
like! Now I know what to do!’
“So when Santa Claus goes to the city homes where there are no chimneys
he leaves his reindeer on the roof, and down he goes on the fire-escape
to every single home, and in he gets with his pack. For did you ever know
any place locked up so tightly but that there was a way for Santa Claus
to get in?
“Oh, yes, Santa Claus visits the cities and the villages and the farms.
He just has to do a little differently in some homes than in others. But
it makes no difference to him what they may build, for, after all, Santa
Claus is Santa Claus, and he always makes a way to visit children every
Christmas! For he is the children’s King and he reigns over Christmas
Day—the greatest day of all!”
DECEMBER 29: The Barnyard Christmas
“Well, as it was Christmas time,” said daddy, “all the barnyard fowls
thought they should play some games, so all joined in. There were the
turkey hens, turkey gobblers, peafowls, guinea-hens, roosters, chickens,
Mr. and Mrs. Duck and all the little ducks. And after they had finished
playing the farmer gave them a regular Christmas time feast which made
them full of the joyous Christmas spirit of happiness—as well as of food!”
DECEMBER 30: Ambitions
“Do you know what ambition means?” asked daddy. “I think it means to want
to get on,” said Jack. “Isn’t there a word called ambitious? And when a
person is spoken of as ambitious it means that person wants to get on and
improve and all.”
“Right,” said daddy. “That’s fine. That saves me all the trouble of
explaining, too.”
“It was nearing the New Year,” daddy said, “and Billie Brownie was going
around calling one evening. The Dreamland King promised to help him. So
he called on a little boy.
“‘How are you this fine evening?’ Billie Brownie asked the little boy,
whose name, by the way, was Jasper.
“‘I am thinking of what I am going to do when I am big,’ said Jasper. ‘I
have great ambitions.’
“‘Gracious,’ said Billie Brownie, ‘that does sound noble.’
“‘Would you like to hear them?’ asked Jasper.
“‘Enormously,’ said Billie Brownie.
“‘Well,’ said Jasper, ‘when I grow up I want to be very famous. I want
to be praised more than anything. Oh, Billie Brownie, I want to write
great stories and books and have every one say that I’m greater than
Shakespeare. I want to write great plays and have audiences rise to their
feet and cheer and cheer. I want to play in concerts and have signs go
up which say that all the seats are sold and that there is only standing
room.
“‘I want to be so popular that I’ll never have to pay for anything, but
others will always be honored to treat me. I want some day to make a
great speech and have the policemen called out to keep back the crowds
who would hear me. I would like to be a great singer and have crowds
stand in the rain waiting in line to get tickets. And I’d like to be a
tight-rope walker in a circus and have people admire me.
“‘I’d like to have long hair and have folks think me clever without
having to say a word. I’d like to own a big automobile and I’d like to
act in a show where all I’d have to do would be to smile and folks would
think me grand.’
“‘Well, well,’ said Billie Brownie. ‘Anything else?’
“‘Yes,’ said Jasper, ‘I’d like to make a great deal of money and have a
fine job and not have to work at all.’
“‘In fact,’ said Billie Brownie, ‘you’d like to be famous and rich and
admired without doing a thing yourself! Well, well, Jasper, your ideas
are all mixed up. You haven’t ambitions. You’re just greedy, I fear. And
if I were you, I’d think a while and make a New Year’s resolution that
I’d be good and kind and work hard and make myself worth while rather
than rich. And when you’ve tried what fun it is to work hard and play
hard and be kind, you’ll find how happy you are. And happiness is greater
than fame. Billie Brownie knows!’”
DECEMBER 31: Little Pitchers
Fairy Grant-Your-Wishes was calling on a little girl named Janet on New
Year’s Eve after Janet was in bed and asleep. For the Dreamland King had
arranged this.
“I have come to grant your wishes,” the Fairy said.
“Then I wish,” said Janet, “that my mother and daddy would know that it
hurts me dreadfully when they say that ‘little pitchers have big ears.’ I
feel so much in the way then. And when people come to visit and say that
‘children should be seen and not heard,’ and ‘I used to know you when you
were so high.’ Oh, dear, I wish they wouldn’t say such things.”
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” the Fairy said, “I will ask the Dreamland
King to tell your mother and daddy that it hurts you to be told these
things. And I will get the Dreamland King to tell as many other people
as he can, too. And he will send his messengers right out by the direct
route from Dreamland to Grown-up-Land.”
THE END