"All right," said the captain and stepped back.
"Who gave you that sled?" he asked.
"Tommy," said Johnny. "This little boy here made it and gave it to
me."
"This is the one," said the captain to a guard, looking at a letter in
his hand. "Let them by."
They drove in at the gate and found themselves in a broad street
filled with enchanting things more beautiful than Tommy had ever
dreamed of. The trees which lined it were Christmas trees, and the
lights on them made the street as bright as noonday.
Here the reindeer slackened their pace, and as they turned down the
great street they could see through the windows rooms brilliantly
lighted, in which were hosts of people bustling about as busy as bees,
working at Christmas things of all sorts and descriptions. They
suddenly came to the gate of a great palace-like place, which the
reindeer appeared to know, for they turned in at the gate just as
Tommy's father's horses always turned in at their gate at home, and as
they drove up to the door, with a shout of, "Here they are!" out
poured a number of the same little people--like those they had already
seen at the gate. Some helped them out, some stood like a guard, and
some took their reindeer to drive them to the stable.
"You are just in time," said the captain of this party, as he stepped
forward and saluted them. "The old Gentleman has been waiting for you,
sending out to the gate to watch for you all evening."
Tommy was about to ask, "How did he know we were coming?" but before
he could get the words out, the little man said, "Oh, he knows all
that boys do, especially about Christmas time. That's his business."
"My!" thought Tommy, "I shall have to mind what I even think up here.
He answers just as if I had said it. I hope he knows what I want for
Christmas."
"Wait and see," said the little man; and Tommy, though he was glad to
hear it, determined not to think any more just then, but he was sorry
he had not thought to wish for more things while he was wishing.
"Oh, don't worry about that," said the guard. "Santa Claus doesn't
care much what you ask for for yourself. Even if he gives those
things, you soon get tired of them or lose them or break them up. It
is the things one asks for for others that he gives pleasure with.
That's the reason he has such a good time himself, because he gives
all the things to others."
Tommy tried to think what he had ever given to any one. He had given
pieces of candy and cake when he had plenty, but the sled was the only
thing he had ever really given. He was about to mention this when the
guard mentioned it for him.
"Oh, that sled was all right," he said, with a little nod. "Come in,"
and the great ice-doors opened before them, and in they walked.
They passed through a great hall, all ice, as transparent as glass,
though curiously it was warm and dry and filled with every kind of
Christmas "things:"--everything that Tommy had ever seen, and a myriad
more that he had never dreamed of. They were packed and stacked on
either side, and a lot of little people, like those he had already
seen, were working among them, tossing them about and shouting to each
other with glee to "Look out," just as the boys did when coasting on
the hill.
"I tell you," said one, "the Governor will have a busy time to-night.
It beats last Christmas." And he made a run and a jump, and lit on a
big pile of bundles which suddenly toppled over with him and nearly
buried him as he sprawled on the slippery floor. This seemed a huge
joke to all the others and they screamed with laughter at "Old
Smartie," as they called him, and poured more bundles down on him,
just as though they were having a pillow-fight. Then when Old Smartie
had at last gotten on his feet, they had a great game of tag among the
piles and over them, and the first thing Tommy knew he and Johnny were
at it as hard as anybody. He was very proud because Johnny could jump
over piles as high as the best of them. Tommy, himself, however, could
not jump; for they led him to a pile so high that he could not see
over it; and on top were the fragments of all the things he had ever
had and had broken up. He could not help crying a little; but just
then in dashed a number of little men and gathering them up, rushed
out with them. Tommy was wondering what they were going to do with
them, when his friend, the guard, said: "We mend some of them; and
some we keep to remind you with. Now try again." Tommy tried and did
very well, only his left foot had gone to sleep in the sled and had
not quite waked up.
"That was because Sate went to sleep on it," said his friend, the
guard, and Tommy wondered how he knew Sate's name.
"Why," said the guard, "we have to know dogs' names to keep them from
barking at us and waking everybody up. Let me lend you these boots,"
and with that he kicked off his boots. "Now, jump," and Tommy gave a
jump and lit in them, as he sometimes did in his father's shoes. No
sooner had Tommy put them on than he found that he could jump over the
highest pile in the room.
"Look, look!" cried several of the others. "The captain has lent that
little boy his 'Seven Leaguers.'"
"I know where he is going," said one; "to jump over the North Pole."
"No," laughed another. "He is going to catch the cow that 'jumped over
the moon,' for Johnny Stout's mother."
Just then a message came that "Old Santa," as they called him, was
waiting to see the two boys who had come in the new box-sled, as he
wanted to know how their mothers were and what they wished for
Christmas. So there was a great scurrying to get their heads brushed
before the bell rang again, and Tommy got soap in his eyes wetting the
brush to make his hair lie smooth, while Johnny's left shoe came off
and dropped in a hole in the floor. Smartie, however, told him that
that was for the "Old Woman who lived in a shoe" to feed her cow in,
and this was considered a great joke.
The next minute the door opened and they entered a great apartment,
filled with the softest light from a blazing fire, and Tommy was sure
it was his father's back before him at the fireplace; but when the man
turned it was Santa Claus, only he did not have on his whiskers, and
looked ever so much younger than in his pictures. At first he did not
even look at them, he was so busy receiving mail that came fluttering
down the chimney in a perfect snowstorm. As the letters came he
gathered them up and handed them to a lady who was seated on the
floor, saying, "Put that in," to which the lady always answered, "Just
the thing," in a voice so like his mother's that Tommy felt quite at
home. He was just wondering when "Sometime" would come, when Santa
Claus picked up a letter, which had been thrown on the floor, and
tossed it to the lady, saying, "Here's that letter from that little
boy, Tommy Trot. Put some of those things in so he can break them up.
He asked only for himself and much joy he will get out of them." Tommy
shrank back behind Johnny. He wanted to say that he had written
another letter to ask for things for others, but he had lost his
tongue. Just then, however, Santa Claus put up his hand and pulled out
another letter.
[Illustration: "Look, Look! The captain has lent that little boy his
'Seven Leaguers.'"]
"Now," he said, as he glanced at it, "this is more like it. He is
improving. I see he has asked for a lot of things for a friend of his
named Johnny. Johnny Stout--who is he? It seems to me I hardly
remember him or where he lives."
"Yes," said Johnny, stepping up. "That's me. He gave me a sled, too,
and he made it himself." Santa Claus turned and looked at him and his
expression turned to a smile; in fact, Tommy thought he really winked
at Johnny.
"Oh, I know that sled. It was a pretty good sled, too," he said.
This gave Tommy courage, and he stepped forward and said, "He lives in
a little bit of a house near our place--just that way--" He turned and
pointed. "I'll show it to you when you come."
"Good," said Santa Claus. "I'll show it to you and you show it to me.
We are apt to overlook those little houses. So you are Tommy Trot?" he
said. "Glad to see you," and he turned and held out his hand to Tommy.
"I sent my reindeer to fetch you and I am glad you made that sled, for
it is only a sled made for others that can get up here. You see,
everything here, except the North Pole, is made for some one else, and
that's the reason we have such a good time up here. If you like, I'll
take you around and show you and Johnny our shops." This was exactly
what Tommy wanted, so he thanked him politely.
"I'll be back in a little while," said Santa Claus to the lady, "for
as soon as the boys are all asleep I must set out. I have a great many
stockings to fill this year. See that everything is ready. Come along,
boys," and next minute they were going through room after room and
shop after shop, filled with so many things that Tommy could not keep
them straight in his mind. He wondered how any one could have thought
of so many things, except his mother, of course; she always thought of
everything for everyone. Some of them he wished for, but every time he
thought of wanting a thing for himself the lights got dim, so that he
stopped thinking about himself at all, and turned to speak to Johnny,
but he was gone.
Presently Santa Claus said: "These are just my stores. Now we will go
and see where some of these things are made." He gave a whistle, and
the next second up dashed a sled with a team of reindeer in it, and
who was there holding the reins but Johnny, with his little cap
perched on the top of his head! At Tommy's surprise Santa Claus gave a
laugh that made him shake all over like a bowl full of jelly, quite as
Tommy had read he did in a poem he had learned the Christmas before,
called "The Night Before Christmas, when all through the house."
"That comes of knowing how to drive goats," said Santa Claus. "Johnny
knows a lot and I am going to give him a job, because he works so
hard," and with that Tommy's boots suddenly jumped him into the sled,
and Santa Claus stepped in behind him and pulled up a big robe over
them.
"Here goes," he said, and at the word they turned the corner, and
there was a gate of ice that looked like the mirrored doors in Tommy's
mother's room, which opened before them, and they dashed along between
great piles of things, throwing them on both sides like snow from a
sled-runner, and before Tommy knew it they were gliding along a road,
which Tommy felt he had seen somewhere before, though he could not
remember where. The houses on the roadside did not seem to have any
front-walls at all, and everywhere the people within were working like
beavers; some sewing, some cutting out, some sawing and hammering, all
making something, all laughing or smiling. They were mostly dressed
like grown-up people, but when they turned their faces they all looked
young. Tommy was wondering why this was, when Santa Claus said that
was because they were "Working for others. They grow young every
Christmas. This is Christmas Land and Kindness Town." They turned
another corner and were whisking by a little house, inside of which
was some one sewing for dear life on a jacket. Tommy knew the place by
the little backyard.
"Stop, stop!" he cried, pointing. "That's Johnny's home and that's
Johnny's mother sewing. She's laughing. I expect she's making that for
Johnny."
"Where?" asked Santa Claus, turning. Tommy pointed back, "There,
there!" but they had whisked around a corner.
"I was so busy looking at that big house that I did not see it," said
Santa Claus.
"That's our house," said Tommy. "I tell you what," he said presently,
"if I get anything--I'll give him some." Santa Claus smiled.
So they dashed along, making all sorts of turns and curves, through
streets lined with shops full of Christmas things and thronged with
people hurrying along with their arms full of bundles; out again into
the open; by little houses half buried in snow, with a light shining
dimly through their upper windows; on through forests of Christmas
trees, hung with toys and not yet lighted, and presently in a wink
were again at Santa Claus's home, in a great hall. All along the sides
were cases filled with all sorts of toys, guns, uniforms, sleds,
skates, snow-shoes, fur gloves, fur coats, books, toy-dogs, ponies,
goats, cows, everything.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]