&anta anb tfje Crtppleb &ngel
*. BY F. H. BORDSEN * —\
A./f^
U|
CANTA CLAUS was late that
^ Christmas eve in departing
from his workshop at the North
Pole. What with filling last min
ute orders for toys and putting
up bags of candy, he had spent
a very busy day. Now it was al
most midnight and he was ready
at last for his annual Christmas
journey, carrying gifts to good
boys and girls.
The back of his sleigh was
laden with the huge sack of
Christmas presents. His reindeer
stamped their feet in the snow
at his approach, jingling the
merry bells on their harness.
“Steady, steady,” Santa chuck
led “I know you’re anxious to
be off.”
He turned to his elves who
gathered in a happy knot near
the sleigh.
“Is everything in order?”
“Yes, Santa,” they said. “We’ve
been very careful.”
“Are you sure there’s a train
for that-” he paused.
Someone, a very little some
one, was crying.
Santa looked at his elves but
each one wore a broad grin, so
it couldn’t be one of them.
There it was again. A little
cry like that of a kitten, only
with a note of sorrow.
It could come only from with
in that big sack of toys.
“Quick,” Santa ordered. “Uh
pack the bag. Be careful now.
Someone is unhappy. Imagine
that—unhappy on Christmas
Eve. We’ll have to fix that right
The elves scurried to the top '
of the sleigh and handed down
dolls, trains and other toys to
the elves. Santa looked at his
watch. It was getting even closer
to midnight.
“Here it is,” an elf called out.
'‘It’s the little angel doll.”
• « *
Sure enough, .the cry grew'a
bit louder in the .clear'and cold
night air.
Santa peered into the big
sack. There, on top of some
cowboy books, was a little wood
en angel. She was dressed in •
white, she had tiny wings and
she wasn’t as big as your hand.
Big tears fell from her blue
eyes.
“Now then," Santa said...
“What’s the trouble?”
The little angel tried to con- ’
trol her sobs but couldn't quite
succeed.
“It’s my leg," she said. “It’s
broken."
“Now, now,” Santa said.
"That’s nothing to cry about.
Toys don’t feel any pain."
“I know,’’ the angel sniffled.
"But who would want an angel
doll with a broken leg? Who
would want me?”
Santa gathered the little an
gel in his mitten.
"Don’t you worry about who
will want you.” he said. “We’ll
do a fast patching job.”
He hurried into his workshop,
took down a pot of glue, and
with swift strokes glued the
broken leg together. It was a
little crooked, but strong.
“There now,” he said,” we’ll
be off.” He opened his red coat
and tucked the little doll inside.
“You stay right there until we
get some altitude,” he said.
“You’re going to be all right.”
“I hope so, she sighed.
* + •
Once the sleigh was among
the clouds, Santa bent his head
to her and said, "Are you com
fortable, tiny one?”
“Yes, I am.”
"Well, then, listen. Soon we’ll
be over a town where a little
girl lives wht» has polio. Her
doctor says she’ll recover but
that she may have to wear
braces bn her legs and use
crutches for a while. I’m sure
she’d like an angel doll with a
Ibg like yours. I didn’t make
your leg absolutely straight, you
know."! wanted you to be a lit
tle, bit like her. Do you mind?”
"What’s the girl’s name?” the
. angel doll a&ked.
"Her name’s Sally and she’s
five years old.” .
: . “(Will she take me to bpd with
her and let me sleep on her pil
low; Santa?”
■■'"I'm sure she will.”
'> 4‘^.en, then. I’m glad I broke
my. leg,” said the doll.
Santa gave her a pat.
‘tNow tonight I’ll leave you .at
her house. I’ve a lot of work to
do so I can’t stay around. But
I’ll be back a year from tonight
and-I’ll see you then.”
“All right, Santa. I’ll take good
care of her,” the angel prom
ised. %:■
. • • •
Sure.enough, a year later San
td' called again at Sally’s home
! - tV }
and he tiptoed into her bedroom.
The little angel was on Sally’s
pillow and the girl was fast
asleep.
“Are you happy here?” Santa
asked.
“Oh, yes, Santa. She plays
with me all the while because I
have a leg like hers.”
“And how is she getting
along?”
“Just fine. She walks a little
now with crutches and the doc
tor says she may not need them
next Christmas.”
A big grin showed above San
ta’s white beard. “Wonderful.
Do you want to stay with her?”
“Oh, yes. She needs me.”
“Good. I’ll be back next year.”
And Santa threw the little angel
a kiss as he slipped from the
room.
Once more, on the following
Christmas Eve, Santa entered
the bedroom. There was Sally, a
little bigger now, but the little
angel was not to be seen.
He called, and a muffled an
swer came from a closet Santa
peeked inside.
“Here I am, Santa, on the floor
in the corner.”
Santa picked up the little an
gel and blew dust from her
clothing.
“My, little one, you must have
been in there a.long time.”
The angel managed a smile.
“Well, Sally has been walking
quite a bit, ever since last sum
mer. And she wants to play with
dolls who have good legs now.
So she put me here and forgot
fell about me."
"Well, now,” Santa said. *T
think you’ve done yoiir work
here. Would you like to come
with me tonight?”
“But where would I go, San
ta?”
“Oh, I know of another little
lame girl. And she needs a doll
like you.”
The angel blinked her eyes in
surprise. “And can I sleep on
her pillow, too?”
“Of course.”
“Wellv I’m ready,” she said.
So Santa opened his coat and
put the angel inside and flew
away with her into the night
time sky.
And the little angel doll was
hapDy again. She knew that
waiting for her was a little gipl
who would take her to bed and
pat her mended leg.