affectionately, and you could see that his antiquated coat-sleeves were
bristling with toys and glistening with ornaments. His eyes twinkled
with fun, and his mouth, which seemed nearly worn out with laughing,
grew bigger every minute.

It took the dear old gentleman some time to clear his throat; but when
he had found his voice, which at first was as fine as a knitting-needle,
and all of a tremble, he made

THE SPEECH OF SANTA CLAUS.

"How do, my darlings? How do, all round? Bless your little hearts, how
do you all do? Did they tell ye Santa wasn't a-comin', my dears? Did
your grandpas and grandmas say, 'Humph! there isn't any such a person.'
My love to the good old people. I know they mean all right; but tell
them they'll have to give it up now!"

(Here Santa Claus made a low bow. Everybody laughed and clapped; but
Prudy whispered, "O, don't he look old all over? What has he done with
his _teeth_? O, dear, has anybody pulled 'em out?")

"Yes, my dears," continued the old gentleman, encouraged by the
applause,--"yes, my dears, here I am, as jolly as ever! But bless your
sweet little hearts, I've had a terrible time getting here! The wind has
been blowin' me up as fierce as you please, and I've been shook round
as if I wasn't of more account than a kernel of corn in a popper!

"O, O, I've been ducked up to the chin in some awful deep snow-drifts,
up there by the North Pole! This is the very first time the storms have
come so heavy as to cover over the end of the North Pole! But this year