The goblins' Christmas

3501
A53g

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

THE GOBLINS' CHRISTMAS

Copyright, 1908, by M. E. Anderson

•f

Elizabeth Anderson

Illustrated L/ Alexander Sharp

Los Angeles

Segnogram Publishing Co.
1908

i

NCE upen a time I visited Fairy-land and
spent a day in Goblin-town. Th? peopl?
there are much lik? ourselves, only they are very,
very small and roguish. They play pranks °n one
another and hav? great fun. They are good natured
and jolly, and rarely g?t angry. But if one does
get angry, h? quickly recovers his good natur? and
joins again in the spert.

If a Goblin should continue angry h? would take
on some visibl? form. Perhaps h? would become a
toad or a squirrel, or some other little animal, and
would have to live here on the Earth-plane forever-
more. But, if h? keeps good natured, he can come
here and have his fun, and net be seen by any on?
except a Seer, or very wise person.

Th? Goblins are gracious to the wise people
new, but they were not always so. A long, long
time ago, on a Christmas-eve, the Fairy-folk were
having great sport. All the little psopl? of the
Unseen-world had gathered together in th? Earth-
realm. There wer? Brownies, and Gnomes, and Elves;

2

even some little Cherubs Had joined them. They
wer? having a wild dance and a gay time when who
should appear but Kris Kringl?! Now the Fairies
did not know that he was a Magician, or Seer,
and so they tried to make sport of him. But Kris
by his wonderful magic, changed them into the most
beautiful toys. The/ became straight littl? jumping-
jacks, and dolls in bright dresses, and the dearest
little rabbit with whit?, soft fur. And somewhere in
the bottom of the sleigh on? was turned into a cute
little Teddy-bear. Then old Kris tucked all these
toys into his roomy sleigh, and shook the reins of
his waiting steed. "G° on!' he said, "For I v?
many, many a chimney to reach tonight.

Now this is th? tale of "The Goblins' Christ
mas that th? moonbeams teld, as th?/ heard it
frem th? Fairy-Queen, who d?clares that ?v?ry
word ef jt is p?rfect]/ true.

f v v v M \i

10

Illustrations.

"Down the Milky wa/ . . . . 17

"The big black caldron . . . . ,21

"As through the air they flew" . . 25

"They climbed th? sleigh" . . . ,27

' 'Playthings rare/ he said" . . . . 31

"For his Christmas treat" . . . .41

Preface .... . . 6

Presentation ....... 9

Fairy Queen . . . . . . 12

Sprite and Toadstool . . . . .18

Bq/ and Rabbit . . . 35

Witch with BroQm ... . . 37

Elf and Spider. . 38

To EARL and GEORGIA:

E little Man, and tin/ Maid,
Who love th? Fairies in the glade,
Who see them in the tangled grass —
I he Gnomes and Brownies, as they pass,
Who hear th? Sprites from Elf-land call —
Go, frolic with these Brownies small,
And join thess merry sportihg elves,
But ever t>e your own sweet selves.

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14

The tig bright Moon hung high and round,

In a densely darkened sk/;
The tall pines swayed, and mocked, and groaned;

Th? mountains grew SQ high
That th? Man-in-the-Moon came out and said,

Mo! Spooks, for a m?rr/ dance.
The winds blow hard, th? caverns roar,

While o er th? earth they prance.

A Witch and a Gotlin led th? sprites;

Out from the sky they sprung;
And down th? milky wa/ they slid,

And over a chasm swung.
Th? streams around ran witches troth.

The fumes were strong and rank.
These Elfin creatures all were wroth,

Whil? of the stuff the/ drank.

16

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18

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The cunning Moon looked on and laughed

With a shrill and sneering jite;
Her soul grew fat fa see them chaffed^

This mad and elfish trib?.
Th? big black caldron toiled so high

With food for these queer mites,
That it lit the world throughout the sk/,

And down cam? all the Sprites.

20

21

Their mad career upset a star,

As through th? air they flew:
It cringed in fear, and shot afar,

Ahd fell wher? nQ one knew.
Orion s sword was broke ih bits,

Corona s crown was gone,
Capella seemed tQ los? her wits,

Whil? all SQ longed for dawn.

Then from the night there came a sound

Of sleigh-tells ringing sweet;
Out of the chaos came a man-

i\ris firing!? — for his Christmas treat.
Ho ! Kris ! they cried, We 11 hav? som? fun,

We 11 bind th? old man down,
We 11 tie him up, and toss him o'er

Into our Goblin-town.

24

25

They climbed the sleigh with shout and din,

TQ bind his hands and feet;
A hundred strong they clambered in

Our good old Kris to meet.
He sat quit? still, with twinkling eyes,

I hen seized his mystic wand,
H? raised it up, and waved it round

Stilled was this chattering band.

28

Stiffly stark ahd still they stood,

Clad in elfish clothes;
Som? were wax, ahd some were wood,

On? had crushed his hos?.
"Playthings rar?," h? said ahd smiled,

For children rich and poor;
Som? I'll leav? the crippled child,

And sorn? at th? orphan s door.

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lie shook Kis reins^ ahd called his steed

To bear him swiftl/ on.
Full well it knew its Master's heed

TQ Kurry e er the dawn,
rrom house to house they scampered down,

Their sleigh-bells rihgihg clear^
Through chimneys in th? slee^/ town-

Good Kris and his reindeer.

30

31

The windows rattled, the moonbeams tattled
A tale so strange and queer.

They told how at night, in dir? affright
The Moon had hid in fear.

That he d called ih sport his elfish court
Of spooks and witches ga/,

Each elfih child, by glee beguiled,

Drought scores of others, they sa/-

Then a man appeared, with flowing beard,
In a sled with a reindeer fleet;

They gathered about with din and shout,
TQ bind him hands ar»d feet.

Then the Moon laughed loud at th? gathering crowd,
While h? held his sides in mirth,

TQ see old Kris ih a plight like this,
Toiling o'er th? earth.

But alas for the Moon, he had laughed like a loon,

For Kris is a hero Of old,
Yes, Kris is a seer; with his small reindeer,

Me captured th? Goblins bold.

And he changed them, they say in a wonderful wax,
To toys, for his Christmas cheer.

1 he big dolls stare with a goblin air,

I he small ones cringe with fear.

While th? moonbeams prattle, I hear a rattle

Of hoofs on th? chimney side;
Then out on th? show I gaze below,

Hurrah! its Kris Kringle, I cried.

Then, si/ as a mouse, h? entered the house,
And hung up his treasures so ga/.

Then out with a dash, he sped lik? a flash,
Into the night, and awa/.

40

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY

Los Angeles
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THE LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES

Anderson -
3501 — The goblins
A53g Christmas.

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3501