A Reversible Santa Claus | Page 6

stomach and emitted a chortle
expressive of unshakable confidence in The Hopper's ability to restore
him to his lawful owners. This confidence was not, however,
manifested toward Mary, who had prepared with care the only cereal
her pantry afforded, and now approached Shaver, bowl and spoon in
hand. Shaver, taken by surprise, inspected his supper with disdain and
spurned it with a vigor that sent the spoon rattling across the floor.
"Me wants me's paw-widge bowl! Me wants me's own paw-widge
bowl!" he screamed.
Mary expostulated; Humpy offered advice as to the best manner of
dealing with the refractory Shaver, who gave further expression to his
resentment by throwing The Hopper's watch with violence against the
wall. That the table-service of The Hopper's establishment was not to
Shaver's liking was manifested in repeated rejections of the plain white
bowl in which Mary offered the porridge. He demanded his very own
porridge bowl with the increasing vehemence of one who is willing to
starve rather than accept so palpable a substitute. He threw himself
back on the table and lay there kicking and crying. Other needs now
occurred to Shaver: he wanted his papa; he wanted his mamma; he
wanted to go to his gwan'pa's. He clamored for Santa Claus and
numerous Christmas trees which, it seemed, had been promised him at
the houses of his kinsfolk. It was amazing and bewildering that the
heart of one so young could desire so many things that were not
immediately attainable. He had begun to suspect that he was among

strangers who were not of his way of life, and this was fraught with the
gravest danger.
"They'll hear 'im hollerin' in China," wailed the pessimistic Humpy,
running about the room and examining the fastenings of doors and
windows. "Folks goin' along the road'll hear 'im, an' it's terms fer the
whole bunch!"
The Hopper began pacing the floor with Shaver, while Humpy and
Mary denounced the child for unreasonableness and lack of discipline,
not overlooking the stupidity and criminal carelessness of The Hopper
in projecting so lawless a youngster into their domestic circle.
"Twenty years, that's wot ut is!" mourned Humpy.
"Ye kin get the chair fer kidnapin'," Mary added dolefully. "Ye gotta
get 'im out o' here, Bill."
Pleasant predictions of a long prison term with capital punishment as
the happy alternative failed to disturb The Hopper. To their surprise
and somewhat to their shame he won the Shaver to a tractable humor.
There was nothing in The Hopper's known past to justify any
expectation that he could quiet a crying baby, and yet Shaver with a
child's unerring instinct realized that The Hopper meant to be kind. He
patted The Hopper's face with one fat little paw, chokingly declaring
that he was hungry.
'"Course Shaver's hungry; an' Shaver's goin' to eat nice porridge Aunt
Mary made fer 'im. Shaver's goin' to have 'is own porridge bowl
to-morry--yes, sir-ee, oo is, little Shaver!"
Restored to the table, Shaver opened his mouth in obedience to The
Hopper's patient pleading and swallowed a spoonful of the mush,
Humpy holding the bowl out of sight in tactful deference to the child's
delicate æsthetic sensibilities. A tumbler of milk was sipped with
grateful gasps.
[Illustration: THE HOPPER GRINNED, PROUD OF HIS SUCCESS,

WHICH MARY AND HUMPY VIEWED WITH GRUDGING
ADMIRATION]
The Hopper grinned, proud of his success, while Mary and Humpy
viewed his efforts with somewhat grudging admiration, and waited
patiently until The Hopper took the wholly surfeited Shaver in his arms
and began pacing the floor, humming softly. In normal circumstances
The Hopper was not musical, and Humpy and Mary exchanged looks
which, when interpreted, pointed to nothing less than a belief that the
owner of Happy Hill Farm was bereft of his senses. There was some
question as to whether Shaver should be undressed. Mary discouraged
the idea and Humpy took a like view.
"Ye gotta chuck 'im quick; that's what ye gotta do," said Mary hoarsely.
"We don't want 'im sleepin' here."
Whereupon The Hopper demonstrated his entire independence by
carrying the Shaver to Humpy's bed and partially undressing him.
While this was in progress, Shaver suddenly opened his eyes wide and
raising one foot until it approximated the perpendicular, reached for it
with his chubby hands.
"Sant' Claus comin'; m'y Kwismus!"
"Jes' listen to Shaver!" chuckled The Hopper. "'Course Santy is comin,'
an' we're goin' to hang up Shaver's stockin', ain't we, Shaver?"
He pinned both stockings to the foot-board of Humpy's bed. By the
time this was accomplished under the hostile eyes of Mary and Humpy,
Shaver slept the sleep of the innocent.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]

IV

They watched the child in silence for a few minutes and then Mary
detached a gold locket from his neck and bore it to the kitchen