SISTER SUSY,BY MAY,1865,SANTA ENGRAVING,CHRISTMAS STORY

LITTLE PRUDY SERIES

SISTER SUSY

BY

SOPHIE MAY

LEE AND SHEPARD

BOSTON

1866

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from chapter 3 - Susy's Christmas

"BUT BY AND BY, WHEN THE RIGHT TIME HAD COME, THE FOLDING DOORS WERE OPENED, JUST LIKE THE TWO COVERS TO A CHRISTMAS FAIRY BOOK. THEN, IN A SECOND, IT WAS SO STILL YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP."

"SUCH A FUNNY LITTLE OLD GENTLEMAN HAD ARRIVED; HIS FACE ALIVE WITH DIMPLES, AND SMILES AND WRINKLES. HIS CHEEKS WERE ARE RED AND ROUND AS WINTER APPLES, AND WHERE THERE WASN'T A WRINKLE THERE WAS A DIMPLE;AND NO DOUBT THERE WAS A DIMPLE IN HIS CHIN, AND HIS CHIN MAYUBE WAS DOUBLE, ONLY YOU COULDN'T TELL, FOR IT WAS HIDDEN EVER SO DEEP UNDER A BEARD AS WHITE AS A SNOW DRIFT."

"HE WALKED ALONG, TOTTERING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF A HUGE PACK FULL OF PRESENTS.  HE EXTENDED HIS SMALL ARMS TOWARDS THE THE AUDIENCE MOST AFFECTIONARRELY, 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."

"YES, MY DEARS" CONTINUED THE OLD GENTLEMEN 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 TO COVER OVER THE END OF THE NORTH POLE! BUT THIS YEAR THEY HAD TO DIG THREE DAYS BEFORE THEY COULD FIND IT. O, HO!"

"BUT MY DEER, SWEET, CUNNING LITTLE HEARERS, I MUST BE A-GOIN' QUEEN VICTORIA, SAID SHE TO ME, SAID SHE, "NOW SANTA MY LOVE, DO YOU HURRY BACK TO FILL MY CHILDREN'S STOCKINGS BEFORE THE CLOCK STRIKES TWELVE" QUEEN VIC IS AN EXCELLENT WOMAN, AND IS LEFT A POOR WIDOW; SO I CAN'T DISSAPPOINT HER, POUR SOUL!"

"A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR."  "SO SAYING, SANTA CLAUS SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED AT THE HALL DOOR DROPPING HIS HEAVY PACK UPON THE TABLE."

THIS BOOK IS 144 YEARS OLD. THE CLOTH COVER IS IN POOR CONDITION, COMPLETE BUT HEAVILY SOILED AND FADED, THREAD WORN IN SOME SPOTS.  THERE IS SOME REMAINS OF THE GILT ON THE SPINE.  THE SPINE IS COCKED. THE HANDSEWN BINDING IS HOLDING TIGHTLY.  OF COURSE, THERE IS FOXING AND SPOTTING THROUGHOUT. THERE ARE THREE ENGRAVINGS...ONE AS A FRONTISPIECE AND TWO OTHERS IN THE BOOK....ONE IS LOOSE.  THE PAGES TURN FREELY MAKING THE BOOK QUITE READABLE AND CERTAINLY WOULD WARRANT A REBIND. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OF CONDITION..JUST ASK.

THE STORY OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS WONDERFUL AND ESPECIALLY THE ARRIVAL OF SANTA CLAUS WHO IT WAS LATER REVEALED AS "COUSIN PERCY" AND THE HUMOROUS REFERENCE TO QUEEN VICTORIA. THE ENGRAVINGS ARE DELIGHTFUL ESPECIALLY THE FRONTISPIECE OF SANTA AND THE FAMILY.  I CANNOT CONFIRM IT BUT I BELIEVE THE ENGRAVINGS WERE BY WELL KNOWN CARTOONIST OF THE TIME...THOMAS NAST.

A SPECIAL BOOK TO SHARE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON