L. Frank Baum - The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus

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THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS by L. Frank Baum with many pictures by

Bowen-Merrill Company

To My Son

HARRY NEAL BAUM

Contents

 BookFirst

 Burzee

TheChildoftheForest

TheAdoption

Claus

TheMasterWoodsman

ClausDiscoversHumanity

ClausLeavestheForest

BookSecond

 TheLaughingValley

HowClausMadetheFirstToy

HowtheRylsColoredtheToys

HowLittleMayrieBecameFrightened

HowBessieBlithesomeCametotheLaughingValley

TheWickednessoftheAwgwas

TheGreatBattleBetweenGoodandEvil

TheFirstJourneywiththeReindeer

‘‘SantaClaus!’’

ChristmasEve

HowtheFirstStockingsWere

HungbytheChimneys

TheFirstChristmasTree

BookThird

 TheMantleofImmortality

WhentheWorldGrewOld

TheDeputiesofSantaClaus

Book First

Chapter First: Burzee

HAVE you heard of the great Forest of Burzee? Nurse used to sing of it when I was a child. She sang of

the big tree-trunks, standing close together, with their roots intertwining below the earth and their

branches intertwining above it; of their rough coating of bark and queer, gnarled limbs; of the bushy

foliage that roofed the entire forest, save where the sunbeams found a path through which to touch the

ground in little spots and to cast weird and curious shadows over the mosses, the lichens and the drifts of

dried leaves.

The Forest of Burzee is mighty and grand and awesome to those who steal beneath its shade. Coming

from the sunlit meadows into its mazes it seems at first gloomy, then pleasant, and afterward filled with

never-ending delights.

For hundreds of years it has flourished in all its magnificence, the silence of its inclosure unbroken save

by the chirp of busy chipmunks, the growl of wild beasts and the songs of birds.

Yet Burzee has its inhabitants--for all this. Nature peopled it in the beginning with Fairies, Knooks, Ryls

and Nymphs. As long as the Forest stands it will be a home, a refuge and a playground to these sweet

immortals, who revel undisturbed in its depths.

Civilization has never yet reached Burzee Will it ever, I wonder?

CHAPTER SECOND: The Child of the Forest

ONCE, so long ago our great-grandfathers could scarcely have heard it mentioned, there lived within the

great Forest of Burzee a wood-nymph named Necile. She was closely related to the mighty Queen

Zurline, and her home was beneath the shade of a widespreading oak. Once every year, on Budding

Day, when the trees put forth their new buds, Necile held the Golden Chalice of Ak to the lips of the

Queen, who drank therefrom to the prosperity of the Forest. So you see she was a nymph of some

importance, and, moreover, it is said she was highly regarded because of her beauty and grace.

When she was created she could not have told; Queen Zurline could not have told; the great Ak himself

could not have told. It was long ago when the world was new and nymphs were needed to guard the

forests and to minister to the wants of the young trees. Then, on some day not remembered, Necile

sprang into being; radiant, lovely, straight and slim as the sapling she was created to guard.

Her hair was the color that lines a chestnut- bur; her eyes were blue in the sunlight and purple in the

shade; her cheeks bloomed with the faint pink that edges the clouds at sunset; her lips were full red,

pouting and sweet. For costume she adopted oak-leaf green; all the wood-nymphs dress in that color

and know no other so desirable. Her dainty feet were sandal-clad, while her head remained bare of

covering other than her silken tresses.

Necile’s duties were few and simple. She kept hurtful weeds from growing beneath her trees and

sapping the earth-food required by her charges. She frightened away the Gadgols, who took evil delight

in flying against the tree-trunks and wounding them so that they drooped and died from the poisonous

contact. In dry seasons she carried water from the brooks and pools and moistened the roots of her

thirsty dependents.

That was in the beginning. The weeds had now learned to avoid the forests where woodnymphs dwelt;

the loathsome Gadgols no longer dared come nigh; the trees had become old and sturdy and could bear

the drought better than when fresh-sprouted. So Necile’s duties were lessened, and time grew laggard,

while succeeding years became more tiresome and uneventful than the nymph’s joyous spirit loved.

Truly the forest-dwellers did not lack amusement. Each full moon they danced in the Royal Circle of the

Queen. There were also the Feast of Nuts, the Jubilee of Autumn Tintings, the solemn ceremony of Leaf

Shedding and the revelry of Budding Day. But these periods of enjoyment were far apart, and left many

weary hours between.

That a wood-nymph should grow discontented was not thought of by Necile’s sisters. It came upon her

only after many years of brooding. But when once she had settled in her mind that life was irksome she

had no patience with her condition, and longed to do something of real interest and to pass her days in

ways hitherto undreamed of by forest nymphs. The Law of the Forest alone restrained her from going

forth in search of adventure.

While this mood lay heavy upon pretty Necile it chanced that the great Ak visited the Forest of Burzee

and allowed the wood-nymphs as was their wont--to lie at his feet and listen to the words of wisdom that

fell from his lips. Ak is the Master Woodsman of the world; he sees everything, and knows more than the

sons of men.

That night he held the Queen’s hand, for he loved the nymphs as a father loves his children; and Necile

lay at his feet with many of her sisters and earnestly harkened as he spoke.

‘‘We live so happily, my fair ones, in our forest glades,’’ said Ak, stroking his grizzled beard

thoughtfully, ‘‘that we know nothing of the sorrow and misery that fall to the lot of those poor mortals

who inhabit the open spaces of the earth. They are not of our race, it is true, yet compassion well befits

beings so fairly favored as ourselves. Often as I pass by the dwelling of some suffering mortal I am

tempted to stop and banish the poor thing’s misery. Yet suffering, in moderation, is the natural lot of

mortals, and it is not our place to interfere with the laws of Nature.’’

‘‘Nevertheless,’’ said the fair Queen, nodding her golden head at the Master Woodsman, ‘‘it would not

be a vain guess that Ak has often assisted these hapless mortals.’’

Ak smiled.

‘‘Sometimes,’’ he replied, ‘‘when they are very young--‘children,’ the mortals call them-- have stopped

to rescue them from misery. The men and women I dare not interfere with; they must bear the burdens

Nature has imposed upon them. But the helpless infants, the innocent children of men, have a right to be

happy until they become full-grown and able to bear the trials of humanity. So I feel I am justified in

assisting them. Not long ago--a year, maybe--I found four poor children huddled in a wooden hut, slowly

freezing to death. Their parents had gone to a neighboring village for food, and had left a fire to warm

their little ones while they were absent. But a storm arose and drifted the snow in their path, so they were

long on the road. Meantime the fire went out and the frost crept into the bones of the waiting children.’’

‘‘Poor things!’’ murmured the Queen softly. ‘‘What did you do?’’

‘‘I called Nelko, bidding him fetch wood from my forests and breathe upon it until the fire blazed again

and warmed the little room where the children lay. Then they ceased shivering and fell asleep until their

parents came.’’

‘‘I am glad you did thus,’’ said the good Queen, beaming upon the Master; and Necile, who had eagerly

listened to every word, echoed in a whisper: ‘‘I, too, am glad!’’

‘‘And this very night,’’ continued Ak, ‘‘as I came to the edge of Burzee I heard a feeble cry, which I

judged came from a human infant. I looked about me and found, close to the forest, a helpless babe,

lying quite naked upon the grasses and wailing piteously. Not far away, screened by the forest, crouched

Shiegra, the lioness, intent upon devouring the infant for her evening meal.’’

‘‘And what did you do, Ak?’’ asked the Queen, breathlessly.

‘‘Not much, being in a hurry to greet my nymphs. But I commanded Shiegra to lie close to the babe, and

to give it her milk to quiet its hunger. And I told her to send word throughout the forest, to all beasts and

reptiles, that the child should not be harmed.’’

‘‘I am glad you did thus,’’ said the good Queen again, in a tone of relief; but this time Necile did not

echo her words, for the nymph, filled with a strange resolve, had suddenly stolen away from the group.

Swiftly her lithe form darted through the forest paths until she reached the edge of mighty Burzee, when

she paused to gaze curiously about her. Never until now had she ventured so far, for the Law of the

Forest had placed the nymphs in its inmost depths.

Necile knew she was breaking the Law, but the thought did not give pause to her dainty feet. She had

decided to see with her own eyes this infant Ak had told of, for she had never yet beheld a child of man.

All the immortals are full-grown; there are no children among them. Peering through the trees Necile saw

the child lying on the grass. But now it was sweetly sleeping, having been comforted by the milk drawn

from Shiegra. It was not old enough to know what peril means; if it did not feel hunger it was content.

Softly the nymph stole to the side of the babe and knelt upon the sward, her long robe of rose leaf color

spreading about her like a gossamer cloud. Her lovely countenance expressed curiosity and surprise, but,

most of all, a tender, womanly pity. The babe was new-born, chubby and pink. It was entirely helpless.

While the nymph gazed the infant opened its eyes, smiled upon her, and stretched out two dimpled arms.

In another instant Necile had caught it to her breast and was hurrying with it through the forest paths.

CHAPTER THIRD: The Adoption

THE Master Woodsman suddenly rose, with knitted brows. ‘‘There is a strange presence in the

Forest,’’ he declared. Then the Queen and her nymphs turned and saw standing before them Necile, with

the sleeping infant clasped tightly in her arms and a defiant look in her deep blue eyes.

And thus for a moment they remained, the nymphs filled with surprise and consternation, but the brow of

the Master Woodsman gradually clearing as he gazed intently upon the beautiful immortal who had

wilfully broken the Law. Then the great Ak, to the wonder of all, laid his hand softly on Necile’s flowing

locks and kissed her on her fair forehead.

‘‘For the first time within my knowledge,’’ said he, gently, ‘‘a nymph has defied me and my laws; yet in

my heart can I find no word of chiding. What is your desire, Necile?’’

‘‘Let me keep the child!’’ she answered, beginning to tremble and falling on her knees in supplication.

‘‘Here, in the Forest of Burzee, where the human race has never yet penetrated?’’ questioned Ak.

‘‘Here, in the Forest of Burzee,’’ replied the nymph, boldly. ‘‘It is my home, and I am weary for lack of

occupation. Let me care for the babe! See how weak and helpless it is. Surely it can not harm Burzee

nor the Master Woodsman of the World!’’

‘‘But the Law, child, the Law!’’ cried Ak, sternly.

‘‘The Law is made by the Master Woodsman,’’ returned Necile; ‘‘if he bids me care for the babe he

himself has saved from death, who in all the world dare oppose me?’’ Queen Zurline, who had listened

intently to this conversation, clapped her pretty hands gleefully at the nymph’s answer.

‘‘You are fairly trapped, O Ak!’’ she exclaimed, laughing. ‘‘Now, I pray you, give heed to Necile’s

petition.’’

The Woodsman, as was his habit when in thought, stroked his grizzled beard slowly. Then he said:

‘‘She shall keep the babe, and I will give it my protection. But I warn you all that as this is the first time I

have relaxed the Law, so shall it be the last time. Never more, to the end of the World, shall a mortal be

adopted by an immortal. Otherwise would we abandon our happy existence for one of trouble and

anxiety. Good night, my nymphs!’’

Then Ak was gone from their midst, and Necile hurried away to her bower to rejoice over her

new-found treasure.

CHAPTER FOURTH: Claus

ANOTHER day found Necile’s bower the most popular place in the Forest. The nymphs clustered

around her and the child that lay asleep in her lap, with expressions of curiosity and delight. Nor were

they wanting in praises for the great Ak’s kindness in allowing Necile to keep the babe and to care for it.

Even the Queen came to peer into the innocent childish face and to hold a helpless, chubby fist in her

own fair hand.

‘‘What shall we call him, Necile?’’ she asked, smiling. ‘‘He must have a name, you know.’’

‘‘Let him be called Claus,’’ answered Necile, ‘‘for that means ‘a little one.’ ’’

‘‘Rather let him be called Neclaus,’’[1]returned the Queen, ‘‘for that will mean ‘Necile’s little one.’

’’[1]SomepeoplehavespelledthisnameNicklaus,andothersNicolas,whichisthereasonthatSantaClausisstillkn

owninsomelandsasSt.Nicolas.But,ofcourse,Neclausishisrightname,andClausthenicknamegivenhimbyhisad

optedmother,thefairnymphNecile.

The nymphs clapped their hands in delight, and Neclaus became the infant’s name, although Necile

loved best to call him Claus, and in afterdays many of her sisters followed her example.

Necile gathered the softest moss in all the forest for Claus to lie upon, and she made his bed in her own

bower. Of food the infant had no lack. The nymphs searched the forest for bell-udders, which grow upon

the goa-tree and when opened are found to be filled with sweet milk. And the soft-eyed does willingly

gave a share of their milk to support the little stranger, while Shiegra, the lioness, often crept stealthily into

Necile’s bower and purred softly as she lay beside the babe and fed it.

So the little one flourished and grew big and sturdy day by day, while Necile taught him to speak and to

walk and to play.

His thoughts and words were sweet and gentle, for the nymphs knew no evil and their hearts were pure

and loving. He became the pet of the forest, for Ak’s decree had forbidden beast or reptile to molest

him, and he walked fearlessly wherever his will guided him.

Presently the news reached the other immortals that the nymphs of Burzee had adopted a human infant,

and that the act had been sanctioned by the great Ak. Therefore many of them came to visit the little

stranger, looking upon him with much interest. First the Ryls, who are first cousins to the wood-nymphs,

although so differently formed. For the Ryls are required to watch over the flowers and plants, as the

nymphs watch over the forest trees. They search the wide world for the food required by the roots of the

flowering plants, while the brilliant colors possessed by the full- blown flowers are due to the dyes placed

in the soil by the Ryls, which are drawn through the little veins in the roots and the body of the plants, as

they reach maturity. The Ryls are a busy people, for their flowers bloom and fade continually, but they

are merry and light- hearted and are very popular with the other immortals.

Next came the Knooks, whose duty it is to watch over the beasts of the world, both gentle and wild.

The Knooks have a hard time of it, since many of the beasts are ungovernable and rebel against restraint.

But they know how to manage them, after all, and you will find that certain laws of the Knooks are

obeyed by even the most ferocious animals. Their anxieties make the Knooks look old and worn and

crooked, and their natures are a bit rough from associating with wild creatures continually; yet they are

most useful to humanity and to the world in general, as their laws are the only laws the forest beasts

recognize except those of the Master Woodsman.

Then there were the Fairies, the guardians of mankind, who were much interested in the adoption of

Claus because their own laws forbade them to become familiar with their human charges. There are

instances on record where the Fairies have shown themselves to human beings, and have even conversed

with them; but they are supposed to guard the lives of mankind unseen and unknown, and if they favor

some people more than others it is because these have won such distinction fairly, as the Fairies are very

just and impartial. But the idea of adopting a child of men had never occurred to them because it was in

every way opposed to their laws; so their curiosity was intense to behold the little stranger adopted by

Necile and her sister nymphs.

Claus looked upon the immortals who thronged around him with fearless eyes and smiling lips. He rode

laughingly upon the shoulders of the merry Ryls; he mischievously pulled the gray beards of the

low-browed Knooks; he rested his curly head confidently upon the dainty bosom of the Fairy Queen

herself. And the Ryls loved the sound of his laughter; the Knooks loved his courage; the Fairies loved his

innocence.

The boy made friends of them all, and learned to know their laws intimately. No forest flower was

trampled beneath his feet, lest the friendly Ryls should be grieved. He never interfered with the beasts of

the forest, lest his friends the Knooks should become angry. The Fairies he loved dearly, but, knowing

nothing of mankind, he could not understand that he was the only one of his race admitted to friendly

intercourse with them.

Indeed, Claus came to consider that he alone, of all the forest people, had no like nor fellow. To him the

forest was the world. He had no idea that millions of toiling, striving human creatures existed.

And he was happy and content.

CHAPTER FIFTH: The Master Woodsman

YEARS pass swiftly in Burzee, for the nymphs have no need to regard time in any way. Even centuries

make no change in the dainty creatures; ever and ever they remain the same, immortal and unchanging.

Claus, however, being mortal, grew to manhood day by day. Necile was disturbed, presently, to find

him too big to lie in her lap, and he had a desire for other food than milk. His stout legs carried him far

into Burzee’s heart, where he gathered supplies of nuts and berries, as well as several sweet and

wholesome roots, which suited his stomach better than the belludders. He sought Necile’s bower less

frequently, till finally it became his custom to return thither only to sleep.

The nymph, who had come to love him dearly, was puzzled to comprehend the changed nature of her

charge, and unconsciously altered her own mode of life to conform to his whims. She followed him

readily through the forest paths, as did many of her sister nymphs, explaining as they walked all the

mysteries of the gigantic wood and the habits and nature of the living things which dwelt beneath its

shade.

The language of the beasts became clear to little Claus; but he never could understand their sulky and

morose tempers. Only the squirrels, the mice and the rabbits seemed to possess cheerful and merry

natures; yet would the boy laugh when the panther growled, and stroke the bear’s glossy coat while the

creature snarled and bared its teeth menacingly. The growls and snarls were not for Claus, he well knew,

so what did they matter?

He could sing the songs of the bees, recite the poetry of the wood-flowers and relate the history of every

blinking owl in Burzee. He helped the Ryls to feed their plants and the Knooks to keep order among the

animals. The little immortals regarded him as a privileged person, being especially protected by Queen

Zurline and her nymphs and favored by the great Ak himself.

One day the Master Woodsman came back to the forest of Burzee. He had visited, in turn, all his forests

throughout the world, and they were many and broad.

Not until he entered the glade where the Queen and her nymphs were assembled to greet him did Ak

remember the child he had permitted Necile to adopt. Then he found, sitting familiarly in the circle of

lovely immortals, a broad-shouldered, stalwart youth, who, when erect, stood fully as high as the

shoulder of the Master himself.

Ak paused, silent and frowning, to bend his piercing gaze upon Claus. The clear eyes met his own

steadfastly, and the Woodsman gave a sigh of relief as he marked their placid depths and read the

youth’s brave and innocent heart. Nevertheless, as Ak sat beside the fair Queen, and the golden chalice,

filled with rare nectar, passed from lip to lip, the Master Woodsman was strangely silent and reserved,

and stroked his beard many times with a thoughtful motion.

With morning he called Claus aside, in kindly fashion, saying:

‘‘Bid good by, for a time, to Necile and her sisters; for you shall accompany me on my journey through

the world.’’

The venture pleased Claus, who knew well the honor of being companion of the Master Woodsman of

the world. But Necile wept for the first time in her life, and clung to the boy’s neck as if she could not

bear to let him go. The nymph who had mothered this sturdy youth was still as dainty, as charming and

beautiful as when she had dared to face Ak with the babe clasped to her breast; nor was her love less

great. Ak beheld the two clinging together, seemingly as brother and sister to one another, and again he

wore his thoughtful look.

CHAPTER SIXTH: Claus Discovers Humanity

TAKING Claus to a small clearing in the forest, the Master said: ‘‘Place your hand upon my girdle and

hold fast while we journey through the air; for now shall we encircle the world and look upon many of the

haunts of those men from whom you are descended.’’

These words caused Claus to marvel, for until now he had thought himself the only one of his kind upon

the earth; yet in silence he grasped firmly the girdle of the great Ak, his astonishment forbidding speech.

Then the vast forest of Burzee seemed to fall away from their feet, and the youth found himself passing

swiftly through the air at a great height.

Ere long there were spires beneath them, while buildings of many shapes and colors met their downward

view. It was a city of men, and Ak, pausing to descend, led Claus to its inclosure. Said the Master:

‘‘So long as you hold fast to my girdle you will remain unseen by all mankind, though seeing clearly

yourself. To release your grasp will be to separate yourself forever from me and your home in Burzee.’’

One of the first laws of the Forest is obedience, and Claus had no thought of disobeying the Master’s

wish. He clung fast to the girdle and remained invisible.

Thereafter with each moment passed in the city the youth’s wonder grew. He, who had supposed

himself created differently from all others, now found the earth swarming with creatures of his own kind.

‘‘Indeed,’’ said Ak, ‘‘the immortals are few; but the mortals are many.’’

Claus looked earnestly upon his fellows. There were sad faces, gay and reckless faces, pleasant faces,

anxious faces and kindly faces, all mingled in puzzling disorder. Some worked at tedious tasks; some

strutted in impudent conceit; some were thoughtful and grave while others seemed happy and content.

Men of many natures were there, as everywhere, and Claus found much to please him and much to make

him sad.

But especially he noted the children--first curiously, then eagerly, then lovingly. Ragged little ones rolled

in the dust of the streets, playing with scraps and pebbles. Other children, gaily dressed, were propped

upon cushions and fed with sugar-plums. Yet the children of the rich were not happier than those playing

with the dust and pebbles, it seemed to Claus.

‘‘Childhood is the time of man’s greatest content,’’ said Ak, following the youth’s thoughts. ‘‘ ’Tis

during these years of innocent pleasure that the little ones are most free from care.’’

‘‘Tell me,’’ said Claus, ‘‘why do not all these babies fare alike?’’

‘‘Because they are born in both cottage and palace,’’ returned the Master. ‘‘The difference in the wealth

of the parents determines the lot of the child. Some are carefully tended and clothed in silks and dainty

linen; others are neglected and covered with rags.’’

‘‘Yet all seem equally fair and sweet,’’ said Claus, thoughtfully.

‘‘While they are babes--yes;’’ agreed Ak. ‘‘Their joy is in being alive, and they do not stop to think. In

after years the doom of mankind overtakes them, and they find they must struggle and worry, work and

fret, to gain the wealth that is so dear to the hearts of men. Such things are unknown in the Forest where

you were reared.’’ Claus was silent a moment. Then he asked:

‘‘Why was I reared in the forest, among those who are not of my race?’’

Then Ak, in gentle voice, told him the story of his babyhood: how he had been abandoned at the forest’s

edge and left a prey to wild beasts, and how the loving nymph Necile had rescued him and brought him

to manhood under the protection of the immortals.

‘‘Yet I am not of them,’’ said Claus, musingly.

‘‘You are not of them,’’ returned the Woodsman. ‘‘The nymph who cared for you as a mother seems

now like a sister to you; by and by, when you grow old and gray, she will seem like a daughter. Yet

another brief span and you will be but a memory, while she remains Necile.’’

‘‘Then why, if man must perish, is he born?’’ demanded the boy

‘‘Everything perishes except the world itself and its keepers,’’ answered Ak. ‘‘But while life lasts

everything on earth has its use. The wise seek ways to be helpful to the world, for the helpful ones are

sure to live again.’’

Much of this Claus failed to understand fully, but a longing seized him to become helpful to his fellows,

and he remained grave and thoughtful while they resumed their journey

They visited many dwellings of men in many parts of the world, watching farmers toil in the fields,

warriors dash into cruel fray, and merchants exchange their goods for bits of white and yellow metal. And

everywhere the eyes of Claus sought out the children in love and pity, for the thought of his own helpless

babyhood was strong within him and he yearned to give help to the innocent little ones of his race even as

he had been succored by the kindly nymph.

Day by day the Master Woodsman and his pupil traversed the earth, Ak speaking but seldom to the

youth who clung steadfastly to his girdle, but guiding him into all places where he might become familiar

with the lives of human beings.

And at last they returned to the grand old Forest of Burzee, where the Master set Claus down within the

circle of nymphs, among whom the pretty Necile anxiously awaited him.

The brow of the great Ak was now calm and peaceful; but the brow of Claus had become lined with

deep thought. Necile sighed at the change in her foster-son, who until now had been ever joyous and

smiling, and the thought came to her that never again would the life of the boy be the same as before this

eventful journey with the Master.

CHAPTER SEVENTH: Claus Leaves the Forest

WHEN good Queen Zurline had touched the golden chalice with her fair lips and it had passed around

the circle in honor of the travelers’ return, the Master Woodsman of the World, who had not yet spoken,

turned his gaze frankly upon Claus and said:

‘‘Well?’’

The boy understood, and rose slowly to his feet beside Necile. Once only his eyes passed around the

familiar circle of nymphs, every one of whom he remembered as a loving comrade; but tears came

unbidden to dim his sight, so he gazed thereafter steadfastly at the Master.

‘‘I have been ignorant,’’ said he, simply, ‘‘until the great Ak in his kindness taught me who and what I

am. You, who live so sweetly in your forest bowers, ever fair and youthful and innocent, are no fit

comrades for a son of humanity. For I have looked upon man, finding him doomed to live for a brief

space upon earth, to toil for the things he needs, to fade into old age, and then to pass away as the leaves

in autumn. Yet every man has his mission, which is to leave the world better, in some way, than he found

it. I am of the race of men, and man’s lot is my lot. For your tender care of the poor, forsaken babe you

adopted, as well as for your loving comradeship during my boyhood, my heart will ever overflow with

gratitude. My foster-mother,’’ here he stooped and kissed Necile’s white forehead, ‘‘I shall love and

cherish while life lasts. But I must leave you, to take my part in the endless struggle to which humanity is

doomed, and to live my life in my own way.’’

‘‘What will you do?’’ asked the Queen, gravely.

‘‘I must devote myself to the care of the children of mankind, and try to make them happy,’’ he

answered. ‘‘Since your own tender care of a babe brought to me happiness and strength, it is just and

right that I devote my life to the pleasure of other babes. Thus will the memory of the loving nymph

Necile be planted within the hearts of thousands of my race for many years to come, and her kindly act

be recounted in song and in story while the world shall last. Have I spoken well, O Master?’’

‘‘You have spoken well,’’ returned Ak, and rising to his feet he continued: ‘‘Yet one thing must not be

forgotten. Having been adopted as the child of the Forest, and the playfellow of the nymphs, you have

gained a distinction which forever separates you from your kind. Therefore, when you go forth into the

world of men you shall retain the protection of the Forest, and the powers you now enjoy will remain

with you to assist you in your labors. In any need you may call upon the Nymphs, the Ryls, the Knooks

and the Fairies, and they will serve you gladly. I, the Master Woodsman of the World, have said it, and

my Word is the Law!’’

Claus looked upon Ak with grateful eyes.

‘‘This will make me mighty among men,’’ he replied. ‘‘Protected by these kind friends I may be able to

make thousands of little children happy. I will try very hard to do my duty, and I know the Forest people

will give me their sympathy and help.’’

‘‘We will!’’ said the Fairy Queen, earnestly.

‘‘We will!’’ cried the merry Ryls, laughing.

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THELIFEANDADVENTURESOFSANTACLAUSbyL.FrankBaumwithmanypicturesbyMaryCowlesClarkTheBowen-MerrillCompanyPublishers,IndianapolisCopyright1902,TheBowen-MerrillCompanyToMySonHARRYNEALBAUMContentsBookFirstBurzeeTheChildoftheForestTheAdoptionClausTheMasterWoodsmanClausDiscoversHumanityClausLeavesthe...

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L. Frank Baum - The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus.pdf

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L. Frank Baum - The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus

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