ce to prevent his escape.

Deprived thus of light and food, and with little air to breathe, our
Claus was, indeed, in a pitiful plight. But he spoke the mystic words
of the Fairies, which always command their friendly aid, and they came
to his rescue and transported him to the Laughing Valley in the
twinkling of an eye.

Thus the Awgwas discovered they might not destroy one who had earned
the friendship of the immortals; so the evil band sought other means of
keeping Claus from bringing happiness to children and so making them
obedient.

Whenever Claus set out to carry his toys to the little ones an Awgwa,
who had been set to watch his movements, sprang upon him and snatched
the toys from his grasp. And the children were no more disappointed
than was Claus when he was obliged to return home disconsolate. Still
he persevered, and made many toys for his little friends and started
with them for the villages. And always the Awgwas robbed him as soon
as he had left the Valley.

They threw the stolen playthings into one of their lonely caverns, and
quite a heap of toys accumulated before Claus became discouraged and
gave up all attempts to leave the Valley. Then children began coming
to him, since they found he did not go to them; but the wicked Awgwas
flew around them and caused their steps to stray and the paths to
become crooked, so never a little one could find a way into the
Laughing Valley.

Lonely days now fell upon Claus, for he was denied the pleasure of
bringing happiness to the children whom he had learned to love. Yet he
bore up bravely, for he thought surely the time would come when the
Awgwas would abandon their evil designs to injure him.

He devoted all his hours to toy-making, and when one plaything had been
completed he stood it on a shelf he had built for that purpose. When
the shelf became filled with rows of toys he made another one, and
filled that also. So that in time he had many shelves filled with gay
and beautiful toys representing horses, dogs, cats, elephants, lambs,
rabbits and deer, as well as pretty dolls of all sizes and balls and
marbles of baked clay painted in gay colors.

Often, as he glanced at this array of childish treasures, the heart of
good old Claus became sad, so greatly did he long to carry the toys to
his children. And at last, because he could bear it no longer, he
ventured to go to the great Ak, to whom he told the story of his
persecution by the Awgwas, and b