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Title: A Defective Santa Claus

Author: James Whitcomb Riley

Illustrator: C. M. Relyea and Will Vawter

Release Date: December 25, 2006 [EBook #20181]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

A Defective Santa Claus

[Illustration]

A Defective Santa Claus

JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

_With Pictures by_

C. M. RELYEA

_and_

WILL VAWTER

INDIANAPOLIS
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

Copyright 1904
James Whitcomb Riley

* * * * *

December

PRESS OF
BRAUNWORTH & CO.
BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS
BROOKLYN, N. Y.

_DEDICATION_

_To_

HEWITT HANSON HOWLAND

WITH HALEST CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
AND FRATERNAL

_Little Boy! Halloo!--halloo!
Can't you hear me calling you?--
Little Boy that used to be,
Come in here and play with me._

A Defective Santa Claus

[Illustration]

A Defective Santa Claus

Allus when our Pa he's away
Nen Uncle Sidney comes to stay
At our house here--so Ma an' me
An' Etty an' Lee-Bob won't be
Afeard ef anything at night
Might happen--like Ma says it might.

(Ef _Trip_ wuz _big_, I bet you he
'Uz best watch-dog you ever see!)
An' so last winter--ist before
It's go' be Chris'mus-Day,--w'y, shore
Enough, Pa had to haf to go
To 'tend a lawsuit--"An' the snow
Ist right fer Santy Claus!" Pa said,
As he clumb in old Ayersuz' sled,
An' said he's sorry _he_ can't be
With us that night--"'Cause," he-says-ee,
"Old Santy _might_ be comin' here--
This very night of all the year

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

_I'_ got to be away!--so all
You kids must tell him--ef he call--
He's mighty welcome, an' yer Pa
He left his love with you an' Ma

An' Uncle Sid!" An' clucked, an' leant
Back, laughin'--an' away they went!
An' Uncle wave' his hands an' yells
"Yer old hors