ff a bit on the outsquirts. Then the ambulances give
out and the fainting women was carried home in express wagons and
wheelbarrows. The subway was the only line that could run cars.

At 8:30 the doors opened. You should of seen the rush. The Galveston
flood wasn't in it. At 8:45 the Garden was so full they closed the
doors. That sent some of the outside crowd home.

The Garden was a beautiful sight. On the tower outside, in big electric
letters, there was a sign, "Merry Christmas to you and yours."

Inside it was decorated with holly leaves and berries--tons and tons of
it. At one end was built a big house with a chimbly and an old-fashioned
fireplace. The roof of the house was covered with snow (cotton), and
the sky back of it was full of electric stars that twinkled something
beautiful. And there was a moon that looked like the real thing.

There was four bands in the balconies and a chorus of angels with real
wings and electric halos. They sang "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men,"
written for the occasion by Mr. De Koven.

By and by all the bands bust out gorgeous, and then Santy Claus appeared
in a sleigh drawed by six real live stuffed reindeers. He run along the
sky on unseen grooves and drove up to the roof of the house, and slid
down the chimbly with a pack of presents. He filled all the stockings
with candy cornycopies and toys, and a lot of attendants passed 'em out
to the childern. You should of heard them squeal with joy--poor little
tots, living in hotels and apartment places where Santy Claus would of
had to come up the steam radiator or the gas-log pipe to get in. Well,
my Santy Claus had to make sixteen trips to satisfy the childern.

The Garden was divided into sections, one for every State and Territory,
with its own shield in electric lights and colors. There was a native of
every State in charge, and every State had its own big Christmas tree,
and reception-room and refreshments. Some of the people I noticed seemed
to of been born in several States at once, the way they passed from one
booth to another fillin' up their pockets and stummicks. I reckon they
paid for it the next day in doctors' bills.

But there was nary a sign of rowdyism. That dollar admission was a
regular sieve for straining out the toughs. Then there were policemen
everywhere, and every other man nearly was a plain-clothes man or a
detective. Besides, after sober consideration, and on advice from the
Gardeners, I cut out all