l DECEMBER 11. 1949

RENE THE REINDEER

Th, [up shop was keeping busy m me time now. There were 400 m. mp, in be painted, 900 dolls

be stuffed. 500 baby daancing w, ti“; needed the dance Put in than, Wt to be finished of! by m, gives, and there was . . . . r5939," came a loud voice, "How m “n; get out of the Sl/Blblo into weloygnnp? Come cm now. Come ‘n n0“; out _\0ll g0." The fat gnome W, y... poillfdfi eyes made a run u Llle baby reindeer swooping his m, out like a snow-plow, trying w (allfil him before he escaped out lhe door. "dosh. what. are we going m do with that reindeer?" the 0m,- iiskr-d a snow elf who was tuning tho keys of ll. toy

"ilgfi, 0h" sighed the snow elf, 14m‘! ask me things like that when you see 1m w king. Now see what

- You've made nie no all backwards. And world would know bow ward songs. I don't. Do

i?’

seiCo-ne noun Come now." said the

._ », "don't make a. fuse. yo, lng too hard these “,5, .»\ .i.r can S00 that. But 3,9,, 3,»: niri; to talking about that baby l‘9Zl'.(i(i‘I'. What's his great mo, of running in here whenever b, {can iike it. Do you know ohm bozhorzng him?"

"Come lo think of it." said the snow elf as he swung around on 51.51001. "Santa was wondering w,“ ggo. We found him in here. mating around and around the $13,“? had to catch him and put m}, bu), in tho reindeer stable. my h» can run too," added the grow oil, iflkllli,’ of! his white, gout-d gfaflcs and rubbing his syei. “lit- sllil can run."

Rene certainly could run. He had run fa‘: out into the snow fields. swooping and sailing in the whirl- ing eddies of snow that circled high like a giant's long curls blow- ing in the nind. Soon his baiby legs got med. Ills tender ears be- gan to feel as though he had 10st than; in ills wild I809. He decided to m bark tn the stalble.

‘liq, thMft? Blitzen." called a lironn aid rr-zndcer who was munch- ing siraw. "Remember the last tne w. .‘.eiv over the great forest

hon nt- saw the thousand lighted

clinsimas irces in the middle of the wood. We sauz" . . . and the wCllt on. Rene crept into the raw, stable and tried to look inter- $1M in to old reindoers story.

‘mm now uniii Christmas. that's

1.. that 1'11 hear around this place.

Nothing else. Just everything that

has happened to them c/n their 3 trips." Rene hogan munching some i’ muidrer izluss that. Santa had i brought thr-m as a. special treat.

' "Being a haiby rcitidec-i- is no fun. [never get i0 do anything. I Wish

l could take the toys around Chasm: night." Nmhing would oonri-iu Reno thlt he was much woanliil. lie really thought he fill-id coma flying through the air Iii-l the rest of Santa's team who 1M been doing it for Years. 9mm. dream was all he could do.

Ht saw himself taking lmndles of

W." to children. lie would have

wonderful adventures that he could

tai with the other reindeer. Then it Wald take one of those dancing

Ill that he watched mow-elf

Imle cw-ry day to any little girl or

boytha! would want it. He would

uriio LEADER. or nm ma“, -l‘. what he would be the danc-

»;. prnziciirg. leader of the team.

llhoo. and all of a sudden the Illld ililWV his ears back. Thank |°°‘"i"*\* 'i\<‘.\' can bend. He felt m” Y3 t "WY had been frozen Hill Rina and the gnomu were

~- he \'i the door. Woosa went that \\-_:,ii. lloooooollOl-IOHDHO bnllfa‘: laugh disappeared tom his throat. The wind had

fawn i: there. "nououonomi-

iifliioinimiioniantinono my

fihiskrrs are frozen stiff together."

MOQOHHO HAAYAAA HOHOHO.

Aft roar think it's cold Donner? *°l_l'°‘~l soiling ready for this

km. Hope cveryonn he“ i; “t.

w 11's of reindeer grass. That's c stuff. That's the stuff."

RSaiiin iwnt around to each of the “i”? railing ihmt and smooth- " thru- warm brown backs.

‘Wat's into I see?" Santa. look- mldou-n on Rom‘, who had bits of omens reindeer grass sticking ‘£000 the corners of hi; mouth, Hmlkn M our ‘baby. HDHO-

OOOOOHOHOHO. He's eat-

“ "mil rral reindeer food. Ara ' mills with us thi - IZOHOHOHOHJ.“ s you-f HO

nest: EXPLAIN!

1W hushed the stray bits of m" 1M0 his mouth viriith his . hf- Santa bent down and pet- 0" i! hccd. "Eh Rene baby, are "fins the reindeer grass no

u can come with usj», ° other reindeer and smiled at RATIG “hill! hidden in the Ho" HOHOHOHOHOHOHO in ‘ndand Sanita doubled up mi again. ‘That's why he $05 li- I know now why ho

_ me "the w: Shop. He worm Hoflahiih us Christmas Eve. ,_ M 0H0‘. And Santa __ lad stroked Rene on the

turned

1""; {Te Gnomes had finished “d Sam e reindeer in the linlls .1,‘ end? had finished talking ., w“; c?“ i’! “Mn, the great “m! Mend mun. closing out

_ Hm fr i" WOW. closing out hi"! in an the stars that were r who r, e “""°"°"' 0f the bun s... ;_ gfnfhe lav shop sounds m" ‘m-Inltlwit trod.‘ tflnk l-tink m’ Ho“ ‘ hot could be hen-e], m; lrrai hdrnasgorglgegqyrit:

so - -

n-,.ge°""lrniti1lfi the snow again. ‘rm the on, “h”! (‘Ire-fully b!- P busy soimziw 1nd“! town-d- '- ilf- Sim“- s o the 1'0? BhOD. u. .M|km elves with their I aprons were bent

over tapping at carts and lkoot- ere. Rene slipped in the lighted doorway. No one bad heard him come into the room this time.

"would you hand me that can of red paint?" a white snow fairy asked a brown gnome. "Give me one of the painting brushes too. 1 think I'll finish up this art now." The gnome handed over this brush and the paint to the white snow fairy, who took it without even saying thank you he was in such a great hurry.

Rene lllipped in buck when the finished toys were kept. He was looking for a white sleigh with yellow strrlplng and gold bells. One day w'hen he had come in he had seen it. It was just his size. The little, bright yellow harness would jimt llip over his head and M down over bis body. Stepping over the traces he titted himself into the sleigh. Oh! the tlnkling bells were calling him to have this sleigh for his own. It should be filled with toys and he should take it around to all the smallest child- ren. No he would look after the presents for all babies born on Christmas Eve!

“Look, they he is. Catch h-irn. Catch him before he gets out on us again.” -

The brown gnome and three white snow fairies dashed into the store room before the surprised Rene could even step away from the sleigh. They flung themselves on him. One catching hold of his feet and another throwing himself into the sleigh and catching Rene by his shout, stubby tai’. The other two stood on guard.

"Hurrah! now we've got him."

Rene was angry. He kicked and kicked with his tiny hoofs. "You let me go. You let me go."

But the more he kicked. the more they held fast. laughing. "We'll not hurt you rt all. We'll not hurt you."

"We just want you to tell us what you want: around here. You're not supposed to be in here you know.”

Rene opened his eyes and began to tell them. "I want to go around Christmas eve, with everyone. I don't like being left all alone. Anyway I want. to go and use this sleigh to deliver presents. Don't you think that it suits me?"

The gnomes and,fairies were laughing. “You're too little ‘r.'ou'ra only e baby. What makes you think that you can go?"

"I can run!"

“Oh, sure, you can run. Not many people can run like you can. But you couldn't go as far an Santa goes on Christmas Eve!"

Rene stepped out of the sleigh. "Well I was just trying the sleigh on for size anyway. Goodnight!" And he lnrrrled back to the stable.

SNOW IN SANTA’! EARS

When Rene left the toy shop he pushed himself through the soft fl kes that had piled up in little ri u around the reindce ltsble door,“I guess I just can't ride in tlnt sleigh," he said as he burrow- ed in the warm straw for a good night's rest looking more like a largo brown mouse tlun a baby reindeer. The derkneq in the stable closed down on hirn and he was sound asleep.

Daylight comes early at tihe North Pole so Santa can get to work on all the extra toys. The bugle went, Hurry, hurry, hurry. Scurry. ecurry. and the slww elves and brown gnomes tumbled out of their beds, pulled on their fur suits and ran for the toy shop. To- day all tho white, snow elves were working on music boxes. Tobi, the snow elf wiitth the frosty white glasses was cutting little dancing figures out of wood. to paint and fit uip into a gay. swirling rrverry- go round. "Wiskin, was it you who caught that baby reindeer stand- lng in the toy store room in the white sleight I made?"

A little fellow in a brown suit laughed and stopped his work to tell all the others about the mis- chiezf Rene had been getting him- self irrto. Funny little fellow. Won't say in hi: stall in the rein- deer stable at al-l. We mrflt do anything with him. He lays that he is going to go on the trip on Christmas nlghrt."

The laughter that came from this remark of the brown elf would have made Rene terribly lad if he had heard it. But he was hr from hearing any of the laughter. He was oc in the carriage shop where Same was helping the elvu pol- ish up the raindeei-‘s harness with the golden bells. The hsrnea wns lpreld out on a long table that ran the length of the long work- shop. Bandit‘ over it were sev- eral of the elves and Santa. They all had their shirt sleeves rolled up to their ehpulders and their lime were covered with polishing wax. Rene lowed the Ineli ol the leather helm rubber. He loved to listen to the tinkling of the belle n they were being polished by the brown elves with large pieces of loft flannel. He was Gleaming he wu in the clean harness.

"Diocon in the men shirt there." called Bent: to e. tiny elf whose job ii was to polish the tiny gold- en tongues of the harness hells. "Diccon in the green shirt them. come over here a menu-at."

Diccon hopped down from the table and ran back acros the room to Sonia. "Yea sir. what il it?"

"Could you get a couple of the reindeer hitcheilup to my second- bcot sleigh? I'd like to make a trip over to the west \V00dS before din- nertegoteomelfi-hataoecid

How Rene The Reindeer Got His Christmas Wish

Tl-ZE GUARDIAN.

CHAR

Wood lrctn the songtoing tree to 1031i: a icw more VtUllllS. Better get it done right away." Santa bent over to finish off his work and ‘the other elf hurried away to get the reindeer ready to sliart oft,

"Hnwi." though. Rene, “they are 80mg on a trip, JLISL a small trip, but 1 think i will g0 along. lil need to go in one way. Because 1 will have to know how to act on a trip with Santa if I'll be going along on Christmas Eve. 1 just. have tu be prepared." He follow- ed Diocori into the stable.

While Diccon was harnessing Danzen and Blltzen. Rene looked all around for Santa's second best sleigh. Was it the one with the red and yellow flowers painted on the sides? Was it the one wiith the green Christmas byes carved on the wooden doors? Was-that it over in the corner with the curling runner that wen-t around in lev- eral circles‘! Nu that looked as though ii. hadn't been used for years and yours. Rene decided that it was the sleigh with the rod and yellow flowers painted on the sides. He climbed into it and sat under the back scat.

Soon Diccon had everything ready and Santa and he were rid- ing over the snow, with Rene hid- ing under the seat. crouched down. The Songbong tree was away over the ice hills. Santa got his saw out. before they came to the tree so he WOliiCi be ready to hop out and bvgin taking in the wood. Rene was excited. He crept out from under the seat and stood behind Santa as he drove the splendid reindeer over the icy mad. "Whoa, urhoa," and they were there.

San-ta began to work righ-t away. But. Oh Dear, he began on the wrong branch. He didn't notice that the branch beside it was cov- cred with snow. Piop down it came all over him. "Ugh. Bah, Ugh. splutter, splu-tter." These were the sounds he made as he tried to brush the clouds of snow away from him. "Oh my cans are hill of snow. My whiskers are freezing up. My nose ls a lum-p of ice. Help ma. help me."

Diccon rushed over and began to brush as hard as he could. "Ouch, your hands are too cold, Diccon. stop that."

Poor Rene he wanted to help Sarita so much he jumped right ou-t of his hiding place and began to lidk the snow away with his warm tongue. He had scrambled right up on Santa's shoulder and was licking the snow right out of Santa's ears. "That's better Dic- con." said Santa whose eyes were still together, "ithiats mudh better." "But Sanita." shouted the surpris- ed Diccon. "I'm not doing it!"

RENE rs some near

When Santa went out to cuit a piece from the Son tong tree he didn't know that h would meet with an accident. He started saw- ing tihe big limb off the tree not looking to ace if the cout was clear. What happened All the snow from the branch aibove fell down all over Santa and nearly smothered him. When Dicoon, the little green-shirted elif, tried to help by brushing him ofl. Santa shouted that Dixon's hands were too cold. "Stop that Diecon. Ohlrhh your hands are cold." When Rene. unho had been hiding under the back scat of Santa's second-best sleigh. heard thiil he wanted to help Santa so much he juot jump- ed out of his hiding place. scramb- led up on Santa's shoulder and began to liok the snow of‘! with his warm tongue. “Oh that’: bet- ter," sighed Santa, "that's much better Diccon. Just brush a little more of the snow out of my ears."

"But Santa." shouted the nur- prised Diocon. "I'm not brushing the snow out of your ears! It's that baby reindeer."

"Wheaaaaat?" and Santa opened his eyelids as fer as he could with- out letting any of the snow get into his eyes. "Wihnaaaat?"

Rene crouched down a little bit on his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't be noticed. Santa's hand came up and caught him and put him down on the sleigh again. "WELL. I see where I am going to have to watch you very carefully." He stroked Reneb ears. “Oh, you're some help though. You're some help. ‘flunk you for wann- ingupmyeomflulyesrmmtbe cold yourself. Here, put this seal- skln wrap around you.”

"I'm not cold; I'm not cdl ." Rene called and he run into the snow to show that he was so warm he would melt any snow that he would tmrch. He run round and

round the tree, round and round Santa, round and round Diccon the green-mined elf.

"Stop you're trunking us dizzy. You're making the mow fly. Hell, little fellow."

But Rene COULDN'T strip, '10 kept on going, going, going. around and around.

"Catch him Dicoon before he rune himself out." called Santa through the snow fog. "Catch him."

Diwoa caught Rene around the

middle. And put him in the sleigh again.

"Now," llid Santa. "let's get down to businem. Hand me that saw again. Diocon."

Rene lay watching the piles of the lovely wood grow and grow. It would be used for singing vilo- lins, for tiny pianos and music boxes. "But wiill I get to take any

of them around? I hope so," thought Rene, "Oh, I hope so." Rene looked at. Danzer and

Blitzen. They were standing wait- ing patiently for Diccon and Santa to shout. "Whooo of! we goo." I will have to learn to be that quiet and wait that patiently. Perhaps this would be a good time to prac- tice!" Rene slipped down beside the two reindeer and stood" just as they were standing. He watched how they would rest their feet in the snow. Then he would rest his that way. Sometimes they would stretch their heads and antlers back for something to do vi/hile they were waiting. Rene would put his head back too. But h,- couldntput his antlers back, bo- cause he didn't have any yet. Bliitzen the big reindeer licked his tongue around his mouth. Rene would lick hiis. "My I am learning lot today!" said Rene to himself "A lot, a lot, a lot, I‘rn glad I came."

Soon the wood was all piled in the sleigh and Santa called to Rene "Oomc one little ear-warmer we are gain-g home. '

THE TOY SHOP PARTY

When they returned the Toy shop windows were lighting the snow banks to look like gold amd silver tinsel. "Hurrah shouted Dlocon. “We're just in time for the party."

“Party'.’" asked Santa. "Who's having a party?"

“The elvw and gnomes are hav- ing a toy-making party in the Toy Shop. And we are supposed to go too. Don't you think it will be good fun?"

"Sounds like wonderful fun. Just a minute until we tie up the rein- dter in the stsilile." said Santa. as he slid out of the sleigh, putting his feet on the shiny snow. “Be sure to give them some reindeer grass. They need all they can get now."

Dtccon led Blitzen and Danzer away to the staibles, with the littli- est reindeer hiding in the back of Santa's second-best sleigh. "He said ‘we’ and that means me too. I guess I will have to go with them. Be- cause he did say ‘We’ anyway I heard him. He said. ‘We're just in time for the party.‘ Yes, I sure am. And I'm hungry too."

The reindeer were put in their stalls and eating their evening feed. Rene slipped out of the sleigh and pulled at Dlccon's boot-tops. "Hello". Rene pulled again, "Hello."

"What's the matter now, little one?" Diecon asked rather cross- 1y? He was in a hurry to get to the fun inside the toy shop and didn't like being stopped just as he was about to leave.

Rene pawcd the ground. “You said, "We are just in time for the party. Didn't you?"

"Yes," said Dicon going out the door. “I said that."

"Oh good." cried Rene jumping up and down. "That means me too

“You're bound that you will g-i everywhere aren't you? After all."

said Diooon rather haughtlly, "You're just a relndecr and the party is for all the elves and

memes that are making toys."

“Oh," and Rene felt very much a very small reindeer who didn't really belong anywhere at all. “Oh. then I can't come?"

“Oh, I didn't mean that." stut- NPBd 13106011. "You can be ml‘ guest. Let's not waste any more time. Let's go right now. Ctmc on."

The two of them flew into ‘the Toy Shop. Everyone was singing. Everyone was ‘happy. Bang. bang. wont the tiny ‘hammers. The air was filled with the wonderful smell of fresh clean paint. The Elves had Itrung colored lights from each corner of the room. making the room seam a thousand different col- ors. Wiskin was running about with his best party suit on. It was bright yellow with little stars sewn on it from collar to cufl. His bright yel- low cap shone like the sun and so did Wleklrrs face he was so oom- pletely happy.

Every elf was working on a wy- They were the last toys to be fln- ished of! and painted up. "The very last ones,” said Wiakin excitedly to Santa who was cutting the frosted cake with the icing made from golden eun honey and foamed ice- creem. "We've finished of! thr- my: while you were away I don't think there il another thing left to make."

"What about the violins you were going to make Santa?" asked Dic- oon. Plicmmntaer, we got some wood from the Songtmig tree. What about that?"

"Well. yee. I did Wiskln. I want» ed three more violins and two more pianos."

The elves looked Badly at one an- other. five-Jive more things to make! And just where they were going to have some calm and ice- cream.

"No, no. I will make them iny- sell." eaid Santa when he saw the elves‘ faces. "Nn. we» mustn't wnrk Blmnorc tonight. We must have a puw]: