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‘Cause he’s the little-est, you know,
An’ allus has b’en humored so!)
Nen Uncle gits the flat-arn out,
An’, while he’s tellin’ us all ’bout

Old Chris’mus-times when he’s a kid,
He ist cracked hickernuts, he did,
Till they’s a crockful, mighty nigh!
An’ when they’re all done by an’ by,
He raked the red coals out again
An’ telled me, “Fetch that popcorn in,
An’ old three-leggud skillut–an’
The led an’ all now, little man,–
An’ yer old Uncle here ‘ull show
You how corn’s popped, long years ago
When me an’ Santy Claus wuz boys
On Pap’s old place in Illinoise!–

An’ your Pa, too, wuz chums, all through,
With Santy!–Wisht Pa’d be here, too!”
Nen Uncle sigh at Ma, an’ she
Pat him again, an’ say to me

An’ Etty,–“You take warning fair!–
Don’t talk too much, like Uncle there,
Ner don’t fergit, like him, my dears,
That ‘little pitchers has big ears!'”
But Uncle say to her, “Clear out!–
Yer brother knows what he’s about.–
You git your Chris’mus-cookin’ done
Er these pore childern won’t have none!”
Nen Trip wake up an’ raise, an’ nen
Turn roun’ an’ nen lay down again.
An’ one time Uncle Sidney say,–
“When dogs is sleepin’ thataway,

Like Trip, an’ whimpers, it’s a sign
He’ll ketch eight rabbits–mayby nine—
Afore his fleas’ll wake him–nen
He’ll bite hisse’f to sleep again

An try to dream he’s go’ ketch ten.”
An’ when Ma’s gone again back in
The kitchen, Uncle scratch his chin
An’ say, “When Santy Claus an’ Pa
An’ me wuz little boys–an’ Ma,
When she’s ’bout big as Etty there;–
W’y,–‘When we’re growed–no matter where,’
Santy he cross’ his heart an’ say,–
‘I’ll come to see you, all, some day
When you’ got childerns–all but me
An’ pore old Sid!'” Nen Uncle he
Ist kindo’ shade his eyes an’ pour’

‘Bout forty-‘leven bushels more
O’ popcorn out the skillut there
In Ma’s new basket on the chair.
An’ nen he telled us–an’ talk’ low,

“So Ma can’t hear,” he say:–“You know
Yer Pa know’, when he drived away,
Tomorry’s go’ be Chris’mus-Day;–
Well, nen tonight,” he whisper, “see?–
It’s go’ be Chris’mus-Eve,” says-ee,
“An’, like yer Pa hint, when he went,
Old Santy Claus (now hush!) he’s sent
Yer Pa a postul-card, an’ write
He’s shorely go’ be here tonight….
That’s why yer Pa’s so bored to be
Away tonight, when Santy he
Is go’ be here, sleighbells an’ all,

To make you kids a Chris’mus-call!”
An’ we’re so glad to know fer shore
He’s comin’, I roll on the floor–
An’ here come Trip a-waller’n’ roun’

An’ purt’-nigh knock the clo’eshorse down!–
An’ Etty grab Lee-Bob an’ prance
All roun’ the room like it’s a dance–
Till Ma she come an’ march us nen
To dinner, where we’re still again,
But tickled so we ist can’t eat
But pie, an’ ist the hot mincemeat
With raisins in.–But Uncle et,
An’ Ma. An’ there they set an’ set
Till purt’-nigh supper-time; nen we
Tell him he’s got to fix the Tree
‘Fore Santy gits here, like he said.

We go nen to the old woodshed–
All bundled up, through the deep snow–
“An’ snowin’ yet, jee-rooshy-O!”
Uncle he said, an’ he’p us wade

Back where’s the Chris’mus-Tree he’s made
Out of a little jackoak-top
He git down at the sawmill-shop–
An’ Trip ‘ud run ahead, you know,
An’ ‘tend-like he ‘uz eatin’ snow–
When we all waddle back with it;
An’ Uncle set it up–an’ git
It wite in front the fireplace–’cause
He says “‘Tain’t so ‘at Santy Claus
Comes down all chimblies,–least, tonight
He’s comin’ in this house all right–
By the front-door, as ort to be!–