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    A Little Book of Christmas
    A Little Book of Christmas
    A Little Book of Christmas
    Ebook85 pages1 hour

    A Little Book of Christmas

    By John Kendrick Bangs

    4.5/5

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    A Little Book of Christmas is a story written by John Kendrick Bangs. Four short Christmas stories, a bit sentimental, but still affecting and worthwhile. Plus Four Christmas verses. John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 – January 21, 1922) was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis Nehemiah Bangs was a lawyer in New York City, as was his brother, Francis S. Bangs. He went to Columbia College from 1880 to 1883 where he became editor of Columbia's literary magazine, Acta Columbia, and contributed short anonymous pieces to humor magazines. After graduation in 1883 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in Political Science, Bangs entered Columbia Law School but left in 1884 to become Associate Editor of Life under Edward S. Martin. Bangs contributed many articles and poems to the magazine between 1884 and 1888. During this period, Bangs published his first books. In 1888 Bangs left Life to work at Harper's Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Harper's Young People, though he continued to contribute to Life. From 1889 to 1900 he held the title of Editor of the Departments of Humor for all three Harper's magazines and from 1899 to 1901 served as active editor of Harper's Weekly. Bangs also served for a short time (January–June 1889) as the first editor of Munsey's Magazine and became editor of the American edition of the Harper-owned Literature from January to November 1899. In 1894, Bangs ran for the office of mayor of Yonkers, New York, but was defeated. He also was a member of the Board of Education in Yonkers. He left Harper & Brothers in 1901 and became editor of the New Metropolitan magazine in 1903. In 1904 he was appointed editor of Puck, perhaps the foremost American humor magazine of its day. In this period, he revived his earlier interest in drama. In 1906 he switched his focus to the lecture circuit.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSheba Blake Publishing
    Release dateAug 11, 2017
    ISBN9783962178536
    Author

    John Kendrick Bangs

    John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 – January 21, 1922) was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. (Wikipedia)

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    • 5/5
      This is a collection of four touching short stories focused on the "spirit of Christmas." Originally published in 1912 each story shows people discovering how to be charitable at Christmas through love of others.
    • 5/5
      Amazing little book of old fashioned Christmas stories written in the early 1900's. Christmas magic from long ago that is becoming less common in our world today when men were men, women were women and mankind actually cared about eachother. Must read!!!!
    • 3/5
      Nice Christmas stories for young children & some poems. Arthur Beecher's illustrations were excellent.

    Book preview

    A Little Book of Christmas - John Kendrick Bangs

    2017

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    A LITTLE BOOK OF CHRISTMAS

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    A TOAST TO SANTA CLAUS

    THE CONVERSION OF HETHERINGTON

    I

    II

    III

    IV

    V

    THE CHILD WHO HAD EVERYTHING BUT--

    I

    II

    III

    A HOLIDAY WISH

    SANTA CLAUS AND LITTLE BILLEE

    I

    II

    III

    IV

    CHRISTMAS EVE

    THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN SANTAS

    A TOAST TO SANTA CLAUS

    Whene'er I find a man who don't Believe in Santa Claus, And spite of all remonstrance won't Yield up to logic's laws, And see in things that lie about The proof by no means dim, I straightway cut that fellow out, And don't believe in him.

    The good old Saint is everywhere Along life's busy way. We find him in the very air We breathe day after day-- Where courtesy and kindliness And love are joined together, To give to sorrow and distress A touch of sunny weather.

    We find him in the maiden's eyes Beneath the mistletoe, A-sparkling as the star-lit skies All golden in their glow. We find him in the pressure of The hand of sympathy, And where there's any thought of love He's mighty sure to be.

    So here's to good old Kindliheart! The best bet of them all, Who never fails to do his part In life's high festival; The worthy bearer of the crown With which we top the Saint. A bumper to his health, and down With them that say he ain't!

    THE CONVERSION OF HETHERINGTON

    I

    Hetherington wasn't half a bad sort of a fellow, but he had his peculiarities, most of which were the natural defects of a lack of imagination. He didn't believe in ghosts, or Santa Claus, or any of the thousands of other things that he hadn't seen with his own eyes, and as he walked home that rather chilly afternoon just before Christmas and found nearly every corner of the highway decorated with bogus Saints, wearing the shoddy regalia of Kris-Kringle, the sight made him a trifle irritable. He had had a fairly good luncheon that day, one indeed that ought to have mellowed his disposition materially, but which somehow or other had not so resulted. In fact, Hetherington was in a state of raspy petulance that boded ill for his digestion, and when he had reached the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, the constant iteration and reiteration of these shivering figures of the god of the Yule had got on his nerves to such an extent as to make him aggressively quarrelsome. He had controlled the asperities of his soul tolerably well on the way uptown, but the remark of a small child on the highway, made to a hurrying mother, as they passed a stalwart-looking replica of the idol of his Christmas dreams, banging away on a tambourine to attract attention to the iron pot before him, placed there to catch the pennies of the charitably inclined wayfarer--Oh, mar, there's Sandy Claus now!--was too much for him.

    Tush! Nonsense! ejaculated Hetherington, glowering at the shivering figure in the turkey-red robe. The idea of filling children's minds up with such balderdash! Santa Claus, indeed! There isn't a genuine Santa Claus in the whole bogus bunch.

    The Saint on the corner banged his tambourine just under Hetherington's ear with just enough force to jar loose the accumulated irascibility of the well-fed gentleman.

    This is a fine job for an able-bodied man like you! said Hetherington with a sneer. Why don't you go to work instead of helping to perpetuate this annual fake?

    The Saint looked at him for a moment before replying.

    Speakin' to me? he said.

    Yes. I'm speaking to you, said Hetherington. Here's the whole country perishing for the lack of labor, and in spite of that fact this town has broken out into a veritable rash of fake Santa Clauses--

    That'll do for you! retorted Santa Claus. It's easy enough for a feller with a stomach full o' victuals and plenty of warm clothes on his back to jump on a hard-workin' feller like me--

    Hard-working? echoed Hetherington. I like that! You don't call loafing on a street corner this way all day long hard work, do you?

    He rather liked the man's spirit, despite his objection to his occupation.

    Suppose you try it once and find out, retorted Santa Claus, blowing on his bluish fingers in an effort to restore their clogged-up circulation. I guess if you tried a job like this just once, standin' out in the cold from eight in the mornin' to ten at night, with nothin' but a cup o' coffee and a ham-sandwich inside o' you--

    What's that? cried Hetherington, aghast. Is that all you've had to eat to-day?

    That's all, said the Saint, as he turned to his work with the tambourine. Try it once, mister, and maybe you won't feel so cock-sure about its not bein' work. If you're half the sport you think you are just take my place for a couple of hours.

    An appeal to his sporting instinct was never lost on Hetherington.

    By George! he cried. I'll go you. I'll swap coats with you, and while you're filling your stomach up I'll take your place, all right.

    What'll I fill me stomach up with? demanded the man. I don't look like a feller with a meal-ticket in his pocket, do I?

    "I'll take care

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