Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the ninth chapter of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.
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Take it chapter by chapter, one bite at a time so many adventures and mountains we can climb.
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One bite at a time.
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My name is Brie Carlyle and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.
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If you'd also like to hear what inspired your favorite classic author to write their novels and what was going on in the world at the time, check out the Bite at a Time Books Behind the Story podcast Wherever you listen to podcasts today, we'll be continuing the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L.
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Frank Baum.
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Two how Claus made the first toy.
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Truly, our Claws had wisdom for his good fortune, but strengthened his resolve to befriend the little ones of his own race.
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He knew his plan was approved by the immortals, else they would not have favored him so greatly.
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So he began at once to make acquaintance with mankind.
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He walked through the valley to the plain beyond, and crossed the plain in many directions to reach the abodes of men.
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These stood singly or in groups of dwellings called villages, and in nearly all the houses, whether big or little, Claws found children.
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The youngster soon came to know his merry, laughing face and the kind glance of his bright eyes.
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And the parents, while they regarded the young man with some scorn for loving children more than their elders, were content that the girls and boys had found a playfellow who seemed willing to amuse them.
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So the children romped and played games with Claws, and the boys rode upon his shoulders, and the girls nestled in his strong arms, and the babies clung fondly to his knees.
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Wherever the young man chanced to be, the sound of childish laughter followed him.
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And to understand this better, you must know that children were much neglected in those days and received little attention from their parents, so that it became to them a marvel that so goodly a man's, claws devoted his time to making them happy.
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And those who knew him were, you may be sure, very happy indeed.
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The sat faces of the poor and abused grew bright.
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For once the cripple smiled despite his misfortune.
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The ailing ones hushed their moans, and the grieved ones their cries.
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When their merry friend came nigh to comfort them.
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Only at the beautiful palace of the Lord of LURD and the frowning castle of the Baron Braun was Claude's refused admittance there were children at both places, but the servants at the palace shut the door in the young stranger's face, and the fierce baron threatened to hang him from an iron hook on the castle walls.
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Whereupon Claus sighed and went back to the poorer dwellings where he was welcome.
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After a time the winter drew near.
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The flowers lived out their lives and faded and disappeared.
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The beetles burrowed far into the warm earth, the butterflies deserted the meadows, and the voice of the brook grew hoarse as if it had taken cold.
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One day snowflakes filled all the air in the laughing valley, dancing boisterously toward the earth and clothing in pure white raiment.
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The roof of Claus's dwelling at night.
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Jack Frost wrapped at the door.
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Come in.
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Cried Claus.
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Come out, answered Jack, for you have a fire inside.
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So claus came out.
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He had known Jack Frost in the forest and liked the jolly rogue even while he mistrusted him.
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There will be rare sport for me tonight, Claus.
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Shouted the sprite.
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Isn't this glorious weather?
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I shall nip scores of noses and ears and toes before daybreak.
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If you love me, Jack, spare the children, begged claws.
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And why?
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Asked the other in surprise.
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They are tender and helpless, answered Claus.
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But I love to nip the tender ones, declared Jack.
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The older ones are tough and tire my fingers.
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The young ones are weak and cannot fight you, said Claus.
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True.
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Agreed, jack thoughtfully.
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Well, I will not pinch a child this night if I can resist the temptation he promised.
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Good night, Clause.
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Good night.
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The young man went in and closed the door, and Jack Frost ran onto the nearest village.
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Claus threw a log on the fire, which burned up brightly.
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Beside the hearth sat Blinky, a big cat.
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Give him by Peter the nook.
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Her fur was soft and glossy, and she purred never ending songs of contentment.
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I shall not see the children again soon, said Claus to the cat, who kindly paused in her song to listen.
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The winter is upon us.
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The snow will be deep for many days, and I shall be unable to play with my little friends.
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The cat raced a paw and stroked her nose thoughtfully, but made no reply.
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So as long as the fire burned and Claus sat in his easy chair by the hearth, she did not mind the weather, so past many days and many long evenings the cupboard was always full.
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But Claus became weary with having nothing to do more than to feed the fire from the big wood pile the nooks had brought him.
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One evening he picked up a stick of wood and began to cut it with his sharp knife.
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He had no thought at first except to occupy his time, and he whistled and sang to the cat as he carved away portions of the stick.
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Puss sat up on her haunches and watched him listening at the same time to her master's merry whistle, which she loved to hear even more than her own Purring songs.
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Claus glanced at Puss and then at the stick.
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He was whittling until presently the wood began to have a shape and the shape was like the head of a cat with two ears sticking upward.
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Claus stopped whistling to laugh, and then both he and the cat looked at the wooden image in some surprise.
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Then he carved out the eyes and the nose and rounded the lower part of the head so that it rested upon a neck plus hardly knew what to make of it now and sat up stiffly as if watching with some suspicion what would come next.
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Claus knew the head gave him an idea.
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He plied his knife carefully and with skill, forming slowly the body of the cat, which he made to sit upon its haunches, as the real cat did with her tail wound around her two front legs.
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The work cost him much time, but the evening was long and he had nothing better to do.
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Finally he gave a loud and delighted laugh at the result of his labors and placed the wooden cat, now completed, upon the hearth opposite the real one.
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Puss thereupon glared at her image, raised her hair in anger and uttered a defiant mew.
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The wooden cat paid no attention and Claws, much amused, laughed again, then blinky, advanced toward the wooden image to eye it closely and smell of it intelligently eyes and nose told her the creature was wood in spite of its natural appearance.
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So Puss resumed her seat and her Purring but as she neatly washed her face with her padded paw, she cast more than one admiring glance at her clever master.
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Perhaps she felt the same satisfaction we feel when we look upon good photographs of ourselves.
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The cat's master was himself pleased with his handiwork, without knowing exactly why.
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Indeed, he had great cause to congratulate himself that night and all the children throughout the world should have joined him rejoicing, for Claws had made his first toy.
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Thank you for joining Bite at a Time Books today while we read a bite of one of your favorite classics.
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Again, my name is Brie Carlyle and I hope you come back tomorrow for the next bite of the life and adventures of Santa Claus.
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You can check out the show notes or our website, byteimebooks.com for the rest of the links.
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