Life — December 1, 1910 — page 43: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Jenene. ens Mrs. Santa Claus: pear, pear! “Now, I was not the one who was deceived, but you were— you are!’’ “What do you mean?’ “It's really amusing—and in a man of your years, too! Well, it didn’t And you think that you are doing some good! take a woman of my discernment long to find out the truth. You don’t know, do you, that nobody believes in you? ”” “ Nobody believes in me!"* “Yes! Being a stupid man, you have come to think you are a kind of saint, and that you are making folks happy. Nonsense! Why, under their sleeves they laugh at you. The children tolerate the idea of you good-naturedly and smile discreetly when you are mentioned. Why, most of the chim- ney-pieces were decorated before I came. Think of it! And they caricature you in the strect by imitating your make-up! Dear, dear! You are only a huge joke, I hate to see a man making a fool of himself, but I suppose you will go on doing YOU ARE ONLY A HUGE JOKE. it as long as you live. And now I must go in and get a bite to eat." She disappeared through the tesselated igaioo and for a long time Santa Claus sat watching the Northern Lights play- ing hide-and-seek on the distant horizon. His pet polar bear, in a fit of some subtle, innate animal sympathy, came up and rubbed his nose against the old man's stomach—that famous stomach—the herald of all the ages. Then Santa Claus, bracing up stolidly and throwing out his chest, the old twinkle resumed, for you can't keep a good Santa Claus down for long, said to the bear: “So the old lady thinks I am deceived! Well, I am—by nine-tenths of them, But here and there in the vast crowd is a rarc soul who still keeps faith with me, who knows that if there is any reality at all I am, who understands me, enters into my spirit and whom I would not disappoint for worlds, That is my recompense for being such a joke to all the rest of them. And she—and she—she will never know—being a woman! ’” LAUGHS NS