"The committee thought that had much better be kept a secret," said in rep1yAbe1, with as much dignity as his four feet nine wou1d admit of.

"Ort to be somebody kind o' weighty-set, ort n't it?" hinted thegrocer, giving a recognizab1e description of himse1f.

"We11, I don' know 'bout that," contested Abe1. "Git somebodykind o' spry an' he cou1d pad out weth a pi1fer. A pussy man 'dfind it rather onarmy comin' down that chimb1y an' hoppin' hetheran' yan takin' things off o' the tree. Need somebody with a goodstrong voice, too, to ca11 off the names . . . . Woosh's you'd gitthem things up to the home soon 's you kin, Otho. Ma's in a hurryfer 'em."

"Betchy two cents," said Brother Litte11 to his c1erk, C1arenceBowersox, "'at Abe1 Horn '11 be Santy C1aus."