THE GAY LITTLE TOWN OF BO-PEEP
THE GAY LITTLE TOWN OF BO-PEEP
Santa Claus stood on the front steps of his Snow Palace at the very tip-top of the North Pole.
Softly, very softly, the great door behind him swung open and out rushed the Brownies, pulling on their scarlet caps, fastening their mittens, and laughing and shouting and calling as they came.
‘Santa Claus! Santa Claus!’ shouted the Brownies. ‘Here we come, Santa Claus! Here we all come!’
‘What does this mean?’ asked Santa Claus in surprise, his eyes twinkling with fun. ‘Why aren’t you hard at work upstairs, making toys? Come, come, now!’
And Santa Claus laughed in spite of himself to see his Brownies turning somersaults in the soft snow.
‘Oh, Santa Claus, we want a holiday!’ shouted the Brownies. ‘We don’t feel like working at all. We want a holiday, Santa Claus. Do say that we may.’
‘Yes, yes, indeed,’ nodded Santa Claus, laughing again to see his Brownies’ antics in the snow. ‘You will work all the better for a little fun. Be off, every one.’
So off they went, three by three, each little group of Brownies with a plan of its own.