After she had gone downstairs, Willie whispered to Annie, “Say, Annie, are you awake?�
“Yes, I am, but I’m getting so sleepy I wish he would hurry and come right now. Let’s sing our Christmas carols for him.� And so the two children sang all the songs they knew.
“My, it does seem so long to wait. I am most asleep,â€� said Willie, with a big yawn. “I tell you, we can take turns—you watch for him awhile, Annie, and then I shall.â€� After a time Annie called out, “Willie, I’m so sleepy; it’s your turn to watch.â€� But she received no answer.
The next thing they knew, Annie and Willie were away up in the North Pole country, with snow and ice around them on all sides, and right in front of them stood a high ice-wall. “How I wish we could go through this wall—â€� said Willie, and just as he said this the ice seemed to open and there was a great gateway leading into the strangest garden that you ever heard of in all your life. It was a garden all of toys, and Annie and Willie could hardly believe their eyes as they saw the wonders about them. Hanging right over the wall there appeared to be something growing like morning-glories. When they looked again the children saw that they were not morning-glories at all, but small, toy talking-machines, while on a trumpet-vine nearby they saw growing, like flowers, real toy trumpets. Willie picked a trumpet at once and played on it: “Toot-toot-toot-toot-too-oo-o.â€�
“Oh, you must not touch the toys, Willie,� gasped poor Annie in fright. “We don’t know who owns this garden.�
Just then the children saw the gardener of this wonderful land of toys. He was the merriest old man, dressed all in red, and his coat and hat were trimmed with ermine. His hair and beard were as white as the snow and his cheeks were like red, rosy apples, while his eyes twinkled like stars. The children knew who this gardener was at once, you may be sure. Why, it was Santa Claus, of course! He was cutting down a crop of whistles with his sickle. He had a large, red sack at his side and smaller bags nearby, and he was so happy that he sang as he worked:
“In my wonderful garden of toys
Grows a crop for the good girls and boys.
Dolls, cannon, and drums,
Candy cake, sugar plums—
All grow in my garden of toys.�
He was just ready to make up another verse when he spied the two children. “Oh, ho, ho, ho!� he laughed merrily, “how did you two children come here?�
“Please, Mr. Santa Claus,� said Willie shyly, “we were waiting for you to visit us and the next thing we knew we were in this garden. We don’t know how we came here, but, now that we are here, may we not help you to pick some toys?�