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Page 23
"Never mind, Mayrie dear," he said. "How would you like this new
dolly, instead of a cat?"
Mayrie looked at the silk-robed dolly and her eyes grew big
with astonishment.
"Oh, Tlaus!" she cried, clapping her small hands together with
rapture; "tan I have 'at boo'ful lady?"
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"I love it!" said she. "It's better 'an tats!"
"Then take it, dear, and be careful not to break it."
Mayrie took the dolly with a joy that was almost reverent, and her
face dimpled with smiles as she started along the path toward home.
6. The Wickedness of the Awgwas
I must now tell you something about the Awgwas, that terrible race of
creatures which caused our good Claus so much trouble and nearly
succeeded in robbing the children of the world of their earliest and
best friend.
I do not like to mention the Awgwas, but they are a part of this
history, and can not be ignored. They were neither mortals nor
immortals, but stood midway between those classes of beings. The
Awgwas were invisible to ordinary people, but not to immortals. They
could pass swiftly through the air from one part of the world to
another, and had the power of influencing the minds of human beings to
do their wicked will.
They were of gigantic stature and had coarse, scowling countenances
which showed plainly their hatred of all mankind. They possessed no
consciences whatever and delighted only in evil deeds.
Their homes were in rocky, mountainous places, from whence they
sallied forth to accomplish their wicked purposes.
The one of their number that could think of the most horrible deed
for them to do was always elected the King Awgwa, and all the race
obeyed his orders. Sometimes these creatures lived to become a
hundred years old, but usually they fought so fiercely among
themselves that many were destroyed in combat, and when they died that
was the end of them. Mortals were powerless to harm them and the
immortals shuddered when the Awgwas were mentioned, and always avoided
them. So they flourished for many years unopposed and accomplished
much evil.
I am glad to assure you that these vile creatures have long since
perished and passed from earth; but in the days when Claus was making
his first toys they were a numerous and powerful tribe.
One of the principal sports of the Awgwas was to inspire angry
passions in the hearts of little children, so that they quarreled and
fought with one another. They would tempt boys to eat of unripe
fruit, and then delight in the pain they suffered; they urged little
girls to disobey their parents, and then would laugh when the children
were punished. I do not know what causes a child to be naughty in
these days, but when the Awgwas were on earth naughty children were
usually under their influence.
Now, when Claus began to make children happy he kept them out of the
power of the Awgwas; for children possessing such lovely playthings as
he gave them had no wish to obey the evil thoughts the Awgwas tried to
thrust into their minds.
Therefore, one year when the wicked tribe was to elect a new King,
they chose an Awgwa who proposed to destroy Claus and take him away
from the children.
"There are, as you know, fewer naughty children in the world since
Claus came to the Laughing Valley and began to make his toys," said
the new King, as he squatted upon a rock and looked around at the
scowling faces of his people. "Why, Bessie Blithesome has not stamped
her foot once this month, nor has Mayrie's brother slapped his
sister's face or thrown the puppy into the rain-barrel. Little Weekum
took his bath last night without screaming or struggling, because his
mother had promised he should take his toy cat to bed with him! Such
a condition of affairs is awful for any Awgwa to think of, and the
only way we can direct the naughty actions of children is to take this
person Claus away from them."
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