AUTHORIZED EDlffoN V -'*• TRULY. * the author of THE LITTLEST
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ShowmanStory by CHARLES TAZEWELL Pictures by GEORGE DE SAXTIS WONDER BOOKS • NEW YORK
I © 1955, 1956 by Charles Tazewell. All rights reserved. Originally published in Deccember, 1955 Coronet Magazine. Illustrations © 1958, by Wonder Books, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published simultaneously in Canada. Printed in the United States of America.
In a certain town, on a certain first of December morning, everyone was suddenly awakened from his Christmas dreams by the joyful ringing of bells in every tower and steeple.
When the townspeople looked out of their windows, they saw a white carpet of snow all over the ground. Every street lamp wore a white robe and every picket on every fence wore a funny little snowcap. And rolling down the snowy street, behind two hard-working men who were clearing a path with their shovels, was a long convertible being driven by His Honor, the Mayor! There was no doubt about it now — it was time for the birth of the Littlest Snowman! The people dashed out of their houses, following the Mayor's car to a house which stood on Winter Avenue. ~>
There, in a yard, they saw a small boy — the only one in town who knew how to make the Littlest Snowman. He was just patting the last bit of snow into place. Around him were many helpers. Grandfather Squirrel held the Littlest Snowman's old brown hat. Reuben Rabbit had the red handle of a broken kitchen spoon which would soon be the Littlest Snowman's mouth. Mr. and Mrs. English Sparrow carried two pieces of coal for the eyes. And Marmaduke Mouse had a blue marble which would be the nose. Most important of all was a candy heart on which was lettered "I Love You Truly," held by the little golden-haired girl from next door.
As soon as the Littlest Snowman's heart was pressed gently into place beneath the second bottletop button of his vest, the Mayor made his speech of welcome. Then the crowd paraded to the park in the center of town. There the Biggest Christmas Tree to be found in the Fir Forest of the Far North was decorated with thousands of ornaments and glittering tinsel. The Littlest Snowman pressed a switch and the Biggest Christmas Tree was instantly lighted by many colored lights. iA
Then the Weather Man stepped forward. He was as long and as thin as the glass on a thermometer and on his tall silk hat was a weather vane. On the end of a watch chain across his vest was a turnip-sized barometer. "I predict," he said, "that it will start to snow again on Christmas Eve, and that we will have an old-fashioned White Christmas this year!" Everyone agreed that this was the best forecast the Weather Man had ever made. $
Some evenings later, when the stars were twinkling brightly, the Littlest Snowman received a special-delivery letter by helicop-pigeon inviting him to attend the annual Snowmen's Snow Ball at Town Park. -«»
The famous Snow Ball was already well under way when the Littlest Snowman arrived. He lost no time in joining the Snowladies and Snowgentlemen who were waltzing gracefully to the sleighbell music. Then, when he had had enough of dancing, he helped himself to some ice water from the punch bowl on the refreshment table and also to some appetizing colored icicles. Suddenly, over the music and voices of the dancers, a scream was heard from one of the Snowgirls. "Look at the Snake!" she shrieked.
All the Snowpeople turned and stared at the large thermometer which hung on a tree. Snake, in Snowpeople language, meant the long red line which went up and down on the thermometer. 'The Snake is crawling up and up!" squealed the Snowgirl again. And it was! The Snake was already wiggling well above the freezing mark. "I'm melting!" wailed a fat Snowlady. "I'm defrosting!" cried a Snowman. K
"Hurry!' someone shouted. "Let's go back to our yards and pull the snow blankets over our heads." With each fat little foot leaving a puddle of water behind him, the Littlest Snowman slushed homeward sadly.
For the next few weeks, the red Snake in the thermometer never crawled down below the freezing mark, and the Littlest Snowman became thinner and thinner. At last, the Red Cross was called in. They built a hospital of ice blocks in the Littlest Snowman's yard — and day and night he was tended by doctors and nurses. On the day before Christmas, the Littlest Snowman had grown terribly thin. However, just whenit was thought that he would melt completely, a howling cold wind came into town from the North Pole. The red Snake in the thermometer dropped with a hiss.
Now the Littlest Snowman went forth to wish his fellow Snowpeople a happy holiday. He wobbled up and down the streets on his thin little snow feet, but nowhere could he find a single Snowperson. They had all melted. The only person he could find was Mr. Weather Man, who was crying great tears.
"It isn't going to snow!" sobbed the Weather Man. "Not a single flake! Oh, people will never forgive me — especially the children!" 'That's not so," said the Littlest Snowman. "Tomorrow is Christmas, and it is always a kind, generous, loving time! Besides, I have an idea for making it snow, so come along with me."
They walked across the gaxk to an ice cream and ices factory. There they bought every last gallon of flavored ices in sight, and had it delivered to the foot of the Bigge^t_Christmas Tree. "Now," said the Littlest Snowman to the Weather Man, "just watch me!" First he ate a gallon of stj^ajihexi^LJce, then a gallon of pistachio ice, and then the orajige^lemoar lime and chocolate flavors, too. With every gallon he ate, the Littlest Snowman grew fatter — and fatter — and FATTER! At last he had enough and /3
climbed to the very top of the Biggest Christmas Tree, looking as fat and colorful as a cloud at sunset. Up there, high above the town, the North Wind was so strong that the Biggest Christmas Tree bent and swayed. "Comedown!" shouted the Weather Man. "You must climb down or you'll be blown to pieces!' "Of course I will!" cried the Littlest Snowman. "And just think of the beautiful snow all the children will have for Christmas!"
§?2^* **Even as he spoke, the fierce North Wind began to pluck the Littlest Snowman as though he were a Christmas goose or turkey. Flakes of every flavor and color flew all over, giving the town the most beautiful Christmas Eve it had ever seen. I
But — on Christmas Day — there was no Littlest Snowman at all. Oh, but the townspeople could not have that! They hunted through the drifts gathering every white flake, and brought them back to the little boy on Winter Avenue. He went to work and in no time at all, there was the Littlest Snowman again as good as new. In fact, he was better than new, because the little boy had added four gallons of vanilla ice to fatten him up. \
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And when the candy heart was discovered to be still on top of the Biggest Christmas Tree, the townspeople lifted the Littlest Snowman up through the branches and put his heart back in place right there. All Christmas Day and all Christmas Week, the Littlest Snowman sat there with a jolly smile on his happy face. His candy heart beat "I Love You Truly" so loudly that it could be heard in every corner of town. And, after all, as everyone said, "Isn't 'I Love You Truly" just another way of saying 'Merry Christmas'?''
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