Newspaper History presents media sourced from a United States newspaper dating back 108 years.

  • A Small Order

    From The Topeka State Journal, December 21, 1912.
     
    
     This is all that I expect
         Santa Claus to bring to me:
     One large boat—my old one’s wrecked;
         One large, lovely Christmas tree;
     Then I need a larger drum,
     That says “boom” instead of “tum”;
     And I want a nice long whip
     That will make our tomcat skip;
     Then I hope to get a ball
     That will dent the hardest wall,
     And a bat that will not split
     Every time that it is hit;
     Next I’d choose a pair of skates
     Just as nice as sister Kate’s,
     And a bright large monoplane
     That will carry rag-doll Jane;
     Then I’d like a lot of things
     That are run by hidden springs—
     Rats and spiders, and the like;
     And I need a brand new bike
     With a coaster-brake that will
     Make work easy down a hill.
     
     There! That’s all I asked him for.
         Still, I’m hoping (since he’s Dutch)
     That he’ll bring a few things more—
         As I have not asked for much!