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The Magic Sleigh Bell
"What's what?" said Natalie, her
eyes growing with wonderment as her brother pulled out a short piece of leather
strap with a small, single enclosed bell attached to it. He shook it, but it
made no sound because the inside was packed with dirt and dried leaves.
"I wonder where this came from?" queried
Travis, as he wiped away some of the caked-on mud, revealing a shiny
chrome-like surface.
"I know... it's probably off Santa's
sleigh!" proclaimed Natalie. She was quick to relate everything to the holiday
season. "It must have fallen off last year when he landed on the roof to
deliver the presents. It's been lying in the eavesdrops ever since, and
now we've found it!"
"They're called eavestroughs, Miss
Know-It-All, and I hardly think that this old piece of junk is from a flying
sleigh, because as everyone knows..."
"Okay, that's all of it," interrupted their
father, as he descended the ladder. "You kids finish bagging the last pile, and
I'll put the ladder back in the garage."
"Oh, Daddy, guess what Travis found... one
of Santa's sleigh bells!" exclaimed Natalie, as her father lifted the ladder
onto his shoulder and headed off for the garage.
He made no reply, as he didn't want to
think about anything to do with Christmas. Out of work for nearly a year, he
was beginning to doubt his decision to give priority to his family over his
job. The more worried
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