Doubtful kids cast critical eye when Santa Claus comes to town

Calls some by their first names and knows those who are sick

Neillsville, for some strange reason, has one or two skeptical children. They seem to have doubts about Santa Claus.

One of them is Reinart Quicker’s son, whom people around here call Walter. He is eleven. But Santa Clause evidently had his books mixed, for last Friday he called the boy “Blitz.” No “Blitz” is the nickname of his father, and there is no person in or around Neillsville who attached that name to Walter, except one man alone, and that man is “Pink” Van Gorden.

So when Santa spoke right up and called him “Blitz,” this Quicker boy took on a look of skepticism. “Nobody around here calls me “Blitz” except “Pink” Van Gorden,” he declared later. You could see the skepticism sticking out of him. It not only stuck out of him; he was plastered with it.

How did he know?

Then there was young Mickey Krultz, the son of the county clerk. He and his brother and sister, Darlene and Bobby, were stuck at the house with a cold or something, and they could not get down to the center of town, where Santa met most of his friends last Friday. So Santa, who knows everything about everybody, went right out to the Krultz house, after he had held court at the corner of Grand Avenue and Seventh street.

Santa gave the Krultz children treats, and found that Bobby wanted a tractor set and Mickey wanted a space set, for Mickey wants to penetrate the heavens. But a boy of ambition to penetrate the upper air must obviously be smart enough to penetrate a thing or two down here, and that is the case with Mickey. “How did you know we were sick?” demanded Mickey, and his eyes were full of doubt.

Mickey doubted

Now if you were Santa, and a doubting Thomas put a question like that to you, what would you do?

Well, Santa thought fast, but not far, for he knows that the best answer is the true answer. And so he said to Mickey:

“I keep books on all children, especially the sick ones. I know how they are and where they are. When they are sick, I go and see them.

You see what a good answer that was, but somehow it did not seem to go down with Mickey. However, he was like good politicians, who say “No comments.” He made no comment, but he did look hard at Santa.

Santa will return

Santa Claus has a wonderful acquaintance with Neillsville kids. He saw and greeted by name Coono Blackdeer, grandson of Jesse Mike; Sue, Linda and Tim Flynn, son of Mrs. and Mrs. Tom Flynn; Jack DeCremer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence DeCremer.

When Jackie DeCremer got back home, he told his parents that Santa has a funny voice; one just like “Pink” Van Gorden, he said.

But that was just a coincidence. Santa has promised to make it back to Neillsville on next Saturday, December 6. He will be at the corner of Sixth and Hewett at 2 o’clock. He wants to see all his friends of this part of the country.

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