Explore "A Curious Story" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
I heard such a curious story / Of Santa Claus: once, so they say, / He set out to see what people were kind, / Before he took presents their way. / 'This year I will give but to givers, / To those who make presents themselves,' / With a nod of his head old Santa Claus said / To his band of bright officer-elves.
'Go into the homes of the happy / Where pleasure stands page at the door. / Watch well how they live, and report what they give / To the hordes of God's suffering poor. / Keep track of each cent and each moment; / Yes, tell me each word, too, they use: / To silver line clouds for earth's suffering crowds, / And tell me, too, when they refuse.'