The Adventures of Nicholas
Read The Adventures of Nicholas Online
Authors: Helen Siiteri
The Adventures of
NICHOLAS
A Christmas Tale
Adapted by Helen Siiteri
Cover design by Eve Aspinwall
Special thanks to Kati Siiteri and Kiersten Kirkpatrick for assistance in preparing this book for publication.
© Copyright
2005 Helen Siiteri.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.
Adapted from THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES of SANTA CLAUS by Julie Lane, published by the Santa Claus Publishing Company , Boston, in 1932
Note for Librarians: a cataloguing record for this book that includes Dewey Decimal Classification and US Library of Congress numbers is available from the Library and Archives of Canada. The complete cataloguing record can be obtained from their online database at:
www.collectionscanada.ca/amicus/index-e.html
ISBN 1-4120-3865-0
ISBN 978-1-4122-2827-5 (ebook)
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Contents
NICHOLAS, THE WANDERING ORPHAN
MANY are the legends and traditions that have been told about Christmas in snowy northern countries and we know how many of these legends have come to be. But
The Adventures of Nicholas
is a story such as you might tell if you wanted to combine all the warm and happy memories you like best about Christmas. I do not know of anyone called Nicholas who actually lived through these adventures, but his story is for all who believe in the spirit of Christmas.
So, draw close to the fire. I dedicate this story of Nicholas to you.
Your friend,
Helen Siiteri
“He’s a good lad.”
NICHOLAS, THE WANDERING ORPHAN
LONG, long time ago, in a village by the sea, there lived a young fisherman and his family—his loving wife, his small son Nicholas, and Kati, a baby girl. Their home was a little cottage built of heavy stone blocks to keep out the freezing north wind. It was a cheerful place in spite of the hardships, because all the hearts there were loving and happy.
On cold winter nights, after the fisherman had come home from his hard day’s work, the little family would gather around the fireplace. Father would light his pipe and stretch his tired legs. Mother would keep a watchful eye on the two children, her knitting needles busily clicking.
One night Nicholas was trimming a tiny piece of wood with scraps from his mother’s knitting,
while Kati looked with wide blue eyes at the toy her brother was making for her. Mother smiled as she watched the children playing happily together. But Father shook his head saying, “I’d rather see Nicholas down at the boats with me, learning to mend a net, than fussing with little girls’ toys. Now when I was his age…”
“Hush,” whispered Mother. “Nicholas is hardly more than a baby himself. Time enough for him to be a fisherman when he’s too old to play with his baby sister.”
“True enough,” said the father. “He’s a good lad, and he’ll be a better man for learning to be kind to little ones.”
Life might have gone on in this way but for the happenings of one stormy night. Father was late, and Kati was sick with a fever. Mother knelt beside Nicholas and looked into his bright blue eyes. “Kati is very ill,” she said, “and I can wait no longer for your father. I must go for the doctor myself. Sit beside your sister, Nicholas, and take care not to let the fire burn out.”
Quickly kissing him, she wrapped a woolen shawl over her blond hair and went out into the bitter storm. Nicholas watched as his mother anxiously looked toward the sea for a sign of the fishing boat. Seeing nothing, she turned and walked swiftly down the windswept path.
Kati had fallen asleep. Nicholas sat beside her, dipping a cloth into a bowl of cool water and placing it on her feverish forehead, as he had seen his mother do. Slowly the hours went by. It wasn’t until Kati’s forehead had grown cooler, and then cold, that Nicholas allowed himself to