"No, don't," said Mrs. Gratz. "I let you go and look in that chicken
coop if you want to, but it ain't no use. There ain't nothing there."

The thin Santa Claus paused and looked at Mrs. Gratz with suspicion.

"Why? Did you find it?" he asked.

"Find what?" asked Mrs. Gratz innocently, and the thin Santa Claus
sighed and walked around to the back of the house. Mrs. Gratz went
with him.

As Mrs. Gratz watched the thin man search the chicken yard for
toober-chlosis bugs all doubt that he was her Santa Claus left her
mind. He made a most minute investigation, but he did it more as a man
might search for a lost purse than as a health officer would search
for germs. He even got down on his hands and knees and poked under the
chicken house with a stick, and, when he had combed the chicken yard
thoroughly and had looked all through the chicken house, he even
searched the denuded vegetable garden in the back yard, and looked
over the fence into Mrs. Flannery's yard. Evidently he was not pleased
with his investigation, for he did not even say good-bye to Mrs.
Gratz, but went away looking mad and cross.

When Mrs. Gratz went into her house she took her seat in her
rocking-chair and began rocking herself calmly and slowly.

"'T was him done it, sure," said Mrs. Flannery.

"I don't like such come-agains, much," said Mrs. Gratz placidly. "I