~Chapter 1~
A Square Dance
Ex-ta-ra! Ex-ta--ra! Read all about it!
Charlie "The Great White Horse" has taken ill at the North Pole!
The "Missouri Rats" run by their notorious leader Black Jack Tilly is running Santa's Village.
Five cents a copy!
Read about it here, in the "Centerville Gazette".
Ex-ta-ra! Ex-ta-ra!
"I'll take one of those copies right here", said Louis as he took a shiny new nickel, out of the top pocket of his light blue coveralls, handing it to one of his best friends, Sammy the Paper Boy.
"Look at these headlines Chug! Our Charlie is sick?I can't believe it."
"What's it say Louis? What's it say...?"
"Chug, hold on a minute...hold on...and let me read it already...
"Well..."
"I can't read the newspaper with you grabbing on me at the same time. Let me see Chug it says here that one of the "Magic Jingle Bells" had fallen off the magic string of bells on Christmas Eve, when Charlie took over for Rudolf last year, when he flew out of Mr. Beamer's barn. It also says that, that night somehow the bell was lost in flight, and they have no idea what happened to it, or where it could possibly be. Charlie is: slowly losing his "magical powers", most of his strength, and is now reverting back to, the old Charlie the Barnyard Horse."
"Continue on Louis; what else does it say...?"
"Well it says here that: the spell of the "Magic Jingle Bells" has been broken, and that he's been lying sick in his hay bed, for almost two months, and he's not getting any better. In fact he's? getting...worse."
"Louis what about all the Christmas toys, for all the kids? Are they still being made this year, and what about the all the elves? Are they still working? Where's Santa been when all this has been going on? Read on...read on Louis" said Chug as he kept trying to peer over Louis's shoulder, to get a better look at the newspaper.
"Chug calm down already, and let me read it. Now look...it says here Santa's Village is in complete disarray, and is in a big mess, with no children's toys being made, or wrapped for Christmas this year, and that the "Great Wrapping-Machine" has been shut down. It has not been used for well over three months. Cool Joe Biggs, Rags Martin, and Black Jack Tilly are in charge, up there in the North Pole. And all manner of troubles have come to Santa's Village. All of the elves, workingmen, and working-animals, have been locked out of the "Great Hall", or have been laid off work, and that no one cares anymore about Christmas!
"Man?oh?man Louis!"
"I know...can you believe it Chug? Charlie's sick, and Christmas might be lost forever..."
"Louis let me see that newspaper" blurted out Chug as he feverishly grasped the newspaper out of Louis's hands.
"It says here that: Santa, Mrs. Claus with Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, and his troop of reindeer, have been on vacation in Greenland for almost a year. They cannot get a hold of them. Man this is terrible Louis. Santa and Rudolf are nowhere to be seen, and there's no way to get a hold of them. That horrible, old Black Jack Tilly must have broken out of the Saint Louis jail again, and is back up to no good."
"Read on Chug," said Louis as he sat down on a nearby city bench, to ponder over all that Chug was reading to him..."read on".
"Just like I thought, those three crooks were broken out of the Saint Louis city jail again, for the second time in three years. This time those guys that were going to buy Jupiter the Show Horse last year sprang them. Do you remember them Louis? Remember old "Squint-Eye Pete Barker" and his two good-for-nothing boys, "Grease Ball Tom and Big Belly Bill" and of course let's not forget Squint's mom, "Big Sal Rossi"?
"Yeah, I remember them Chug", shot back Louis with disgust showing in his eyes "they were all just as ugly, and despicable as that Black Jack."
Chug dismounted from his bike. He now sat down on the city bench next to where Louis had slumped, dropped the newspaper to his lap, and kind of starred off into space, to contemplate what he and Louis had just read.
Louis's mind was lost in a deep marsh of thoughts about poor old Charlie being ill, about that horrible Black Tilly being up to no good again, and that awful Squint-Eye Pete, now in charge of a gang of crooks, who are trying to muddle up Christmas for all the kids in the world this year...and maybe...forever...
"We gotta do somethin...Chug..."
"Yep, Louis...we...certainly...do..."
Charlie the Great White Horse and the Story of the Magic Jingle Bells Page 25
