Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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yHeavenly^ A I Messengers I ? f n* 1 / \\ \ I H. Rccjcwell i9tl-vbtckn nmrsmu union "And there were shepherds abiding in the- field, keeping watch over their fiock by night, and lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were '< sore afraid. "And the angel of the Lord said unto them, Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of greatjoy, which shall be to all peopled For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." A IXD so, down through two ?tfj ^ I thousand years heavenlyi pftTpcgr' messengers have been golnj; to and tro in the earth, ear mmsa rylng good tidings of great Joy; sometimes, of course, there are messages of sor^ row, but In the Christmas time, the messages are messages thatcarry comfort and gladness?that j bring peace and good will. But there are heavenly messengers who are always speeding somewhere, not only at Christmas time, but all the time, for that matter?and so this story j has to do only with the small, redcheeked boys o" the postofflce "Special Delivery" service, who go and come ; far into the night on Christmas Eve. Darkness had fallen and shifting crowds of people hurried, goodnaturedly, through the packed shopping district of a large Western city, on one of the Great Lakes. The crowd flowed like a human river with cur A House Loomed Up Before Him. rents eddying off into the side streets and alleys. In the stores conld be heard the crisp wrapping of paper, the continuous blare of horns, and tinkling of toy pianos, ~nd weary shop girls serving patrons equally weary. Outside was wind and snow, and Jostling people loaded down with bales and bundles of Christmas purchases. In the postofllee the wheels were turning fast, while a steady stream of letters and packages poured in through the mailing-chutes, on every hand. Clerks at the various windows were busy handing out stamps, weighing bundles and making change. In the center of the room a man was pushing a long, horizontal r vv of let tors along a table into a ? ancelling machine; three others were steadily poundlug packages with a rubber stamp. Still another man, nervous and working under pressure, stood just within a horseshoe railing of Iron pipe, on which hung canvas mail sacks. With swift, trained hands he tossed letters and packages, from his central position In the horseshoe, into the [ open mail sacks, with unerring certainty. Suddenly scoQping up a small handful of letters, a clerk called out, "Special!" A small boy arose from n ' pile of mall sacks with a jump. Rub-1 bing the sleep out of his eyes, he went I across the room and entered the addresses of the "specials" In his book., "Gee, but my feet hurt," he confided , to one of the clerks. It was an oft-re-; peated story to the clerk, but he stopped his hurried work and regard-! ed the boy with kindly eyes as he said: j "Last trip, son; it Is after ten o'clock now, and if anything should come in later, we will hold It until i morning. I know how it is; used to carry them myself." The boy went out into the night, and J- IUa : made Ills way towarus m*- uuistun* of the town, where there were no street cars; where the way was often dark, and tho sidewalks worn and broken. It was the negro quarters, where broken window panes were stuffed with old rags and the window curtains were of paper, dirty muslin or pieces of faded red tablecloth. Tho Heavenly Messenger plodded down a side street, stamping his feet to keep the snow from caking on his shoes. Ho came out of the dark under the rustling trees, whose ice-covered limbs creaked and crackled in the wind dolefully, past an electric light, dimmed by millions of swirling white flakes, then into the dark again. Suddenly a house loomed up beforehim thut seemed to be setting ir^o the snow like a ship on thj" brink of foundering. Even as the Christmas iAncei lit the first match, shielding It ( 1 Trora the wind, and holding it close to I see the house number, the door was opened. He had been expected. An old negro man bowed him in. His face was sad and wrinkled, and his hair fhe coler of wood ashes. He wore enormous carpet slippers and a check* ' ered shirt, open at the neck, showed underwear of coarse red flannel. "We-all been 'spectln' you, sahl" be quavered. "LIl gran'chU' sick in Chicago hospital. Ellen! Ellen!" he cal'.ed, shrilly. A slow, heavy movement In the room ' beyond, and a stout "mammy" came into view, breathing heavily as her weight threw her slightly from side to side, as she walked. "De lettah come?" asked the old woman, haltingly. She iubbed her eyes and blinked fdr a full minute before she could see the writing. Womanlike, she turned the pages and read the last paragraph first. "Its from de nurse," she announced. "Praise de Lord, de chile am safe an' soun'; out ob all dangah, It say! Now It suah will be Christmas joy wif us." Although he could not write, the old negro man proudly touched the pencil as his name was written In the boy's receipt book. Quite warm, now, and minus one of his glad tidings, the Heavenly Messenger departed into the falling snow, which soon swallowed him up, and then quickly covered over his foot-prints, as if in fear he might be followed, and some harm come to him. # The next message of glad tidings was delivered to a stenographer tucked away in a back room of a rather dilapidated-looking rooming-house. It was a letter from home. She knew it would come at the last moment. Yes, she had been crying, and it wouldn't have been like Christmas at all, had it not been for the Christmas messenger. "I'm so tired of the office grind," she confided, more to herself, than to the boy. 4Tve written 'Dear Sir* a hundred and fifty thousand times this week, I'm sure." Then she straightened his necktie, patted him on the head, and the angel trudged down stairs and out into the night again. Next came a letter for the head of a family In a magnificent home? where the Heavenly Messenger passed j a relay of servants before reaching the person named in the address. That | worthy held the portieres aside and I NEELY II Tl If ii I if II At hS? ||j| We wouj jjjp| seaso ff ? || Those wh || prese 11 II A M1 II A || NEEL || TRAV 11 W. B. MOOI fSS* ~ m m i? stepped forth iif evening aress?a serfous man, with gray hair. He signed for the letter, then 1 c-oked at the Christmas Messenger, inquiringly. "Come In here son," he directed, and led the boy Into the library. The room was a confusion of dazzling women and holiday decoration:?. An ever green tree that reached almost to the celling was loaded with toys and Christmas presents of every color and kind, while other parcels and packages were heaped on the floor, at the foot of the tree. "A little girl," the man was saying, "?" ??nncrVi!-or on nnlv nhild she UU1 UUU^ll'.Vkl MU seems discontented nothing makes her happy. Now, just suppose you were she; do you think she -ill like all this?" And all the womc stened eagerly to hear what the boy would say. "I would, but maybe?well, there's too much of this"?pointing to the gaudy toys. "I remember my baby sister got a lot of fine toys when dad was living, and she left them all and went Into the kitchen to play with some new tin pans and things mother had Just got from the store." The star of the New York Opera company dabbed at her face v/lth a rabbit's foot. A fine Christmas, this, sUe reflected bitterly; snow three feet deep, Broadway hundreds of miles away and the show going to pieces this very night. Ah, me! She signed for her special delivery letter while the Christmas Angel stared curiously at the bare walls of the dressing-room. The star gave the messenger a quarter and he passed on his way. "You will find him in room three* iunj'-iwo.nu mc lu&iil v.xcri a at tut Commercial hotel. And the Christmas Angel found him, a young athletic traveling man. He was just unpacking his grips ani the very llrst thing he took out wt.s a picture In a silver frame. The Angel studied this picture as the traveling man looked at his "special." * "I've seen that lady before," volunteered the Heavenly Messenger. "What?" shouted the traveling man.; "Where Is she?" "I just took a lettgr to her over at the opera house," explained the boy. "She's a lady In a show." "And I've looked for her for nineteen months," said the traveling man ; Elpwly. "How strange Jhat J. should COTTON Mil RAVORA COT i' , Styte (Eluistm Id extend the comj n to our friends and and to our faithful loyal employee! e Wmtlb Also to if not associated nt time have been so n the past and w< for one and al ERRY CHRIST * i A nmr Mnir n/\rr i new ,Y COTTO ORA COTT IE, President 1 "I've Seen That Lady Before." .K ! (IndEer oh T?hrlstrmts Eve." It Is sure i the 'glad tidings' they tell us about." And the next moment he had his coat ' and hat on, and was rushing for the j elevator, on his way to the opera house i and the girl lie bad sought unavailing^ ly for nineteen months. The Heavenly Messenger whistled softly as he plodded through the drift#rl cnnn: and nulled the frnnh whleh paused a bell to ring In the Interior jf an old-fashioned house. Light shone from the frost-coated windows af the front room, though It was now far past midnight. An old gentleman came to the door and pulled the Angel Into the room abreast of a strong gust jt wind and a blinding flurry of snow. "Make yourself right at home, my little friend," he Insisted warmly. ''Take that chair up close to the fire. Emily! Emily! here's a letter from the British consul In New York. What? as I live, Charles Is safe. He was shipwrecked off the coast of France, but he is not seriously Injured and Is an his way home." * The motherly woman who had come into the room cried a little over the | news from her son, but she did not for1 pet to turn to the bearer of the good [tidings and say: "Poor boy, it Is a [ bad night for such a little fellow to be out. Are your feet wet? Take your shoes off and we will dry them." More warmth came from the old gtntleman than came from the fireplace, as he pictured to the boy Christmas time In England. The wife brought a plate of cookies shaped like animals and covered with pink and white frosting. _"Merry Christmas" she called BoftX i i TON MILL 1 tta I diments of the % customers ? and ? i (?mt | j with us at the |j associated 'J i wish ? MAS and | YEAR I j| ilM MTT.T. I ON MILL | YORK, S. C. | ?*???????!; i w>. ' ' (F, holding a lamp BlgETover Eer Bead, , n? the Christmas Angel slowly made , Ms way down the walk, and out Into . thp night. "GIff my luff to your ma," f' ' were the parting words the Angel , heard, as he turned the corner of a ( I street and lost sight of the little house , of the kindly German folk. j When the Special Delivery Angel i awakened Christmas morning ? or rather Christmas noon?his mother, I sitting at his bedside, and stroking his hair, iald to him In a regretful tone, . "I had planned to have a turkey for ] dinner today, but I could not quite manage it. You have your father's i eyes, dear. My, but he would have ; been proud of you I" ? j "I'd rather have chicken than , turkey," answered the boy. '"The j gravy Is better." i "Tell rae about last night" i "Nothing but glad tidings, ma. i Everyone seemed to De almost ucmea < to death at their mall. I guess folks don't send any other kind of letters but cheerful ones on Christmas Eve." Careful in Little Things.?1The extraort^nary success of the late E. H. Harrlman In converting the Union Pacific Railway from the run-down and almost bankrupt concern into one of the most prosperous roads In the country Was owing both to his broad vision in largo matters and to his painstaking thoroughness in small ones. In Mr. George Kennan's biography of Mr. Harriman, there Is an interesting story that illustrates perfectly the latter quality. It is told on the authority of Mr. Julius Kruttschnitt, who accompanied Mr. Harrii. I I man on an inspection tour or ine Southern Fnclflc road after he had I bought the property. | One day, said Mr. Ki*uttschnitt, I was walking with Mr. Harrlmnn on j the road. He noticed a track bolt and ( asked me why so much of the boit j should protrude beyond the nut. I re- j piled, "It is the size that is generally j used." j He said, "Why should we uso a bolt j of such a length that a part of it is j useless?" j I replied, "Well, when you come j right down to it there is no reason." i Wc walked along, and he asked me i how many track bolts there were to ' a mile of track, and I told Mm. There- ' * & . I Bay Your I WE MAKE 'EL _ CAN AFFO Fruit Nuggets......40 f ^ \ *1 fl4 AUC1 I JTt'illllib viuoicio .... ^ | We luivc many y$ I ' Oh, vcs, we have Sji | as usual you will ?? I Buy one for you H I We have them fr Si I I IF IT: SHOULD HAI (v?. I I have no home to go to R Restaurant for Dinner 1 :y; ) that will satisfy your a H youRs jjjt pt u' ipon he remarked, "Well, In the Unon Pacific and Southern Pacific we lave about eighteen thousand miles )f track, and there must be some fifty nillion bolts in our system. If you ;an cut an ounce off from every bolt rou will save five million ounces of ron, and that is something worth vhile. Change your bolt standard."? Vouth's Companion. ? I^eninc's attatude toward capital s as friendly as that of the lion to the Irmb. 1 $ M il |f IF YOU FAIL TO CO B . FOR YOUR K NUTS, FRUITS, CAND.1 i AND THOSE KF $ FRIEND SANTA CU HA Has left a bic suppl' W keeping and has left it up M AND WE HAVE PRICI *!a At figures that will a | WHILE THE CLOVE! ?? Hasn't been in business i g have enjoyed a growing & we believe it is going to c IT IS 01 ijf That Our Patrons and F $ Christmas and a Happy ] 5j' We thank YOU. 1 CLOVER SUPP R. P. REI1 g Phone No. 132 Christmas C Pete's Place 1 OURSELVES AND THEI ED TO SELL TIEM CHEA Cts. Ib ,'Peeen Roll ? f inn tt> ,r:iirt!olates ? I iVW AM fclier Chocolates 40 Cts. It I HOME-MADE CANDIES other kinds of Home-Made Lot described here. They run and up. CH0IC3 /FRUITS all kind* Fruits for Christ find oit}y Jhe 13cst Quality he prices. ' )Y WALKING STICKS i' friond as a Christmas reme om Fitye Cents up for Christn EASING OF CHRISTM.A =PEN -that you are of that vast army < for a Good Christmas dinner, < :ha! day. You'll be served with a Chrisl ippetite at a most reasonable price. FOE A MERRY CHRISTM nv rmnv lOTCMFM iftiv trtnui mivnun PETER COLGIN, Prop. r*Ss. VJ^b. vw V y?5&. V-^to. Vr^fc. Privileged.?Little Harry?"I wish I were you, uncle. Uncle (who has been invited to dinner)? "Why do you wish that, sonny?" Little Harry?"Because they don't punish you when you eat with your knife."?Brisbane Mail. Exercise Assured.?Doctor Friend? "Now that ydu have a car, you mustn't neglect exercise." : Patient?"Oh,; I sha'n't be able to it's a second-hand car."?London Opinion. mm ^ ' if a se money g iME TO OUR STORE CHRISTMAS EES, FIRE CRACKERS, S \TDS OF THINGS ft LUS S y of these articles in our i to ns to fix the Diice? 2D THEM M ittract YOU. m I SUPPLY COMPANY W in Clover so tfer long, we trade since #e came and M :ontinue to grow. ^ JR HOPE riends vifl have a Merry $ \Tew Year. LY COMPANY 1 [) Manager Jj CLOVER, S. C. ? andies at jj ^EFORE ^ I & i?9x v=<fek v^b, v *fe v??k *&x v^lx v*fc> *? / !