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fdgc Twelve THE CLINTON CHRONICLE. CLINTOM. S. C. La Befana, Penitent Old Womaii, Brings Christmas Gifts in Italy Santa Claus doesn’t vis/t children in Italy. It isn’t because they are •n naughty, but because there is tm Santa Claus—in Italy, “ No one runs down to a well deco rated tree on Christmas morning to look for presents. Brightly colored La Befaaa cats for the still carries her pres* Christ Child. flowers decorate the room instead of Clhristmas trees, and presents are not exchanged until January 6. On that night, an old, old lady. La Befana, walks from house to house and leaves a present beside each little child she visits. Exactly 1,94<J years ago, accord ing to the Italian legend. La Befana was very busy sweeping her kitchen when several men dressed like kings stopped in front of her cottage. They asked her where Bethlehem was, but she had never heard of it. The men told^hfr about a baby which had been'bom in Bethlehem, and mentioned a star which had been guiding them. The old lady wished she could accompany them when they left her in search of the infant Jesus. But La Befana stayed home. It was getting too dark out, and be? sides, the baby could wait ‘until tomorrow. Later that night she no ticed the sky quivering with light. The clouds seemed to take the form of angels. AH thought of sleep left her. Rising, she carefully wrapped two gifts for the Holy Baby, then ran out into the, night in the direc tion the kings had gone. Fast as she hurried, she had not reached Bethlehem when the star disappeared and dawn hlled the sky. She frantically asked the way to Bethlehem, but no one could tell her. And so La Befana has constantly traveled since that day, searching for the Christ Child. On the Epiph any, 12 days after Christmas, she goes from house to house, looking into the faces of babies. With each she leaves a gift, hoping that at last she will give her presents to the right child. diSim ar ^ ias j&j/dna /^gel ORDER J. L. Rentz, Administrator of the €state of Mrs. Hattie AT WhatTey, vs. llrs. Ruth Watts, et al. Upon reading and filing the iore- fioing verified petition and consider ing it right and proper that the pray er thereof should be granted; It Is Ordered: j personal service thereof and if per-; [ sonal service thereof cannot be had' I let the said Rule be published in The, ! Clinton Chronicle, a weekly paper] i published in Laurens County, for ! three issues immediately preceding I T WAS midnight on Christmas Evei Scven-year-old Jack, 'having baffled the sandman jsince eight o’clock, tossed back the covers and crept down- |Stairs. Now, at long last, he would ^earn the truth about Santa Claus. Man or myth? Chim ney sweeper or a lovable old red-nosed gentleman? When the clock struck one Jack was still sitting patiently in the chair by the fireplace, watching the em bers glow and wane. Tinsel on the nearby Christmas tree glistened. It was all very exciting, but where was Kris Kringle? The noise Jack heard a moment later might have been Santa but it didn’t come from the chimney. Quickly the boy jumped back in the shadows while he heard the din ing room window raise slowly. A igush of cold air, heavy footsteps, and then Jack heard the window 'close. Frightened, he crept forward un til he could see where blue moon light filtered into the dining room. There Jack saw—not Santa Claus 'but a inasked burglar, systematical- ily looting the silverware! Thufidoy, December 26, 1940 Legen^ Telt Story Of Christmas Tree Birth Announcements Christmas trees are as old as Piri^as iteelf, if the story which has come down to us from the first Yuletide is true. The legend relates that after the Three Wise Men and 4h^ shepherds who had heard the angels slug ' ’’Peace on earth and go<^ will to men” had worshiped Mary’s babe, trees .be^n coming to Bethlehem to worship the Holy Child; trees from all parts of the world. BOSTON Mr. and Mw. Earl Horton an nounce the birth of avdaughter, Mar tha Jane, on Sunday, December 15. Ueai liht InIm CNakt Uaiealio Pali laiaklf If pm thm Thiwatln, urthrltiB m ■rftii iMhi. trp tkh aiawia i HEESINO Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Herring an nounce the birth of a son on Mon day, December 16. Mia. Herring is the former Miss Rebecca Perdue. •Sao-ls . of mtat, aditkf hdm ti 4 Ko tNubla at aB SUMmpo luafi twial* ^ tewiwMivt komm mOaM. dataSMkace r. Mb U wHk * Quart It’a aanr. nmd Mur You . - . Oflaa wkhta salts ars sMalasi. If 1— , ^ lasvs ai^ If laa 4a mat fs« batter, Ra-Ex wim asst yoa astalag ta try as It is soM by year 4ra|wlst Miisr aa abaem ssoasy baeb faaraa- tasL* K».lx Osaipoaad la for ‘ ‘ by Kellers Drag Store Yr (J A\ ' X W \\ V - First came the native palms from aroimd Bethle hem, then came the maples, oaks, birches and hemlocks. At last there crept in a tiny fir tree from the | frozen North. It was so small and ' modest that none paid any attention j to it until suddenly a star dropped J from the skies and twinkled on a I bough of the little tree, then another t and another, until the fir tree was ! spangled with celestial lights. i Decoration Idea is OM. JETER Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Jeter of At lanta, announce the birth of a son on Dec. 6. The young son has been given the name Robert Bailey. Mrs. Jeter before marriage; was Miss Pemecia Bailey, daughter of the late Leumas and Dora Bailey. BUYER MEETS rri I rn n our ad oLLLLfN columns That the re.<?pondents, Mrs. Ruth Watts, Harold Doan and John Doan, do show cause before me at my of fice at Laurens, S. C.. on the 6th day of January, 1941, why the prayer of the petition should not be granted. ‘ Let a copy of this petition and or der be served on the respondents by the date set for a hearing herein and let a copy of said Petition and Order be mailed to the said respondents at their last knowm address. , J. HEWLETTE WASSON, Probate Judge, Laurens County, S. C. Laurens, S. C., I" November 16, 1940.—2-3c SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE M«y thii b* your bappiost Cbritfmot of tKom *h ... and iho Naw Yaar ba tb# mot* prosporout, our Yulotida «'>tb for aach of cur friandt. Hubert J. Pitts Stables Clinton. S. C. Seconds later his softly slippered feet carried the lad upstairs into this parents’ bedroom. The boy ^ook this father. “Dad!” he whispered loudly, eyes blazing. “Dad! Wake up4” “Grrummph,” came the sleepy .answer. • “A burglar. Dad! Wake up! Call [the police!” Not waiting. Jack reached for the I bedside telephone himself. His moth- ler still slumbered. “Operator?” he asked. “Send the I police over to our house right away! iTberc’t a burglar downstairs!” By that time it was out of Jack’s hands. His parents were wide awake now, clinging to their hero Many more stories are told about the Christmas tree. The idea of decorating trees for festivals is very | old, going back to the Egyptian pha- I raohs, whose people dressed their homes with palm leaves in mid winter. Another story is about Winifred, an English crusader who happened upon a group of Teutons worship ing a mighty oak in honor of Thor, their thunder god. Winifred stopped them from sacrificing a young boy j to api^ase Thor’s “anger,” then j with his great sword felled the bkk T with one stroke. In its place there i suddenly appeared a young fir with ■ a star twinkling on its top branch. , “Here,” said the Christian knight, i “is the living tree. This shall be the sign of your new worship. Carry this fir tree into your home and worship it there.” Origia of Tree. Some historians say the Christ mas tree originated in Alsace in 1605 when the people brought fir trees to their homes and decorated them with paper roses, apples snd wafers. America’s first Christmas tree ' was set up in Wooster, Ohio, in 1M3, by August Imgsrd, m German iimni- grsnt. The first lighted tree in s church was at s Clevelaad Lutheran church in 1848. Christmas Decorations Jack, reached for the telephone himself. OF THE SEASON Wa'd ItU to wfshllMh of you al the Joys of tho Yulotido Season becausa wo fool dooply gratafui to al our friandt whom wo havo h^ tho privilega of sorving. Msy (he New Yeer see (he rsafas (ion ef yeyr every smbiHon... and may ymi enjoy hesHh, hspfNness and or«teo»ri(y (hreugh 'he warr (o cosne. D. L TRIBBLE COMPANY BiiiMfiii Sttfkpfies Futieid iiriciori <aon and listening. During the next itwo minutes they heard a stark 'drama—downstairs the dining room Iwindow opened and closed. In^e idistance, growing ever nearer, wai Ithc hum of a motor which they :knew would be the police car. They heard it stop outside. Then came a shout, “Stop thief!” A brief scuffle, snd they knew the burglar was captured. Next morning Jack was awakened by his father. “Son,” he began, eyes twinkling, “I forgot to ask last night how you happened to hear that burglar.” Jack blushed. “I was downstairs, Dad, waiting for Santa Claus. Wanted to see if he really does come on Christmas eve.” His father laughed heartily. “But Jack!” he protested. “Don’t you know that Samta Claus never comes when little boys and girls are watching? I’ll bet he’s been here by this time, though. Let’s go see!” Downstairs Jack’s surpnse was di vided between two equi^ fascinat ing subjects. Around the Christmas tree were more presents than he’d ever seen before, including s brand new bicycle! But off to one side was a jolly booking, blue-uniformed policeman. “Sonny,” the copper began. “That burglar you capture last night was ’Lightni^ Pete/ a most notorioua hoate hnaker/ Have Deep Meaning Not many, probably, know of the ; deeper meaning associated with the ' three plants we ordinarily use for Christmas decorations, an authority i writes. The holly has prickles and ! red berries. By the prickles we confess tht bitter life of Jesus on earth. His watchings. His fastings. His weariness. His crown of thorns. > By the berries we confess that He shed His blood for sinners. The yew ha^ little outside bark, , but. only a small rind, to teach us ' not,to make a great outside show of i religion; it is a lastjng timber, sug gesting the' soundness of a Chris tian; it has many branches, mean- , ing plentifulness in good works; and it is always green and prospering, ! even as the Christian should always , grow and thrive in grace. | The laurel has the significande of | victory. Jesus came into the world to loose the bands" of sin and-to aa- ' ' cend up into Heaven, leadihg captiv- ' ity captive. * SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONTCLI! ‘ The Yuletide Season brings with it pleasant thoughts of friendships—tried, proven and cher ished throughout the post It mokes us realize that friendl/ ossociotions with our fellow men ore invaluable in both public and private life and are above things material. It gives us on opportunity to extend our greet ings and express our thonks and opprecidtion for your potrodoge during the post year and we hope to hove the pleosure of serving you often during the coming year. WE SINCERELY WISH FOR YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND THE HAPPIEST OF NEW YEARS. BIRDSEY FLOUR MUIS V. PARKS. ADAnU Manager CLINTON, 8. C. Jack’s jaw dropped. “Beat of aB.** me pidicemai inued, “thare’f a IMO rcwai IB con tinued, “thara’f • flOO reward for hit capture, mad it all belonga to you. Here’! fba diadL” Jack couM barely aay “Thank you,” aa amaaad wna he. “I gueat,” hw finally mumbled, “that Santa Claus ia wearing a blua uniform ttus year.” (RdMMd Sr Wtaten Wtewpapof ueion.) ShapkaHl TIBaga Playa Lea Baus in Franca, a village ct •hepharda, puta on one of Uia moat jdramatie Cnriatmns eolabrnUons in Ilia world, and knnilM it ponzlp for over •.thaaaa«4f«af.*VM nnti act aot egwia Bathlaham with tail asp. fhooianaa of Vintoca MERRY MERRY MERRY MER.iY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS dHRtSTMAS CHRISTMAS MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY W« Could Sty mCRRV (RMSTBRS • thouiknd liinii te each of yom omd wt*d iHtt fall far short tm fttlfUUmg om obligation for spUnikt fri*nd$btf$ and fatransgp ia tbi$ firm during the put. Pirate aeeefit aur kindest thenghts far yon and yanre at tUe glad time af the year. MERRY<'CHRI$TMAS Ml^l MERRY CHRISTMAS MERIY MERRY CHRISTMAS MERRY CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS .CHRISTMAS Christmas S HRISTMAS hristmas CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS r. ’ -ife