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•/ \ ■A T \ \ ■ > Thursday, December 23, 1948 THE CLINTON CHRONICLE rag2 Five *. Ghnshma ^3el Is are emu/ In... •••••••**- V-'.!*!??!?!!!!! -A- — ■F \| 1 We consider ourselves fortunate indeed to have the fine frienndships that have been ours to enjoy in this community. Because we value these associations we look forward to the Christmas season. It gives us a splendid opportunity to wish you all the good things we can think of and which are deservedly yours. Merry Christmas Happy New Year TO OUR EMPLOYEES • • • q n d • • • TO EVERYONE EVERYWHERE Hallmark Manufacturing Corp. UNIQUE CHRISTMAS TREE . . . Just one star and the proper window lighting creates this picture on the side of a Minneapolis, Minn., office building. The tree is over twenty floors high. By JESSIE WEST A MY looked out at the bright dny and was about to decide it was the loveliest New Year's Eve she'd seen in years when she saw Clrn- belle Carter crossing the street; and then she thought the day wasn't lovely at all. She could hear Clarabelle talk ng to Mille as she had that day in the store when she’d been standing be hind shelves lined with groceries deliberately eavesdropping. JU- do declare, it does look like Amy Wells could get someone,” Clarabelle had said. ‘‘I suppose, she’ll die an old maid.” Clarabelle hadn’t said anything degrading of course. But from that moment forward, Amy had won dered if people generally didn't, as sume that old maids just couldn’t find any takers. She took her eyes from the win dow and Clarabelle going down the street to look at her reflection ip the dresser mirror. At almost forty-- five, she didn’t think she was being egotistical in appraising herself as actually looking thirty-five. She had very little gray in her dark hair, and the faint lines on her face were unnoticeable against the startling blue of her eyes and general pret tiness of her features. There’d been a time when she reigned as the most popular girl at Obane; she’d been pictured in the college year-book as “the girl all men want but only one can have.” _ ‘r.Of -course Clarabelle and the populace of Donovan, a little town of three thousand, didn’t know these things. Amy looked out the window again, and not seeing Clarabelle on the street now, the day resumed some * Read The Chronicle-Your Neighbor Does : ■ a She was startled when someone stood at her shoulder suddenly. of the brightness that Clarabelle’s presence had blighted, and she got to thinking about a trip that 20 years ago had been scheduled for tomorrow. Memory of the tryst had come to her with the approach of another New Year, but she had not planned to enact a promise that years of separation had cast into youth’s frivolous dreaming, disap pointments and temperamental pride. Yet, seeing Clarabelle and remembering what she’chsaid about her somehow filled her with unex pected sentiment. She had nowhefe tb ^o on New Year’s day, and thought of the trip suddenly became entrancing. It would be emotionally uplifting to go back to the old haunts, and no one would know of her foolish living just for a day among memories of a past that through her own fool hardy pride, had led her into her present state of lonely maidenhood. “If anything ever separates us.” Lance had said that night long ago, “it’d be fun just to meet again, sort of a tryst affair, 20 years hence. Maybe in Park Rendezvous where we first met. . . .” They’d talked like that often, then laughed—because they knew they’d never separate. Someday they’d marry. But they didn’t marry. Too soon a trivial misunderstanding had risen between them, and she’d had too much pride to admit that she’d been a little wrong, too. It was almost noon when Amy reached the Park Rendezvous at Obane on New Year’s day. She’d have lunch, she decided, then visit about town. But already she was sensing regret for having made the trip. You couldn’t live, in the past even for a day without returning to the present with greater paip. How well she knew it now! She was startled when someone stood at her shoulder suddenly. “Hello,” he said. Amy’s heart fluttered in recog nizing his voice. She looked up. “Why, Lance—1” It was all she could manage. He sat by her at the table and covered her hand with his. “Looks, like we both remem bered,” he said, chuckling happily. “But, you married, Lance, I heard.” She couldn’t help saying it. “That was false news, dear,” he said. “Do you think—but you sure ly know now! I tried to find you, Amy, but I lost -all trace of you.” Amy laughed and her cheeks col ored. “I wouldn’t have come to day,” she said wistfully, “but for a person named Clarabelle. . . .” “Clarabelle?” Amy nodded. “It’s a queer little story, Lance,” she said, and then she wondered with a little gloating, what Clarabelle, and all of Dono van - for that matter, would think when they heard! MM , " r, ; ■ . 5 r • ' r GREETING j t-..— of the Season a Our greeting this year is something very special because we want you to know how deeply we feel toward our customers. Your thought fulness is Reserving of special attention and we want to express to you our heartiest wishes for the Holidays. -MERRY CHRISTMAS -HAPPY NEW YEAR i Royal Cleaners, Inc. BEAUTIFUL DRY CLEANING i CHRI GREETING TMAo rfbosn y ^ban r and all Owi Zm/xloueeA. With the advent of the Christmiis Season it is fitting that we slow down from the normal speed of business. On many occasions lately we have scarcely had time to say more than “Hello, Thank You and Goodbye.” W’e like . . . I , to pause at this time of good fellowship and peace on earth, good will toward men, which is the spirit of Christmas, to take a little extra time to express our deep appreciation for your sincere friendship amf genef 1 - ous patronage during the past year. May this Christmas be the merriest ever and the best of good fortune be yours during the coming year. WE WISH FOR YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR % Yarborough Oil Company Goodyear £■ West Main Street Phone 440 \. ' u