Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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I \ Thursday* Decemberi 25, 1952 -L THE CLINTON CHRONICLE Page Seven A NORTH POLE CHRISTMAS By FRANK MARTIN WEBBER In December Issue Holland’s, The Magazine of the South Peter Painter was standing beside the North Pole on top of the world. “The night before Christmas," he said to himself, “is the most wonder ful night of the year/’ He looked up at the stars, twink ling like millions of Christmas can dles. He thought of Santa Claus pil oting his great airplane loaded with toys, and of all the stops he would have to‘ make to leave presents un der the Christmas trees for thous ands of little girls and little boys. He looked at Toyland CaStle, where Santa lived with his wife, Goody-Two-Shoes. It was built of anew that glistened with frost and was trimmed with icicles that hung in long and short points. He looked 'at - the hundreds of huts where the hundreds of tojr tinkers lived. Then he saw a shed set off by it self. It was a low shed, hunched un der a humped roof as if it were try ing to hide. “There is something about that shed," murmured Peter Painter, “that is sad as a sigh.” Just then the door to the castle opened and out of it came Goody- Two-Shoes. She had a bright red shawl over her head and her. cheeks ~wefe TTred~as her shawl.- . “(Hello, Peter Painter!" her voice was as sweet and jolly as an apple dumpling. “I am going to deliver Santa’s presents to the toy tinkers. I’d be obliged if you’d help me for there are too many for me to carry /tione.” “Delighted!” exclaimed Peter Painter. “Merry Christmas to you!" “And Merry Christmas to you! Take a handle of this basket and to gether we Will drag it along.” Together,-' across the glistening snow, they dragged the big wicker basket piled high with hundreds of red flannel bags, each with a tink ling bell tied to it. Inside every one were sugar plums. “Leave six presents at each hut,” said Goody-Two-Shoes. “The bags turn into, caps, and I made-them my self." Together Peter Painter and Goody- TWOp-Shoes distributed the caps on the doorsteps of the huts where the toy tinkers were sleeping. “Now,” said Goody-Two-Shoes, “let’s go wish a Merry Christmas to Santa’s reindeer.” Together Goody-Two-Shoes and Peter Painter stepped silently over the snow to the shed that was hunch ed undpr the humped roof as^if it 'were Goody-Two-Shoes leaned close to Peter Painter’s ear. “The reindeer sulk on Christmas Eve, so we will slip into the harness room and listen before we let them know we are here.” ] “Why do they sulk?” Peter Painter asked as they slipped into the harn ess room. “Because now Santa uses the air plane to deliver presents all over the world. He used to drive the reindeer hitched to that sleigh.” Goody-Two- Shoes pointed to a comer of the har ness room. The sleigh was covered with dust and the paint had peeled. Beside it hung the reindeers’ harness. The leather was discolored and the brass was tarnished. Just then they heard the reindeer talking in the stable. “Nobody thinks of us at Christ mas.” “That’s ' Dasher," Goody-Two- Shoes whispered. “We used to fly over the earth like; the down of a thistle!” “Dancer,” she whispered. “We pulled the silver sleigh through the night clouds. We dived down to the tops of the chimneys.” "‘Prancer and Vixen.” “We galloped around the world from sundown till daylight!” “Donder and Blitzen.” Goody-Two Shoes winked at Peter Painter. “I’ve a good mind to hitch them to the sleigh and give them a spin around 4jfTe woi-W just Tdr-fhs..furx-af it!" RODDY’S RESTAURANT AND MOTOR RESTAURANT WILL BE CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY ... lights the woy for us to wish you o wonder ful Christmas abundant with health, happiness and prosperity. And may we include in our i greeting our sincere thanks for your patronage Of rn® pose W . : * ■' Sunshine Cleaners H. F. Blalock — Gary Holcombe Good! I’ll go with you!” Goody-Two-Shoes looked at the run-down old sleigh and the tired- looking harness. “The reindeer would be so ashamed to be hitched to it.” ' Peter Painter looked at the paints in their pots on his paintpot tray, which swung from his shoulders by a stout leather shoestring. “I will paint the sleigh and harness.” He took out a paintbrush. Goody-Two-Shoes looked at the huts that housed the toy tinkers. “And I will wake the toy tinkers to ride in the sleigh so it will not be empty.” Peter Painter painted the sleigh silver with green and gold trim mings. He painted the harness shin ing white with bright red buckles. The toy tinkers came scampering. They squealed and they giggled. EVery one was pulling a red flannel cap over his-head, and every cap had a tiny bell on top of it. “The Christmas Jjags were Christ mas caps,”. laughed Peter Painter. Goody-Two-Shoes opened the door and called like a Christmas bell ringing, “Come, Dasher! Come, Dancer! Here, Prancer and Vixen! Steady, Comet! Easy, Cupid! Quiet, Donder and Blitzen!” harness with the bright red buckles. The reindeer lifted their tiny hooves as if they were dancing. They whin nied and neighed as if they were singing. 1 The toy tinkers climbed iiito the sleigh till they spilled over the sides of it. They straddled the reindeers’ backs and held on to the harness. Goody-Two-Shoes huffed and puffed herself up into the high driv er’s seat. She laced the reins through her fingers. She lifted the long slim whip out of its socket. Peter Painter leaped up onto the seat beside her. The toy tinkers whooped and wheeed at the top of their voices. The bells on their red flannel caps tinkled. “Gi'ddi-up!” Goody - Two - Shoes cracked the whip over the reindeers’ backs. Peter Painter stuck two fingers, between his teeth and gave a shrill whistle. Away he flew like the down! of a thistle.” Through the clouds, in and out of the stars, round and over the moon, the reindeers romped with their breath curling like plumes from their nostrils. When they did a fig ure eight, Goody-Two-Shoes lost her red shawl and shouted, “Merry Christmas!” When they went into a tailspin, fine as any airplane, Peter Painter clung to his paintpot tray and yelled, “Merry Christmas!” When they zoomed back toward the sky, all the toy tinkers pulled off their caps, shook the bells and yipped, “Merry Christmas!” Far down below, close to the earth, they saw two lights blinking a mess age. One light was green as holly leaves and the other was red as hol ly berries. “The message says, “Merry Christ mas!’” announced Peter Painter. “It’s Santa!” chuckled Goody-Two- Shoes. “In his airplane!” shrieked the toy tinkers. The reindeers snorted. Through the clouds, in and out of the stars, over and around the moon, and down the Milky Way, the rein deer galloped. They were as happy and gay as they had been back in the days before Santa used an air plane to deliver Christmas presents. And in his airplane, good old San ta laughed till “his round little belly shook like a bowl full of jelly.” Just as the reindeer pulled the sleigh behind a cloud and out of sight, Santa called to everybody ev erywhere in the world: / “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!” Dr. W. W. Adams VETERINARIAN <14 Moagrove Street Clinton, a C, Phones: Oflke $58 ResMeace 991-W We like to think of our customer* os our friends. As on expression of our genuine oppreciotion of these friendships ond oil thot they hove meant to us, we wish you ond those whom you love, a joyful Christmas Season., Pet Dairy Products Co. GREENVILLE. S. C. Merry -Happy New Year Yarborough Oil Company Goodyear Store — West Main Street