Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1942 MRS. J. J. LONG liiii NI iY SUN Mrs. Bessie Blair Long, 65, widow of Dr. J. J. Long, died suddenly early Friday morning at the home of her daughter in Cfaesnee. She was the daughter of the late Thomas and Mag- giegie Whitman Blair of Silverstreet. Her husband was a prominent Lutheran minister and at the time of his death last July was pastor of Bethel church at White Rock. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. N. P. Robinson and Miss Anna Mar garet Long, both of Chesnee, two stepsons, the Rev. J. Virgil Long of Prosperity and Olin B. Long of Buf falo, N. Y.; a sister, Mrs. Sanie Boozer of Silverstreet; and three grandchildren. Funeral services were held at 3:30 o’clock Sunday afternoon at the Lea- veil funeral home in Newzerry, con ducted by Dr. E. Z. Pence of Green ville, assisted by the Rev. D. M. Shull of White Rock. Interment fol lowed in Rosemont cemetery. (By Wayland Moore) Christmas Eve. In the entrance drive of a huge apartment building, Shorty Cavendish huddled in a vain attempt to protect himself from the cold. His normally genial face was pinched and drawn, and his rolypoly body shuddered as the wind bit through his pitifully inadequate clothing. Shorty was broke. For six weeks nsw he had been tramping the streets, hoping and praying to And a job. Only the day before he had been turned out of his rooming house, his clothing and other possesions confiscated by a sharp-tongued land lady. «; Yet what bothered him even more was the gnawing emptiness in the p.it of his stomach. It was then his attention turned to the two men on the corner. For some time they had stood regarding him, the younger man sometimes gesturing his way, the older one shaking his head. Shorty shrugged. Maybe they were plainclothes of ficers. Anyway, he was going to hit them for a dime. He approached the men. “Do you happen to have an extra dime, Mis ter?” The older man reached into his pocket, drew forth a bill and hand ed it to Shorty with a smile. “Mer ry Christmas,” he said, then turned away. Shorty stared at the bill, his heart in his throat. Five dollars. The man must have made a mistake. But when he looked up, his benefactor had melted into the crowd. , Shorty remained undecided for a moment, then turned and walked as swiftly as his half-frozen feet would permit toward the restaurant. Thru his mind were racing wonderful dreams. He merged with the crowd in front of a toy shop, felt himself jammed tightly against the display window. A small boy and girl stood beside him, their noses pressed to the cold pane, staring in mingled awe and anticipation at the big red wagon on display. Then he noticed the woman who stood behind them. She was shabbily dressed, and on her face was a look of despair. The little girl glanced back, eyes shining. “Do you think Santa will bring us that wagon, Mama?” she asked. “That’s all Jimmy and I want. Just that wagon.” „The woman tried to smile. “I’m afraid not, darling.” Shorty suddenly realized that he was free to go on. Still he hesitated. “But, Mama,” the boy pleaded, “we wrote to him. We told him where we live now . . .” Shorty stepped forward impul sively. “Pardon me. Madam,” he mumiered, pressed the precious five- dollar bill into her hand, and walk ed quickly away. Not, however, be fore he heard her gasp of delight. He stood *on the curb, unaware of the freezing wind, ks happy as he had even been in his life. Tonight he would sleep in the city jail ... a common tramp. But tonight he had done something of which he would always be proud. , A hand settled on his shoulder. He turned, recognized the gray-hair ed man who had given him the mon ey. For an instant Shorty was frightened. , “I’m sorry sir,” he said. “I want ed to tell you of your error right away, but you left before I could. I haven’t the money now.” The man smiled. “Don’t worry over that,” he said quietly. "It wasn’t an error.” , “My companion and I made you the subject of a wager,” the man ex plained. “He claimed the first thing you would buy if you put your hands on some money would be a bottle of liquor. I disagreed. After we saw what you did with it, we couldn’t just walk away.” His eyes played briefly over Shorty’s fat little figure, and he cleared his throat. “Our lodge is giving a par ty tonight for some children from the Clearview Orphanage. We need a man to act as Santa Claus, and if you don’t mind my saying so, you’d take the part splendidly. After that we could arrange to give you a job as assistant janitor at our hall. Would you be interested?” “Interested?” Shorty choked. “Mister,” he said slowly, “you’ve just offered me a ticket to heaven.” According to an old Scottish be lief, a person born on Christmas will have power to see and com mand spirits. To Each of You Christmas tljis year comes to a con fused world. The false prophets guide the destinies of dictator nations have brought untold suffering to a sorely tried humanity. Despite the haunting shadows of war, the deep, abiding joy of Christ mas is felt throughout th e world. The Star of Bethlehem shines as brightly as it did almost two thous and years ago, its rays, reaching bravely through the dread darkness of ignorance and fear. In our own community we have felt the hot breath of war. Bui Christmas, 1942, brings renewed hope to those who have suffered most Since that greatest of all days, when the Virgin Mother brought forth a son in the' manger at Bethlehem, men have found comfort and solace in the annual miracle of Christmas. • Those of us who live in small towns are able to see more clearly the suffering caused by war. We have a friendly, personal interest in each other. The spirit of neighborly love and devotion has eased many a saddened heart; the helping hand has been extended cheerfully when the road ahead seemed impassable. This newspaper which has recorded community tidings both happy and sad, wishes for each of you a Christ mas of faith and hope—a Christmas rich with the loyalty of friends and graced with a full measure of happi ness. CHRISTMAS BELLS I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play. And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And though how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace o nearth, good-will to men! Till, ringing, swinging on its way. The world revolved from night to day A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households bom Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong And mocks the song Of peoce on earth, good-will to men!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, “God is not dead; nor doth He sleep! The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail. With peace on earth, good-will to men!” —Henry W. Longfellow. THOMAS ELECTED DISTRICT SCOUT CHAIRMAN Boy Scout officials were elected at a recent meeting of the Newberry district. A. H. Thomas was elected district chairman; D. W. A. Neville, vice chairman and J. E. Wiseman, commissioner. J. H. Clary was re-. elected treasurer. Mr. Thomas succeeds B. O. Creek- more who served as district chair man for the past two years. The earliest printed collection of Christmas carols is probably Wyn- kyn de Worde’s “Christmas Carolles Newelv Enprinted,” published in 1520. Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Hutto of Ander son spent the past weekend with Mr. and Mrs. Dave Hayes on ,Main street. fccwos VTOP THAT VO V HI ■ =*¥2 When Irene got home from the air plane factory she was good and tired. This was the hour, after work and before dinner, that she always looked forward to. Her private name for it was “My sissy hour.” Into it, these days, she packed all the lazy, luxurious little things she loved— things that used to take up a lot more than an hour of her peace-time days. She sat down at the little desk in her room. You couid tell quite a lot about Irene from that desk. The water-glass filled with the small bou quet of flowers she sometimes bought on the way home. The paper-weight of pink marble. The thin, crackly blue air-mail stationery. And the big, framed photo graph of a young man in a corpo ral’s uniform—as good-looking a man as Irene was pretty. On the blotter pad lay the telegram that had come that morn ing Just as she was leaving for work. With those long, well-shaped fln- ers she reached for a sheet of paper, he nibbled the end of her pen for a bit, and then she wrinkled up her nose at the picture of the soldier and began to write, “Dear Mr. Morgen- thau”, but the corporal’s name was Jackson and she called him Pete. Her round handwriting spread across the page. “My boy friend is with the A.E.F. in Ireland. He has cabled me fifty dollars with which to buy a diamond ring. I’ve been think ing it over and decided to buy a War Bond to help Uncle Sam instead. This may help to bring my boy friend home sooner, and then he can help me select my ring.” Slowly she began to sign her name. “Irene ” (Letter from an actual communi cation in the files of the Treasury Department.) Let’s all sacrifice as Irene has done. Bring final victory closer with the money you put into War Bonds. Make certain your family budget tops 10 percent by New Year’s. (7. S. Treasury Department A Berrg Hapjig QHfriatmaa to ■Eartf of $ou from Nmbmy £>tram IGannbry $c Iry (Eleaning (Up* % Wishing you a . . . DOLLS—THEY’RE ALMOST HUMAN AS SCIENCE STEPS IN TO OUR MANY FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS! I. KAPLAN Sunrise Auto Supply Even in the doll world, science has come through with its help. It has perfected an “almost hu man” doll whose heart beat can be distinguised by means of the stetho- scope that is furnished with the doll’s layette. So now little Janey, if she becomes worried about the condition of her “little baby’s” health—even though it’s cheeks are rosy—need but put the stethoscope to use. The health of course, all depends on Janey’s de- sicion. There are today, even little doll- babies that eat from a spoon, make use of a nursery bottle like any little veteran of the crib, and even blow bubbles. Why, if Janey wants them to, they’ll even walk along with her, provided, of course, she holds at least one hand. You will note, too, when Janey and her little doll do go out for a walk, the doll walks much more gracefully than ever before. Little Janey will also notice that this year reaches a new high in smart clothing for her doll. The right style wardrobes and even accessories for all occasions have been designed. Miss Janey is going to have a fine time with her new, modern doll this Christmas.