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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19S1 THE NEWBERRY SUN — ’ . MAXWELL BROS. & LINDSAY Furniture Newberry CHRISTMAS LECTURE . . . “Now this is a Christmas tree,** blf brother appears to be tell- inff the toddler. ‘‘It grows in the livlnff room only once a year, and it always has a lot of nice presents under it/’ ^ QameS for c4ll Aiake Christmas 3a milif Party. Christmas is the time for family get-togethers. One of the best ways to make these gatherings memora ble for all concerned is to engage in games which the whole group can play. A nice one to start off with would be a Sugar Plum Hunt. Have one member of the family hide Christ mas candies ahead of time in vari ous nooks and corners around the house. At a given signal everyone starts hunting and gathering the pieces. The one who gathers the greatest number would be given a prize. The Christmas Puzzle is another good one to get things going. Look through some magazines, which are filled with pictures of Santa Claus at this time of year. Cut out enough of these to go around, paste them on stiff cardboard, and cut them into pieces. Then put each group of pieces in a separate paper bag. At the signal, everyone opens a bag and starts putting the puzzle to gether. The Xmas Scramble Contest is' good for a group with older children' in it. This is simply a contest to see who can unscramble a group of words the fastest. Just for fun, see if you can work out the following— astna, erireden, ehsgil, dyrjca, gosiknct, erte, trepesn, hupnc, alsorc, and niborb. And now it's Christmas again! It's strange how quickly this day of all days slips up on us but each year as we realize that soon we will be observing this great occasion, we find ourselves more grateful for the oppor tunity of serving you. You have been very thoughtful and generous and in extending the greetings of the season to you, we wish to include our hearty thanks for everything. May this truly be a happy Christmas for you. WHITENER LUMBER CO. Guy V. Whitener, Sr., President and Treasurer Dallas T. Burkett Margaret N. Burkett Curtis O. Chapman Walter H. Dorrity Sease Dowd Arthur G. Dwyer Guy V. Whitener, Jr. Monroe Hendrix C. C. Hutto C. Walter Lovett D. C. Sharp Frank D. Graham G. W. Hawkins W. L. Singley John W. Waldrop D. J. Williams J. Ralph Williams By Anna Yarbrough E LLA CLOUD stood back and eyed the tree with approval. Honestly, she thought, it’s beauti ful, even if it is more a New Year’s tree than a Christmas tree. A surge of joy rushed through her. Mary would soon be home. Any minute now, Charles would be back from the hospital with her. Ella looked anxiously about the charming liv ing room; everything must be done to make Mary’s New Year a happy one. Ella sank tiredly down in a chair, and covered her eyes with her plump hands. Two years since that awful day of the accident, but it seemed as vivid as yesterday. It was late afternoon when she got that message that her daughter had been in a traffic accident. The mad race to the hospital had been a nightmare. They wouldn’t let her see Mary. She war glad, now, that they hadn’t. She felt tears trickle between her fingers. Mary had been bitter; wanted to die. And absolutely re fused to see anyone, not even her mother, or Charles or little Charlie. 'Then the operations began, one after another, until that happy day when Mary consented to see her. Bow precious Mary looked. Her blond curls ^pilled over her pillow. The doctors had performed mira- “Aw, Mom,” he e&id, “aw, your noee! ” cles. Little by little they had built Mary’s face up again. Ella heard a car stop, then foot steps coming up the walk. The front door opened. Tall hand some Charles, and Mary stood in the doorway. Then Mary was in EUa’s arms, and she was saying, “Oh, Honey, we’re glad to have you home”. Mary was brought into the house, fussed over almost as much as a brand-new baby, and finally was settled comfortably in a big chair. Not until the first wave of the home coming excitement had passed was she able to bring herself to express the uneasiness that had been in her heart all day. There was a catch in Mary’s voice when she asked, “Where’s little Charlie?” Suddenly fear choked Ella. She wished she had cautioned little Charlie not to mention his mother’s face, but it was too late now. “He— he went to a party,” Ella said as she helped settle Mary on the divan. A blare of children’s voices sounded, “Good-night, Charlie”, then Little Charlie’s, “Good-night”. T HE DOOR BURST OPEN, and Little Charlie stood, in all his eight-year-old inquisitiveness, and stared at his mother. The child’s countenance fell. “Aw, Mom,” he said, “Awl Your nose!” Ella said hurriedly, “It’s a nice nose. Isn’t it, Charlie?” Silently she was praying, “Oh, God, make him say the right thing”. Little Charlie’s face twisted into a frown, “I don’t see anything es pecially nice about it. It looks Just like the nose Mom always had. And I’ve invited all the kids over to morrow to see Mom’s doctor-made nose. Now, Butch Mitchell’s going to tease me something awful’*. Suddenly, Mary began to laugh. The tears trickled down her pale cheeks. She was laughing as sho had thousands of times before the accident, wholeheartedly. Little Charlie said dejectedly, “It ain’t nothing to laugh about. I thought sure you’d come back from the hospital with something to show.” Mary stopped, laughed, thought a second, then asked solemnly, “Would two toes off do?’.’ Little Charlie’s expression bright ened, “Honest, Mom?” Quickly Mary slipped off bar shoes, then hose, and held up one pretty, slender foot, “See”, she said. Two small toes were neatly ampu tated. “Golleef” Little Charlie grinned, “That’ll do just fine, Mom.” Mary was laughing again, and hugging her young son. ' To keep from bursting into tears of pure joy, Ella asked, “How do you like the New Year’s tree, CharUe?” Little Charlie shrugged, “It’D do,” he said with a grin. Big Chp'les’ arnis were around Mary. Ho answered, “Mother, that’s a beautiful tree, but not as beautiful as our Mary”. Ella smiled. It was going to be a Happy New Year for Mary. By Maud McCurdy Welch pATTI WAS TRYING to forget It * was Christmas. Last Christmas there had been Jimmy and a ring on her finger. Then there was a girl named Ann and everything was over. Patti had packed up and come to this part of the city to live. So there were no holly wreaths or Christmas trees in Patti’s Pie, and Bake Shop just off one of the bustling avenues. There was only Patti with her brown curls and mellow brown eyes and the long rows of pies and cakes In the 1 show-cases. People came from all over to buy Patti’s cakes and pies and drink, her coffee. There was the little, old lady who sold magazines on the corner, who came in every day. She was the first to come in on Christmas Day, and she was lug ging a big wreath of holly and mistletoe. “Hang it in the window, dearie,” she said. Patti looked at the wreath and a, sick pain caught at her heart. Then there was the telephone; operator who worked in a branch exchange, and later the little boy' who always stopped by from schooL He had such sad blue eyes It made Patti’s heart ache. Patti always gave him a huge slice of pie When he saw the wreath his eyes brightened. “Gee, that’s 1 pretty.” and he ate it with relish, but the sad bewilderment of his eyes never seemed to go away. When he saw the wreath, his eyes brightened. “Gee, t h a f s pretty. You goin’ to have a Christ mas tree too. Mis’ Patti?” Patti started Jk> say no, but choked. Instead she asked, “Don’t you have a Christmas tree, Tom my?” He shook his head. Patti said, her voice still choky, “Then we’ll have one here. You can help me trim it.” In no time at all the tree was up and they were trimming it. In spite of her stern efforts, Patti was conscious of a slow excitement. Tommy asked if she believed in that Kris Kringle stuff, and she had to stop to think before answer ing. At last she said, “Yes, Tommy, I—1 think I do. Kris Kringle may be just a symbol, but he’s really alive in the hearts and spirits of hundreds of people all over the world.” Tommy’s blue eyes grew bright. ”Then do you think if I told him I only wanted my daddy back, and nothing else, he would bring him back to us? My mommy told him to go, but she didn’t mean it. Now she’s sick, but if Daddy would come back, we’d both be happy and she’d be welL” An idea was slowly dawning in Patti’s mind. “We’ll see what we can do, Tommy,” she promised. Patti hurried like mad and got a personal ad. in the late edition of one of the big dailies. It read: “Mr. Thomas Baker, please call at Patti’s Pie & Cake Shop et once.” pATTI WAITED and waited. The * little shop was brightly lighted and the Christmas tree was a beau tiful sight to see. But no one came. Everything had been sold, so Patti was putting out the lights when a tall young man' walked in. He said, “I may be the Thomas Baker you’re looking for. Of course 1 don’t know. Patti just felt it in her bones that he was the right one. She said, “Do you have a wife by the name of Margaret and a little boy named Tommy?” “Yes, yes, I do.” “Then you’re the right Thomaa Baker. They want you to come home.” “Are you sure Margaret wants me too?” The young man’s eyes were suddenly full of hope. Patti nodded. “I’m very sure,” and the young man thanked her, turned to go and almost collided with another tall young man who had just come in. He was looking at Patti with his whole heart in his eyes. “The minute I saw that per sonal, I was sure it was you. No one ever spelled Patty with an “i” as you do.” Then he reached for her hands. “Patti, won’t you forgive me for thinking 1 could ever love another girl? Won’t you let me put this rii.g where it belongs?” Patti ;?as choked up with happi ness as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Finding you is like • Christmas miracle,” he whispered as he took her in bis arms. ©O v-j As th* Holidays grow * closer, we want to pause and say, “Thank You. » '-,'V Bums & Whitaker 1517 Martin Street Newberry V In extending our Christ mas Greeting, we tmet that the road of life ahead will lead you to much • " . L-. • health and happiness. Belk-Beard Co. Main Street Newberry ’s the Old, Old St The journey of the three Wise Men to bring gifts to the new bom King is familior to each of us, o story os fascinating and thrilling now as when it was first related. And just as thrilling to us is the opportunity we have each Yuletide to wish our friends, Metty Shtistm LOMINICK’S DRUG ST< Newberry, S. C. —*