The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 26, 1952, Image 16

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— 'V' $ t -‘ '±y '&- W j - ''■’ ,.:'>■ ■> # 7^ ; S '-v'^ ••' '. v9 -;‘" K »»,•. 5*^-« f ' ’ ■ -' ri It’s the day of grand memories, this joy-bringing, gift bearing « y Christmas occasion. May it be one of fullest enjoyment for you and yours. ’Mf* BAKER-SUMMER MOTOR CO. R. B. Baker C. W. Summer J. S. Nichols D. F. Senn L. E. Kibler Collier Caldwell UJitAttif tyou i “■ : ‘ ' *** 1 / 1 |i--| / ’// // /v (/ The soft glow of tho Christmas candles signify the warm friend ships which we have for the many fine people of this com- ex mnnlty whom it has been our privilege to serve these months past. May yonr Christmas be truly happy. * v TONE HOME & AUTO SUPPUES Newberry, S. C. .a... K :X' , THE NEWBERRY SUN ‘ \ By Shirley Sargent S TEVE ROLLED from the bed where Marge slept and started toward the living room. The glow of Christmas tree lights betrayed the children. Young Stevie—there was a boy for you—had one hand in his stocking. Julie was whisper ing, “Go on, see what’s in it.” Only Doris, the tall, older one, was quite still. Paris turned just as Steve said “Merry Christmas,” sarcastically. Young Stevie, with the engaging grin, whipped around, “Hi, daddy. Can we open our presents? It’s al most- daylight.*’ “Daylight, my foot—it’s barely two.” “But Santa Claus has already been here.” “Bed,” Steve commanded. Steve and Julie hugged him, leaving without argument, but there was defiance plain on Paris’s face. “Under the tree, dad, I don’t see anything long and sort of curved.” That Paris, an odd one. An eleven-year-old kid wanting a trom bone. It beat Steve. “I don’t either,” he agreed, meeting his son’s eyes. “Look, you’re too old to believe in Santa Claus, and too young to realize how expensive a trombone is.” Paris looked down at the mounds of gaily wrapped packages. “Okay,” he said in a flat, old- sounding voice “so I get a couple of new shirts and Stevie gets . . .” “Stevies gets what?” Paris ground his bare foot into the rug. “Nothin’. I was just talking.” “Good night, son,” Steve watched Paris out of the room be fore he unplugged the tree lights and sank into a worn armchair. Paris was right. Stevie had everything he’d asked for piled under the tree. Even an electric train. Cost a lot to keep a kid happy these days, but a trombone . . . Like the one out in the trunk of the car that was going back to the store first thing Wednesday morning. A man made only so much working in a laundry, trying to save enough to buy a half in terest, so Marge went ahead and bought a Trombone without a by- your-leave. First Paris had to have lessons, then a rented horn to practice on. Now he wanted one of his own. Paris, a funny kid. Never listening to the foptball games like Julie and even Stevie did. Always wan dering off for hikes and bringing home strange, ragamuffin kids. Happy when he could tinker with all radios, happier yet when he could listen to highbrow music. That stuff. Steve didn’t understand him and that was a fact. From “Look, you’re too old to be lieve in Santa Claus.” a distance he heard the voices of carolers and, upstairs, the waver ing notes of the rented trombone. That Paris! PVEN AS STEVE swung up the stairs, to the attic, he heard the sureness in the music. At first Paris had practiced in the attic by request, but Steve had to hand it to him. He had worked hard; two-three hours a day until he could really play. Looking in on him now, Steve saw that the rented instrument gleamed. “You love to play, don’t you?” Steve asked. A smile the like of which Steve had never seen before crossed his son’s face. Then, shyly, “Mr. Bax ter wants me to play in the school band.” It was hard to keep his pride from showing, but Steve only said heartily, “That’s fine, Paris,” be fore sending him back to bed. Steve went downstairs, search ing under the tree until he found young Stevie’s electric train. The box was heavy in his hands as he considered. Toys didn’t matter too much to Stevie—he liked active things, in which a father could share. When Steve came back in from the car, he felt like Santa Claus as he put the shiny leather case that was long and sort of curved under the tree. A trombone for Pails. By Anne O’Sullivan H ESITANT but determined, Ransome had brought his fiancee, Hilda, home for Christmas to his parents’ mountain ranch. Now, on Christmas Eve, Bridget, his young school-teaching sister, and Gloria, his white-collar sister, sat in the pine-panelled living room, admiring the yet undeco rated Christmas tree. And Hilda seemed to be getting along par ticularly well with Gloria, the am bitious, the contemptuous sister whose city veneer denied her mountain heritage. He was the first to stir from the surprising but comfortable /dark. “I’ll take care of it, Ma,” he called toward the kitchen, “probably just a blown out fuse.” “Wouldn’t you know it?” Gloria’s voice rose sharply, eomplainingly. Pa, armed with a lantern/ stamped in the back door, shed ding snow as he shook his heavy jacket off. “Brrr, a real snow piling easterner, but the animals are all right.” “Did you check the fuse box. Pa?” Ran asked. “Not much use—the wind prob ably took care of a transformer. What’s the matter boy? When you were living at home we didn’t even have electricity.” “Yeah, well, we still got plenty lanterns around?” “Long as we got horsesense, we’ll keep the lanterns ready,” it was Ma’s turn to laugh. “Likely our lights’ll be off two-three more times this winter.” “We can’t trim the tree. Pa, when the light string won’t work,” Gloria sounded petulant, dissatis fied. Was Hilda disappointed too? Ran wondered. “Remember the times we trimmed the tree with popcorn balls and all?” Bridget asked. “Let’s do it tonight, shall we, Ma?” “Why of course, Pa and I’d get a sight of pleasure out of that. How about you, Hilda?” “I’d like to help.” To Ran she sounded enthusiastic, but maybe it was just politeness. “A sight more work too,” Gloria pointed out. “Why you won’t move . . .” “I’ll need another lantern for the kitchen. Pa, if I’m to string cran berries,” Bridget interrupted zest fully. R AN KNELT beside the deep fire place, built by his great grandfather, to stir the coals. As a boy he had risked burning him self to pop corn in a frying pan; now they had a long-handled pop per. The angry surge of wind re assured him in a strange way. He was at home. Safe and protected. If only Hilda could share his feel ing for this place . . . He leaned on his heels, whis tling, as the kernels began to pop. /I Pl x\ ] “I wish you’d let me help,” Hilda said. “I wish you’d let me help,” Hilda said, “Bridget sent me in with a bowl, salt and butter.” Ran moved aside, finding it nat ural for Hilda to kneel and work beside him. Her eyes sparkled and her face was flushed in the fire light, but Ran missed his chance to ask if she were happy when Bridget summoned them to string popcorn. Gloria held up a string of pop corn. “Not half so pretty as tin sel.” “Means more,” Bridget said. “Seems like popcorn strings have a special beauty—the kind you can’t buy.” Soon the Christmas tree was fes tooned with strings of popcorn and cranberries. It looked beautiful to Ran even before they moved pres ents underneath. He caught the satisfaction on everyone’s face, though Gloria still looked cynical. Just then Hilda rushed out of the room and went upstairs. When she came back, she paused half-shyly in the doorway, an accordion in her arms, “I thought you’d have a piano and, now that the radio’s off, maybe you’d like some carols? It’s been such a perfect evening.” Ran knew then, as he guided her into the circle and saw the family make way for her, that Hilda was one of them and his voice rose ex ultantly in “O Come All Ye Faithful.” 111 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1952 mM wm ■z&M- 5 - • •»»» : ifjL«sK! ft m# .y ■ A anal 0m* laaaa Mna CM jOV CHvQ yWa oaat prepare to observe oootber Seasoa of happiaoss, wo want to add oar message of good wM and greetings to tbe citizens of this commnnity that wo or# privilogod to coll oar boom r ■ m ‘ &•<. \>i& ti. ;1sf: • •J ; W pH liini THE MARKET BASKET 1110 Harrington St. Newberry wR*' i \ 'ij — — •• v m . : .-V -■ " 9&tke. $0^ *$• \ Everywhere we turn we see evidences of tbe joy end good wil that so greatly endears the Christmas season to all of us. * > May this cheerfulness end warmth remain with yon tbronghout the oomnig twelve months, enr wish for yon end ODORLESS CLEANERS 1109 Friend St 2 Newberry •- *' '■ , : ■'r;- r ■' *;>'■ ;V • ;^\-r■.'■ ; . ■ k j BH rail 0m fe'iJS — •. t’t j