Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PAGE FOUR THE NEWBERRY SUN As Christmas approaches! we pause to commemorate the birth of the Christ-Child, and to wish each of you a most happy occasion. Christmas, in all its sublime and solemn beauty, should mean more to all this year than ever before. Season's greetings to everyone! B. C. MOORE AND SONS M BUY FROM MOORE AND SAVE MORE » The Yoletide Season brings joy ous Greetings to oil our customers and on appreciation for the con siderations we have enjoyed during the past year. Our Good Wishes to yon and yours. N (SX \JL> NEWBERRY STEAM LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING CO. By Lilliace M. Mitchell E veryone in the club thought it an excellent and unique idea: double Christmas! Wonderful! Two connecting rooms which would ac commodate any number of mem bers and guests—one room a real ly modern Christmas tree, the other an old-fashioned tree. “All right, then,” laughed the president when the clamor had died down. “It’s voted, definitely. Now, for the two committees to handle the two trees. I’d like vol unteers. I know how busy every one is at this time of year and if I may have volunteers, I shan’t be imposing on anyone.” v Unfortunately, all those who vol unteered wanted to trim the mod ern tree. No one offered to take the old fashioned tree in the old- fashioned room. Linda Marbry was almost as astonished as any one when she said she would be responsible for it. Outside in the clear, cool night she wondered why she had offered. She was a stranger in this com munity and knew no young men who would put up the thirty-foot tree for her. A teacher of fresh man English in a small high school does not meet many young men. At last she decided to let the putting-up of the tree wait and get the ornaments ready: mostly homemade, the Christmas com mittee had told her: something like pioneer life, the tree must be. So she went into a grocery store and asked for popcorn. It was the same answer in five stores: usual- “Popcorn!” his voice and blue eyes were both incredulous. ‘‘First time I ever saw a young lady running around in the dark for popcorn!” ly they had an excess of popcorn but now they were entirely out .f; Linda Lou was getting panic- stricken by half past eight that night. At nearly nine o’clock she saw a man in a small grocery store window reach up to pull out the lighf. “Oh, wait, wait, please,” she 1 said breathlessly as she pushed open the big door. “Well, you must be really hungry!” laughed the tall, dark young man teasingly. “What’ll it be?” “Popcorn!” she said. “Popcorn!” his voice and blue eyes were both incredulous. “First time I ever saw a young lady run ning around in the dark for pop corn!” So Linda told him all about the old-fashioned tree and how she had been unable to buy any pop corn which must be popped and strung and ready for the tree. “They gave you little enough time,” he grumbled as he went back to the shelf. “Whoever heard of getting up a thing like that in one day! I’d best help you, I think. I’ll pop tomorrow morning while you are in your school.” “But your job here?” “Oh, this isn’t any job. I’m a newspaper photographer. Just came down to visit my aunt and uncle and helped out in the store while they went for a visit with g sick friend. Seems rather strange, doesn’t it? I got time off which was unusual. Came down here although I could have gone for the holidays to any one of a dozen places. You offered to trim a tree. I have the popcorn—” he hesitated. “—and you offer to pop it,” Linda Lou added in her breath less fashion. “Why—it—it’s like a story, almost. Isn’t it?” “It certainly is,” he agreed, smoothing his black hair back as he stared down at her. “Now I never wrote a story in my life but I have noticed that in the stories, it all ends happily.” Linda felt the color rising in her cheeks. “Well, I’m sure it will make a very happy ending if that tree is up and trimmed in time for the party, the Christmas party—” “Ah, now, don’t just use words to drag this out. Christmas party, indeed! Of course, they don’t use Christmas trees at any time ex cept Christmas. Well, I’ll get the tree up and pop the corn and we’ll color it pink. How does that sound?” “It sounds wonderful,” she mur mured. “Yes, the whole thing sounds wonderful to me, too. With maybe a bit of mistletoe on a long, high branch.” Linda Lou only nodded. It seemed a part of a huge pattern, she thought. A pattern marked MERRY CHRISTMAS.