Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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SEC. C — PAGE 12 The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, December 22, 1966 By Clyde Thomas Mary Ann Gregg pulled the covers tightly against the sleep ing child and silently closed the nursery door. She turned down the volume on the TV set, turned the knob to the "off” position, then turned it on again. Might as well watch for a time and see how some folks were welcoming in the New Year. There was nothing else to do. "Don’t start feeling sorry for yourself,” she said out loud as she sat down in an arm chair. How many times each day had she said this, silently anc aloud? How could you convince yourself that you are just one of many? Thousands of women were without their husbands. Many permanently. At least, she knew that Stan was still alive. He had been a week ago, at any rate. She picked up the letter from the coffee table and turned it thoughtfully between her fin gers. No need to read it again. She knew it by heart. It was little different from the others, except that Stan had heard a rumor about being rotated home. This was not the first time he had heard such a ru mor. Mary Ann had learned not to expect too much, not to worry about Stancoming home until he appeared in the door way or she received the awful word he wasn’t coming home at all. But, she had to worry. This she could not deny her self. The one thing she could nev er seem to forget was that Stan had volunteered. She did not believe that she would ever fully understand why he had done so. He had been just out of col lege, in a new job, with a happy and expectant wife. Why did he do it? Why, oh why did men oi their own free will go off to war? Was it something he really believed in? Or, had Stan in reality ran away? When — and if — he came home, would he have fulfilled whatever obliga tion had taken him away; if he had been running, would he continue to do so? What did it matter? The thing was simple; she was here and he was there and she needed him desperately. At this very moment, when people all over the world were finding a little something to be happy about, she was as miserable as she had ever been in her life. The magic hour of midnight had arrived. Too loudly, "Auld Lang Syne” blared from the television speaker. Mary Ann could not rouse herself to turn down the volume. If the baby were disturbed, she had nothing to do but soothe and comfort until sleep returned. She was, herself, more asleep than awake, less conscious of the television’s blare than pos sessed with the sensation that somewhere a telephone was ringing and she must answer; or was it a doorbell that shrilled, "Let me in . . . let me in. In the cold, grey light of dawn, she knew it had been neither. She fixed a pot of cof fee and for a long time sat idly sipping, watching the gent ly falling snow collect in the corners of the kitchen window pane. Finally, she roused herself. Methodically, from habit, she walked to the nursery and read justed the blanket that protected the still sleeping child. More to herself than to the child who could neither hear nor understand, she spokewith confidence; "This is the first day of the New Year. This is a day of promise and hope. We shall get a letter today, may be even a phone call. Today we shall hear the word. We shall know thatyourfatheriscoming home.” At that very moment, as if some magic word had been spoken, the telephone began to ring. He "" S 0 ttt © SCW .INC. May we merit your good will for many years. GARDNER INSURANGE AGENCY CITY FINANCE COMPANY JEAN AND L. D. GARDNER © HwWW ^ . , 7/teuf cOtceuK Mttte Vuce! ©SCW. INC. TOTS TO TEENS MAIN STREET NEWBERRY, S. C.