The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 20, 1931, Page 11

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, DEC. 20, 1931. WE WISH YOU JOY May this Christmas be your happiest ever, with enough to go around and to spare, and may you live as long as you want to and never want as long as you live---are our yuletide wishes to you. Juneau and unglas Telephone Co. - \ i Season’s Greetings May the Holiday Season greet all with an abundance of joy and hdppiness and hold the things of life worth while. For the coming year, success and pros- perity to all, is our wish: © ¢ Bailey’s CHRIS BAILEY; Prop. AR SO OB PARSELL, home from college for the holidays, with a satisfied air of ex- pectancy. Bob had always wanted to attend one of these midnight services and at last he had made it possible—forced the issue as it were. Bob looked about him. There was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, bending over the babe. Not far away was Joseph, the father. Mary's expression made him think of his own mother, when she and dad started off in the car for the hundred-mile drive to his unmarried aunt's home at Wakefield. Dad had said: “Too bad your holiday job keeps you from driving with us, Bob, But Ill meet you at the station in the morning.” And mother, understanding her son a little better than father, had said: “You won't miss the midnight train, will you, Bob? It would spoll Christmas not to have you with us, you know.” " And he, Bob, hed said: “All right,” oot knowing himself just what he meant by it. And he felt sure moth- er Gidn't elfther. But after they had gone he be- came more and more positive he | was not going to Wakefield. Christ- mas was meant to be a happy time and he had been away from home all the year and besides he wanted to go to the tea dance Christmas afternoon with Margaret. Of course he knew mother would have had the Christmas at home if she had been able, but she hadn't gotten over | that operation yet. The manager of the store had told Bob to go but Bob seized upon | the excuse to work until the store elosed at eleven. lle was going to | do as he pleased. Christmas was | the time to be happy. But when he called Margaret lhe entered one of the rear| pews of the great cathe-| dral and settled himself | was going away with her parents ' for Christmas. That In itself was disappointing but he would see what the midnight service was lfke anyway. But he wasn't a bit com- fortable. Mary looking at that Christ child the way she did began to annoy him. It was too much like mother's look—and mother wasn't well, “Oh, hang it all!” Bob muttered. “Why can't a fellow do what hé wants and be happy?” He selzed his coat and dashed out. There was just time to catch the twelve-fifteen. No use taking a sleeper. Bob entered the coach with its nodding occupants, But who were those wide-awake people a few seats down? “Margaret! For Pete's sake! ‘Where're you going?” Bob's exclam- “Well, I'm More Lucky Than | De- serve.” 1tion roused several of the sleepers. “Why, we're going to Wakefield. Dad’s people live there and we go: there occasionally for Christmas. This happens to be one of the oc. casions.” ®Well, 'm more lucky than I de- serve,” Bob laughed a little awk- wardly, “That’s where I'm golng. Do you suppose there'll be any kind of a dance?’ “I know there Is. I was wonder- ing who I'd go with, but now I know.” “Yes, you can know that for sure,” Bob grinned. Bob was philosophizing to him- self as he dressed for breakfast: “I sure would have been a cad to have stayed at home. Dad at the train to meet me and mother up’ walting, so relieved and happy wken I arrived, And a date with Margaret for good measure, Gee! Wouldn't I have been sore at my- self at home? Christmas happiness means thinking of others besides mmdva I'm conviaced" v | ———a——— They keep their coaches a long time in the Rocky Mountain con- ference. Myron E. Witman is in his 12th year at the University of Colorado, and Tke Armstrong is coaching his sixth at the Univer- sity of Utah. HAT will do, thank you, Elise,® and Elizabeth dis- missed her mald with a -/ smile. It was her custom 4 each Christmas. to enter- tain whatever guest the Charities sent to her without Elise's help. Once it had been a down-and-out ex-missionary well along In years, once a lonely girl from the West, and several times thin little waifs from the tenements, On those lat- ter occaslons Elizabeth had been glad of the fragrant tree which al- ways stood in one corner of the apartment, alight with colored bulbs and hung with varied gifts Thera was mo one in sight now —wait, wasnt that some one just turned the corner? A moment later the bell rang and if, when she ran down the stairs and answered it, Elizabeth was de- cidedly takén back at the young man who stood before her, it is probable that he, too, had his mo- ment of surprise as he gazed at the slender visfon in a white dress. “Miss Lowry, of the Charities sent me—" he began. “Oh, yes,” nodded Elizabeth quick- ly. She mustn't let him think for an instant she had hesitated. She had absolute confidence in anyone Miss Lowry, head of the board, might send. “Hang your coat and hat on the costumer at the hcad of tne stairs. And, let me_see, your name—" Still the young man seemed a bit uncertain.” Then, “Drake Qibson,” he kaid, resolutely and abruptly, Elizabeth breathed an unconscions sigh of rellef, as she preceded:him up the carpeted stairs, After the first embarrassing moments, she nad always found that things went more casily. Yet it was hard to belleve, durlng khe meal which followed, that her guest was the sort of down-and- - — outer with which the Charities were wont to deal. . ° 'He talked interestingly and enter tainingly afid before she realized it, dioner was at an end and there re- malned as part of the festivitias only, the ceremeony of chooalng gifty from the tree. She bad rather decided to -pasg that part of the entertalnment up when sbe.remembered that she had hidden in & red cheesecloth stock- ing filled, with candy a tiny purse with a five-dollar gold-piece in it. Nor was she_to be blamed for sup- posing that a gift of money so tact- fully pregeqted would not be amiss to anyone Willing to accept a dinner fmm an utter stranger, So, in her winning manner, Eliza- beth suggested that they each choose a gift from the tree, and| laughed when he carefully untied a little furry monkey, ‘Then she took down the stocking full of old-fashioned candy, “At a proper tree there is always | something to, take home,” she said. He smiled and accepted it. Then, to her horror, drew out his knife and cut the red string at the top. “Have some?” he invited, "No—-fimt i8 — yes, thank you,” she sald ln gonfusion, and watched him eat séveral pleces, Then he pulled out the tiny purse and, with & frown, opened it. Strangely. enough, she saw no sud- den blush or sign of self-consclous- ness. Rather he seemed relieyed, “This means that I must tell y he snld,‘hvely. “And T'm very m"h » ashamed of myself. You see, I've accepted your hospitality under false pretense, I'm—well, I'm only Miss Lowry’s nephew home from globe trotting for my paper. She asked me to stop and tell you that | the old lady she was going to send to your annual Christmas dinner had not shown up. You made the mis- take of thinking I was the one and —oh, I've no proper apology but you know a fool reporter never turns down an experiesce of any kind.” He paused and regarded her so wistfully that Elizabeth's anger melted After all, it was Christmas time when one showd be feegiving. “I'll promise ne: er, newer to do it again!” he said with sech an alr of little - boyishoess that Elizabeth laughed in splté ‘of herself. Nelther one of them realized then that all their Christmases were to e e g Gift Record 1 Clara Agee Hays N OLD, old lady told me something strange one time, “Santa Claus,” she said, “is the saint of little children, But there is a o2 srownups’ saint at Christ- mas time, too, who stands beside us measuring our gifts and recording them truly. He wouldn’t judge by the means we use. For,” the old, old lady smiled sweet- ly, “love makes a gift great at Christmas time.” In a small bungalow at the edge . of a western town, a woman named Martha, and her daughter, Ruth, sewed. They and their house were a bit shabby. But that does not matter at Christmas time. “Dear me!” Martha sighed as she took the last stitches, “I dread Ohrissnas every year. It means work and sacrifice. I could have had a good pair of stockings for what I paid for Aunt Caroline’s present. But I'd be ashamed to send her less.” “Yes!"” Ruth unnpped “She and Anna probably think we're trash anyway. And look at what they give us! Last year Anna sent a bunch of fancy boxes. Imagine what on earth we'd do with them!” “Anna’s selfish, that's what!” Martha nodded with sudden convic- tion. “She wouldn't work the way you've had to. She'd think it was beneath her.” The idea enraged Ruth. She glared. “I'll.show her some day, the insane snooty thing! I'm going to be somebody. And she with her pampered life—!" Martha nodded. “She's just like her mother. Caroline always had to hava her way. Always haughty and proud. I never could understand why your uncle married her” “Huh!” Ruth wrote their names on the tags. “Me, either! What a life he must lead with those two.” “With them it's always ‘me and mine.’” “And Anna s as crude as she can be. Remember the time—" But the recording saint went on. He had found the value of thelr gifts. And he was anxlous to seé Aunt Caroline and Anna, They were in a large living room before a merry fire. There were A deeper meaning of the holiday season. All these we wish to you and to yours: And may the new year be filled with life’s choicest blessings. A friendly handclasp---a heartfelt wish for joy and gladness. i Gastineau Hotel great hally wreaths in the, beautly ful windows. And from the kitchen came the song of the cook. Anna smiled across at her notb er. “Almost through with Aunt Martha's present?” Annt Caroline nodded. "Yes. And if you've finished Ruth's handker; chiefs, we'll get the package off. l hope Martha likes this.” “She will, Aunt Martha's a dear, Wouldn’t it be great if they could spend Christmas with us some time?” Apna's _eyes glowed. “Wouldn't 1! Too bad you and Ruth cap’t know each other better. You're so mnear-the same age. Mar- tha writes that Ruth is workin, hard, She’'s going to amount something!” ,Anng arose to write the nal on the tags. I'T'll bet she does. member when she was a little gis she used to be so amblitious? going to use this pretty tag on het package. Isn’t it fun getting thin off to them! I wish we could them something nicer.” Caroline smiled. “Martha is ud sitive and” I wouldn’'t hurt her by sending things so much better thas she could afford for us. Little “Anna’s Seifish, That's Whatl” Mag tha Nodded. thmil can express our love just well. I'd be happy with only a c: from them. know. . . Anna smiled and placed each package tenderly into a box. And the packages passed each other in the mails. By chance they had 'the same kind of tags: 4 “Merry Christmas and love fio- Ruth apd Aunt Martha.” “Merry Christmas and love h‘aj Anna and Aunt Caroline.” But the grown-up’ Santa mady very different notations. For Christ mas is a memorial to a Prin whose greatest commandment wi “Love one another” and who nfi “Judge not” and “Revile not.” ‘What will our Christmas gift rec ord be? For who can prove that thq olg old lady was not righty [l ' It's the thoughts, yoy A