The Key West Citizen Newspaper, December 24, 1937, Page 10

PAGE TEN THE KEY WEST CITIZEN FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1937. ARY and John had quar- reled—just before Christ- mas, too, The Christmas candy had burned, and then, in the excitement, each had blamed the other, making cruel retorts, until Mary fled to her bedroom in tears and John stalked off in the snowy night. The Christmas candle beamed a | welcome from the window as John started around the block again. He ‘was cold, and sorry, but he mustn’t g0 in too soon. The tree, the holly, their little girl asleep in her crib and dream- ing of Santa Claus—all were a mock- ery. Mary went into the living room and snapped on the radio, looking for a jazz band and forgetfulness. Instead there came the strains of “Silent Night’—‘‘peace on earth, good will to men,”—‘‘God bless us, every one”—‘‘may nothing you dis- may.” Wasn't there anything on ex- cept Christmas programs? A click brought back the silence, She opened the front door. Next | time she would ask John to come in. Tell him she was sorry. Now that she stopped to think, she knew that he was sorry, too. Why let a few excited werds that neither of | them meant spoil their Christmas? But John did not come. It was too cold to stand at the door any longer, but she sat at the window, with the curtain drawn aside, watch- ing for him. An hour went by. When at last she saw him com- ing the relief almost choked her. He | was striding rapidly, carrying some- | thing in his arms. She opened the door for him and he handed his burden to her. “Here, Mary, hold him. Careful, mow. His leg’s hurt. I'll get a box and we'll fix a bed.” Mary looked down at the warm bundle. It was a furry puppy. One leg was in splints. The puppy whim- pered a little and licked her hand. it, John, where did you get him *Aeeident. Over om, Linden, Fell out of a passing cat. 1 teok him to @ vet and had him fixed up. Thought » he'd make a cute pet for Alice—* He stopped his work and straight- ened up. “I'm awfully sorry, Mary. J was a tool." “It was my fault, John.” Their ‘eyes met in perfect understanding. Jiow silly to quarrel. The silence was a more impressive reconcilia- _tion than words. Mary broke it) mervously, for fear she would ery | agein. “There are sorne clean rags | im that drawer. And we ought to | get him something to eat. He can have this old bow! for his dish.” She worked with one hand, cuddling the puppy. “Won't Alice be surprised? And what shall we name him?” “Ought to have some connection with Christmas eve, don't you think? How about Serooge, or Mar lo ‘Oh, nol” aod King Wenceslaus?™ i “Such names for @ poor innocent | puppy! Maybe we had better see | what Alice wants to call him in the morning.” She put the puppy down | with a saucer of warm milk. John | came and put his arm around her, | and they stood close togetiier. watch- ing their pet lap greedily. “We ought to call him Peacemak- er, honey,” said John, “If it hadn't been for him, I might have stil} been out there in the snow.” “Oh, John!" She held him close. | “Weren't we silly? I was so worried | when you didn’t come. If anything | had happened to you I could never | have forgiven myself." } “Felt pretty rotten myself. Not | my idea of the best way to spend | Christmas eve.” | “Ot course! I forgot! We have | so much left to dof The tree, and } | } at || pa | t | winter! WWE" if Harris would car.? Shall I do it, then ask him afterward?” Ra- chel Stanton, the morning of Christ- mas eve, looked admiringly at the brilliant tree in the pleasant living ‘oom, then hurried to brush snow from Harris, who, stamping in from the back porch, panted: “I’ve cleaned the driveways to barns and road but will have to do it again today. What were you saying?” he was interrupted by Rachel. “The radio announces that the snow plow from Warnton has stuck at the corner and will ~av2 to be dynamited out. No one can get through highways farther than the crossroad’s corner,” Rache! hur- ried to the telephone’s jingling. “It was Martha calling. She and | Gene and the children started here but are blocked in at a home of kind strangers. I wish we could get food to the Harrison family in the Bottoms. They have no tele- phone, no near neighbors, and would freeze if they tried to get here through high drifts. Such a It looks as though our Christmas will be ‘‘we two,” she sighed at the color-lighted tree. “Well, I see I'll have to shovel | out the driveways again,” Harris announced, pulling on jacket and | gloves. Later when he went inside to | warm his fingers he heard Martha humming and was thankful that | she was cheerful over the disap- pointment of Christmas e-e without | her relatives. Odors of savory food and the attractive table’ with | Christmas colors, were inviting as he stamped in after evening chores | were finished. “Tonight will be the worst so far | this winter. The wind ‘s rising and A terrible night. | snow blowing. Surely no one would venture on highways—why—where is the tree? Did you dump it outside because our company didn’t come?” he looked, to be sure Rachel was sane, then at the empty corner where the tree had stood. “Yes, the radio announced the | temperatures will be lowest of sea- son. so far. West. “That Light Guided Us.” “The tree, Rachel! threw it out?” “<nat’s exactly what I did—only | didn't throw—"a shout from out- | side sent Harris quickly to the door. “Come in from the terrible bliz- | zard, you poor frozen—how did you get here?” Rachel helped Har- | cis unwrap five shivering visitors, | Mr, and Mrs. Harrison and chil- dren, “Oh, it's been terrible getting | here. But it was either to freeze and starve at home or risk get- here,” Mr. Harrison wheezed. “But, how did you?” Harris be- “Outside — see the dogs. We Steaming food was soon on plates and faithful dogs were lapping milk and broth near the kitchen range. “How did you find the direction— | the way in blinding snow?” Harris | lookec puzzled. “Well, we got to the top of King’s Ridge in the pasture, and czme to- ward the light’ The light near your grove, back there,” the visitor pointed toward the west. “That light guided us.” “What light?” mered. “Harris, dear, will you please | carry our Christmas tree back into | the bouse? I carried it outside this morning to the grove and put food on it for birds, wild ducks and any other wild animals that need food and sheKer, Then, tonight, Harris stam- | I hung that large lantern with the He looked at his watch, “Almost | midnight.” } “Not really!" | the puppy into its bed, and back to his wife. “And as for milady,” he said, “in about ten ' onds I want a Kiss for Christmas, | and then we're going to pitch in to- gether and clean up this mess, and engers in many regions. | whoever might need it." Merry laughte: rang into the aight a» nuts were cracked and corn popped. Christmas morning . Harrison helped keep snow from driveways and a path to the grove where the children carried food to a stack of fodder which the men had placed for the wild ani- mais, eS et ee nappy Christmas of the worst win- ‘er. © Wentere Neoware Onien, At the end of 1935, re | 10.891 postofifices in Japan. Did you | A Avakenig 2) a icine SOW wes Christmas drawing near, why can’t we get together and make plans—” Robert Dutton read no further. With calm deliberation, he put the heavily scrawled letter back into its envelope. “Always the impractical Hal,” he said slowly, “No wonder he never gets anywhere.” list of appointments waited up- on his desk. Visits from two of the most important men in town; | a delegation about a right-of-way | through a tract of land he had just purchased; a reminder of a talk he had promised to make at a lunch- eon. Important things, he thought, things Hal would never be called upon to do. Hastily he went through his mail. A square envelope in a familiar hand caught his eye. He opened it a little curiously. What could Miss Denby be writing him about? His long fingers drew out an artistic | Christmas ecard. A conservative | wish and an old Christmas carol | | printed in English letters, That was | all, except the signature, ‘“‘Eleanor | Denby.” | 4 flush stained his face, an un- definable something sent the blood | | Singing through his veins. “Elea- nor.” he said softly; “ta beautiful | name; how queer that I never heard it before.” Then, as if resenting his weak- | ness and sentiment, he dug into his | mail again. But try as he would, | he could not concentrate on the | things that had meant every- | thing to him before. Something | | had happened to Robert Dutton; a | Christmas greeting from a secre- | tary whom he had scarcely noticed | left htm visibly unsettled. | Christmas memories surged through his heart. He was back in the old home again. Everybody was | tushing around in circles. He saw | the big tree in the corner of the | parlor; the kitchen table piled high | with good things to eat. And Moth- | |er and Dad, with happiness beam- | ing upon their faces. He picked up Hal’s letter again. After all, maybe his kid brother wasn’t so crazy? The thought was | “We're Going to Forget Business | for Today,” He Said, | t | pushing through his mind that may- | be it was he who lacked real sense. | This time he read the letter in a | different mood. “Let's give Dad and Mother the surprise of their lives. | Let's go down and make one grand Christmas for them. You can turn | everything over to someone else for }’em | teacher | get him in a day. His fingers reached for the upon his desk. “Dear began, “TI heartily agree with your | | me a holly stand ™, | ep on the new ing broadly, almost laughing aloud, as he finished the letter with a flourish, j Five minutes later Miss Denby | entered his private office to find a new Hobert Dutton. She almost | dropped her book in surprise at the expression upon his face, and the new way in whieh he greeted her. “I'm ready to beg, Mr. Dut- | ton,” she began nervously, when he made no motion to start the routine of the day. “We're going to forget bastness | for today, Miss Denby, and go! Christmas shopping, that is, if you | want to help me out.” He fumbled | with his tie as he spoke, noticing [ for the first time the soft curving | of her white neck. newspapers in Japan. | the hills, she wondered by what | tomobiles and take time off like | one made off | commission man had been truly | | then I 2ead about | itfor Christmas. | So I gathered a E WAS a small boy named | Tim who had never been more than ten miles from his home in the Ozark hills. His teacher sail he couldn't ever bound Arkansas, his own state, but what his ‘teacher didn't know was how well he knew the mountain “erick” and the hill slopes circled with green-gold pine trees that | bounded his father’s tiny farm. He also knew what it took to keep a/ family of six children and that for | as long as he could remember his | father’s farm had scarcely been | able to produce enough to stretch over every need. It was just before Christmas | | time that he heard his father tell | his mother that if there was to be | anything ‘“‘extra” to give the day its meaning for the children, he'd have to get the ax and hack out a} few ties. Her face | went whitc, for | she knew what.| =, that meant. So often had they | been forced to} 2 remain on the| hacking of a few ties to se sold to | the railroad for | dire that practically all their timber available for that | purpose was gone. And trees | don’t grow over ; night. She could : tell by the look on her husband's face that he was taking a desper- ate and back-breaking chance of finding a few logs tough enough for the commission man to buy. As ‘she looked out of the window and saw the passing cars of winter “touristers” on the new scenic road the government had built through magie folks could come to own au- that to go traveling. But sh~ hadn’t many moments to spare on such thoughts, for her husband had re- turned to say that the ax was gone. Could one of the children have taken it? Or what with the, mew road so near and strangers riding through the hills, had some- it? The father had borrowed an ax from a willing neighbor but on the day before Christmas he was si- lent as he unhitched his team in the wagon lot. Christmas tomor- row and he had been forced to | bring back the load from town. The } | sorry, for he did need ties; yet | none of these were large enough. He crept up to a window, lost | necessities | , in the sense of failure that made him ashamed to walk to his own | door. There an odd sight straight- | ened him. Inside were Tim and his mother joyously trimming a Christmas tree. Tim raced to the | door to keep the younger children | from bursting gleefully imto the | room and learning its great secret. | When the father entered the house, no one asked him about the | ties. “Dad, dad!” Tim shouted. | “Do you know those red berry trees that . grow way up the crick? Awful hard to get to, but whea I found I they were so pur- ty I took some to schooL The said, ‘that’s holly’ and holly and learned that folks will, pay for it to have lot of it and made os Stopped their cars and said, “Why it’s holly; who would have | thought we'd find it here!’ They: wanted so much I had to work awful hard getting it, but gee, it was fun! I> Es gE. #2 Bp cagtalth i : SSIASABSEEETAREAESET TEE Ad DOOM M. A HAPPY CHRISTMAS « B boreddogals indeed must be the heart that cannot offer and re- spond to that universal greeting, for Christmas is the time beyond and above all others when we should forget differences and dis- agreements and quarrels. Seri- ous though we may have hitherto thought them, shall we not put an end to them as the Yuletide greeting rings in our ears, “A Happy Christmas!” SESS “Mailing Early” The first reference to “mail early” in the Post Office depart- | ° ment files is in November, 1913. This was at the time the parcel post was established. Sending packages overseas during the World war em- phasized the idea, and succeeding | years have found mailed packages more evenly distributed over the | weeks before Christmas, A Christmas Thrill Look around and get your thrill | | buying a Christmas doll for a little | gi’) who hasn’t an Many Christmas Trees Approximately 9,000,080 Ameri- cans buy Christmas trees every | year. We appreciate 12& Simonton Street I< sociation with our patrons dur- ward to the New Year with its opportunity to serve again these * who have been so kind. We thank you one and all and extend our warmest wishes for your happiness during Christmas and the New Year. \ Gates Tin Shop | vou guing t0 tee me tox Chistes | presents? | called Modrenecht, or | night” Tufts of feathers form the NN the happy as- ing the past year and look for- Phone oP . K : . ; ‘ ) . . ‘ : \ . & \ bs : (OCS SELLE EE AAA AN Ahh hh hd hd dd 1c te OO LLL EL Lh he hh dekdiude hud N (Likdebidittkékbtttkbddd coe TaMTOTMTOOTTETIY ee Farewell To 1937 ILALLLLILLALAAL ALLL LLL te ae TIPZI ALLELE Ad LMT ISI SSLH LS SLL MMM, @ A WISH FOR @ YOU AND @ YOURS--- THAT YOU AND YOURS MAY ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND THAT THE NEW YEAR WILL BRING PLEASURES IN ABUND- ANCE IS THE CORDIAL WISH OF YOUR FRIEND. Cabrera Wholesale Grocery, Inc. [POPP OOOO CCL LLL ir? N) . ‘ ‘ \ N N . N \ . \ \ A N N \ \ To Our Friends and Customers As we approach the end of a very successful year made pos- sible by your assistance and patrenage, we wish to express to you at this Holiday Season our sincere thanks and appreciation for your patronage during the Passing year and hope that we may continue to merit your con- fidence and business during the coming year. We further hope that the New Year will bring to ycu and yours an abundance of Prosperity and Geod Health, LONG’S \S FURNITURE STORE Nobo olediphaaes: OO ae. OA MM he dhe hed keadidh dehinbedhe dead Ltd Lf SII a aaa. SIS Ia ae. And A Bountiful New Year! NOT IN THE SENSE OF CUSTOM, BUT WITH A GENUINE APPRECIATION OF OUR PLEASANT AS- SOCIATION DURING THE PAST YEAR WE EXTEND f ¥B YOU. OUR BEST WHNES FOR AN OD PASHIONED— MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR Key West Electric Company B. L. 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