DECEMBER 17, 1937 THE LEXHIPEP Page 3 LITERARY PAGE “GIMPY” (Continued from page two) ed the birds, watched the squirrels gather nuts and together they gather ed many kinds of flowers. They had gone to high school together and had spent their holidays out of school to gether. It was one frosty, holiday morning that they were spending the day gath ering wild nuts and grapes that grew along the edges of the swamp that they had come upon “Gimpy.” Wound ed by the sportsman, he lay panting on the frozen ground, almost ex hausted from fright. By hiding in the thicket he had escaped being found. Gently Karl had picked the proud old bird up and had at first sight seen the broken leg. Other shots had stung the bird brutally, but not bad enough to kill him. It was Carrie who had suggested that they take the bird to Karl’s house and re vive it. After the leg had been attended to and the bird had been placed by the fire to warm, the two had sat down by the fire together. Carrie had look ed up at Karl as if she had had some thing to tell him, yet she felt deep in her heart that she hated to do so. She knew that Karl’s father ha re cently died and that he could not go with her to college, because he must stay on the farm and care for his mother. She knew that she would be lonely at college without him, but her father had Insisted that she must go and finish her education so that she would be able to make her way in the business world. Somehow something inside her told her that she hated the business world and that she would not enjoy working in town even though she did live in the city and was per fectly fitted to make a splendid office girl. Somehow she felt that she would love being a simple housewife for a husband like Karl would make. And now, that Karl’s mother was old and could barely care for the little farm house, Carrie felt something inviting her to take the job in her hands. Yet her father had spoken and she must obey. So she told Karl about her father’s request, and that she had planned to enter college as soon as the next term began. So she had gone, and this beautiful autumn evening marked the close of a day of the third autumn that she had been gone. Through these three years, Karl had looked after the little farm, cared for his mother, and had observed the ducks, watching and waiting for their return in the spring and feeding and protecting them in the late fall. The ducks had come to love him so much that they lingered long after frost before they would leave the swamp and migrate to the warmer climates. They always re- ' turned to the swamp early in the be cause they knew they would be loved, adored and protected there. They felt safe to build their nests and raise their young there among the willows and rushes. Gimpy was usually the first to re turn in the spring and the last to leave in the fall, and as Karl had watched him today he notice that he had only a small group of followers. This was bad news for Karl, because he knew that the gallant old leader would soon gather the small remain ing number of ducks together and start his journey. The mallards finally left the swamp and Karl was left alone again. The heavy frosts fell and snow followed as the autumn faded into winter. The deserted swamp froze over and the rushes around it bent under the weight of snow. The glowing fire in the farm house welcomed Karl as he returned home after doing the daily chores. And so Father Winter ruled on and at last came the renaissance of spring. The ice on the swamp thawed and cracked under the first warm rays of the spring sun. The rushes raised their slender knife like leaves as if to shake the melting snow from their backs. Blue birds, robins and other small birds returned and burst forth their welcoming of spring. The ground began to thaw and became warm and moist, and the twigs on the fruit trees swelled with buds. The whole atmos phere introduced spring. With the coming of spring, Karl was kept busy preparing his farming lands for planting. He was so busy that he had not had time to go down to the swamp to see if Gimpy had yet returned from the South. One evening when Karl returned from the fields, he heard someone talking to his mother. It sounded like some very familiar voice that he had heard before. Now he was up on the porch and he could hear the voi» distinctly. There seemed to be tears in it yet; it was like music from harp to Karl’s ears because he had recognized the voice. Quickly he en tered the house and there, with her face turned toward the floor, Karl saw Carrie. At one glance he sum' med her up: more beautiful than ever She was about five feet two inches tall; long wavy black hair that curled upward where her slender neck rested on a pair of beautifully shaped shoul ders matching a pair of shapely curv ed hips that showed well carriage of body. Her eyes met his as she looked up to see who had entered the room “Carrie!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Your college isn’t up.” She ran to him, and he gathered her in his two powerful, bronzed arms. She buried her tear-stained face in that broad chest and wiped her eyes as she tried to gather her voice in order to answer his question. “He was awful!” She sobbed as her nose quivered every time she sniffed. “He even bragged about his ability to ruin a girl’s pride. 'Why I ever thought I could love him I don’t know. He seemed to be so popular, so outstand ing, so stunning. Thank God I did leave college to get away from him He proved to be the real poison that his type really is that night at the dance. He was intoxicated when he said it. When a group of the college cut-ups asked him to make a speech he staggered to his feet and intro duced me as his little country maid. The crowd burst forth with a mock ing laugh and shouted three cheers for Philip Ballard, king of the grid iron, and his little country damsel. All the rest of the night the girls and boys shunned me and sneered at me as he dragged me around, until at last I could stand it no longer. I broke away from him an dran to my room, threw myself down on my bed and cried bitterly. Like a spirit the vision of you flashed into my mind. I rais ed my head from the pillow and wondered where you were and what you were doing. It was the first time I had thought of you since that day you sa me board the train. Sudden ly I decided to leave college and come back to you, and now I am actually once more in your arms.” She had ceased crying and turning she slid out of his arms and walked toward the door. Karl stood motionless, but Carrie stooping to pick up her hat and suit case, continued walking towards the door. Just as her hand reached out to push the screen door open, Karl caught her. She turned and looked up into that bronzed face that beamed down at her as he parted his lips with a smile. She smiled back, and once more he gathered her in his arms and their lips met. The sun had sunk below the ho rizon, and a large, yellow moon hung behind a clump of oak trees. Pigeons cooed gently on the bam roof, and the piping of frogs floated louder and louder in the air as the two neared the swamp. As they sat down be neath a large birch tree, they saw something gliding along the smooth surface of the shimmering water. As Gimpy swam closer, the glimmering- moon made it possible for Karl to recognize him. Carrie also recognized CHRISTMAS EVE IN— (By Mary Louise Lumsden) The chicken pen at Grandpa’s farm: Ada carries the coarsely ground corn out to her bantam rooster who crowds his good cheer at the sight of her blue-checked apron. The garage: Bill, home from college, grunts and grumbles to himself in university slang as the stubborn Chrysler resists his attempts to thaw out its engine so he can take his girl’s Christmas pres ent. Jail; Shifty-e3'ed Pete, the tramp, who steals a few chickens every fall to in sure him six months board and keep takes another half-moon bite of his soggy cornbread, and ambles over to the barred window to aimlessly watch the surging, last-minute-package- laden crowd, and the Christmas greens festooning the street below. The hospital: All is quiet. The white-clad nurse holds the ether cone over the face of the half-conscious boy on the table Another nurse deftly places the shin ing, sterilized forceps into the grim faced surgeon’s ready hand. They stand silent, watching, not hearing the Christmas confusion of the streets The post-office: Packages are being placed expertly in the mailbags and the extra carriers step back to make room for the fresh load of mail being brought in for the fatigued clerks to sort. The revolv ing door constantly whirls, as the crowd makes its circuit. A fat, red faced man with outstretched tongue drops a sheet of stamps and, despite his vigorous protests, is pushed aside by the hurrying mass. A lad in a faded red sweater, frayed at the el bows, stands on tiptoe to shove a homemade Christmas card in the slot. He grins his satisfaction, puts his hands in his shallow pockets and is swallowed up into the hurrying hu manity. The cemetery: Two well-dressed people, a sad- eyed man and a tiny woman finger ing a black-bordered linen handker chief, stand for a few minutes in the raw air beside a two-foot mound. Tire man places an expensive holly wreath on the grave and turns to the woman, his wife. ’It would have been his first Christ mas,” she sighs. A small village church; Little Ezra is saying his “piece.” Little Ezra is wearing real leather boots like Daddy’s and new red gloves! ‘My Daddy likes his ’Trismas dift. And said that mine was nice. And I was dust a sugarplum. And made of sweetest spice! And den, he said, my Daddy did, He’s such a funny Dad, That I’m the berry nicest dift He ever, ever had! Front of Tom Hall’s house: ‘Look out, boys, here she comes!” shouts Tom, and heaves a lighted firecracker into a cluster of boys coasting down hill on a shining new sled. Too late! The powder explodes in one small boy’s eyes and makes him blind for life! Tom stares. An orphanage; Annual treats are being doled out alphabetically: Rachel Anderson, Jack Bertram, Joe Bowden, Sara Cates— they shuffle up with shining eyes to accept the fruit-filled Christmas ‘pokes.” Everyone has two apples, STAR IN THE EAST (By Mary Louise Lumsden) the bird and smiling up at Karl she recalled the day that they had found him crippled. As the two watched the old drake Karl could not help comparing him with Carrie. Just had Gimpy’s pride been shattered by the sportsman, so had Carrie’s pride been shattered by the college hero and just as Gimpy had reutrned from the South to a man whom he loved and had learned to understand, so had Carrie returned to the man who was different from all other men in that he hated false pride. Star in the East! Symbol of Christ; Shining upon the present day earth In its confusion, shame and illusion— O what a change since the baby King’s birth! Star in the East! Symbol of Christ; Thou art the star which led wise men to praise The long promised Master whose own sore disaster Was destined to save men from Satan’s low ways! Star in the East! Symbol of Christ! Watch the mad rush all for nothing or less! But yet in our noise and tumult, our joys. We feel them as keenly, as Christ doth us bless. Star in the East! Symbol of Christ! Help us remember the true Christmas worth! Help us to pause and remember the cause For which Christ, our Saviour, was sent down to earth. FROM OUR EXCHANGES Among the new exchanges added to our present list are “Technique” from Technical High School, Charlotte, N. C.; “The Mountaineer” from Lenoir High School, Lenoir, N. C.; “Sky High” from Lee H. Edwards High School, Asheville, N. C.; and “The Brarkety-Ark” from Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia. One paper that catches my eye is named ‘"The Scroll” from Lexington High School. I wish to congratulate the fttaff 'Of- this- paper for uieir fine work. The headings that were drawn for the different departments were very original.—High Spots. “Now in case anything should go wrong with this experiment,” said the professor of chemistry, “we and the laboratory will all be blown sky high. Now, come a little closer, boys, in or der that you may follow me.”—High Life. Teacher: “Why do you go to school?” Student; “Well, it’s better to go to school than never to have slept at all." —The Mountaineer. The decrepit old car drove up to the toll bridge. “Fifty cents,” said the gateman. “Sold!” replied the driver.—Wall Street Journal. “Nine out of ten explorers in the South American jungle had stumbled across ancient ruins,” remarks a writ er. The tenth we suppose, looked where he was going.—Humorist. two oranges, two bananas, some can dy and nuts, except little Bobby Zan der, the last sack had no bananas^— there weren’t enough! An American family’s home: The twins have hung up their stockings between Mother’s and Dad dy’s, and baby brother’s wee sock is between theirs. “Mother,” says Rose, sleepily, “when IS Santa Claus com ing?” “He won’t come till you go to bed, dear,” she replies. Dreamy-eyed Ruth has an inspiration. “Daddy,” she asks, “will you see Santa?” “I hope so,” he responded. “’Why?” ‘Then, will you tell him something for us?” “Certainly, blue eyes.” He toyed with her curls. “What is it?” ‘'Tell him, will he please not leave any seeds in the raisins, cause we’ve been good and we love him, and, oooh, I’m so sleepy! C’mon, Rose, let’s go to bed, so Daddy can tell Santa!” So the five-year-olds say their prayers and taking a good-night peep at baby brother stumble off to bed. Merry Christmas!