PAGE FOUR The Watauga Democrat! The RIVERS PRINTING COM PAN V j Established in 1SSS and Published for ! 45 years r>y the iate Robert C. Rivers ; t'ubi.ished every thursday , si;Rscan>TON rates: One Year 51-50' Six Months 7S | Four Months ... ? 50 i (Payable in Advance* R. C. RIVERS. Jr.. - Publisher! Cards c-i Thanks. Resolutions of Re- J speet. Obituaries, etc., ate charged for at regular advertising rates. j Entered a: the Postoffice at Boone, j N. C., as Second Class Mail Matter. ; j "I THURSDAY. DEC. 23, 1937 1 The Beginning of Christmas Ami if come to pass ?n those days,; that there- went out ;i decree from i Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made ] when Cyrenius was governor of Cyria). And ah went to Fie avid, which is called Bethlehem (because be was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary, his espous- j ed wife, being great with child. And so il was, that, while they ; were there, the days were accom- j plished that she should he delivered, j And she brought forth her firs! born son and wrapped him in swa-.l* j dling clothes and laid him in a man; i ger; because there was no room for i them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, j keeping watch over their Hocks by j night. And, to, the angel of the Lord! came upon them, and the glory off; the liOrd shone round about them; j and they were sore afraid. And 3he angel said unto them: Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. which shall be unto all people. For unto jou is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the t>abc wrapped in I sw-addling clothes, lying in a manger. ! And suddenly there was with file angel a multitude of the heavenly j hosts praising God and saying. Glory to God in the highest, and ' on earth peace, good will toward men. ?St. Luke 2:1-11. I W. F. MILLER In the death of W. Frank Mil- ! ler. representative in the lower | branch of ihci General Assent-! fcly, the community and county; find unusual sadness. Mr. Mil- j ler had been honored time ar>,i again by the electorate and I held positions 01 trust with rare! devotion to the! well-being of ! his constituency. A personage! of abounding energy and a burning zeal for the religious and civic welfare of his region, Mr. Miller was able to serve his people with distinction. He radiated with good' fellowship. and his earthly pilgrimage was charted with a view to making the road safer and brighter for those who were to follow. We shall miss him. KEEPING CHRISTMAS (By Henry Van Dyke, from the "Spirit of Citristmcs.'' It is & good thing lo olicerve Christmas Day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men | agree to stop work and make merry I together, is a wise and wholesome [ custom. It helps one to feel the su- j premacy or tie common life over! the individual life, it reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time. But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas Bay, and that is, keeping Christmas. Are you willing to forget what you have- done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellowmen arc just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probabSsgg 2y the only good -eason for your existence is not what you art.- going to j^^aaiTii rrir.iiriiT", ?...... set out of life, but what you are go- j mjr to give to life; to close your> book of complaints against the man- j agetnent c-f the universe, aha look arotutS you fur a piire where you ; can bow a few seeds of happiness?j are yr-n wljiif.g io do these things j even for a day? Then you car. keep i Christmas. . , i Are >'.- ! v.-illiog to stoop down and j consider the needs and the desires of j little children; to remember the i weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking j how much your friends iove you, and j ;isk v worsen jyneuier you jove inem; enough; to bear in mind the thingsj that other people have to hear on j their he-arts; to try to under-stand ? what those who live in the same j house with you really want, without j waiting lor them to tell you; to trim ! your lamp so that it will give more j light and less smoke; arid to earn.* j it in front so that your shadow will J fall behind ycu; to make a grave for j your ugly thoughts, and a garden < for your kindly feelings, with the j gate open are you willing to uo these things, even for a day? Then ! you ran keep Christmas. Are you willing to believe that j love is the strongest thing in the i world?stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stoniger than death?and j that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of j the Sternal Bove ? Then you can keep Christmas. And if you keep it for a day. why not always? But you can never keep it alor.e. /A MA*TsA F-'UhiiitG TUCMIS I CAROLINE tn'.d herself a dozen times n day that ?i\o did not core whether she hoard from Stephen or not. What possible difference could it make now. after all these months of silence? And here it was Christmas eve. Not a message! Not a card! Oh, welt . . . she turned away from the window. One must not allow one's self the luxury of regret. Fires burned brightly on the hearth. Holly hung above the man- ! oBi Caroline lVas Not Alone With Ilcr (flight Fire and Holly. tel. Snow outside, cheer within. That was all she required. She hummed a tune in false gayety. A ring at the door. Stephen? No, just a messenger boy with a box. Caroline's fingers crackled the red cellophane unwrapping it. No card. Just crazy dozens of jig-saw pieces. She walked restlessly about the room. Then she returned to the box. Black and white pieces only. Idly she fitted a few together, leaned closer and frowned. Familiar hand-writing. Stephen's hand-writing! Excitedly she bent above the puzzle fitting the rest together. Gradually Stephen's clear strong writing stared up at her. "Dear Caroline," it read, "if you have the patience to put this to- : gelher, I shall know you are still interested in me. I could not tell i you what I wanted to, before I left, because I was not sure of circumstances. But now I know. I can take care of you. Will you marry me, Caroline? A yes would be the most marvelous Christmas present in the world. I love vou. "Stephen." She laughed a little. She cried a ' little. Then she went to the mantel : and snatched down a photograph of herself. This she cut up into small jagged pieces. On several she wrote a single word, which, when put together, read: "I have gone nil to pieces, missing you." Then on the mouth of her pictured face, she added the single word "Yes." These pieces she quickly wrapped up in the box sent to her, and dispatched it by a messenger, who admitted that a gentleman had given it to him, who was staying at the Inn in town. In another hour Caroline was not alone with her bright fire and holly. And Christmas eve was what it should be. Stephen declared he had been too scared to come himself and sent the puzzle as a test-case. Then he kissed her. Western Newspaper Union. ?r--' r-raa WATAUGA DEMOCRAT?EVE] L rinci k cy 'S.JT Vs" I Mj ; ;,- '5. \ ' 111* " ?*:'' %: Jocile l&bb P?erson K- *s . **.. . . ; ? "i a harpy liiile Iter. 1 stand j I beside the -front entrance of a * white cottage on a c.uir.t street. KacJ'. C -..-if.-./ 2 Weens out so hen: t.iul t< r.vd light:. and ail v.:.-. i.. s ray beauty and : '. . . V of ChriPt - S V it I i " : ".pr.f.y like : I lived a great fores*., j i ty trees so tall I could i-v . cat; h a re ' i! ? I iuc sky . j'.c p. - : I fcit very small and I. i . . i so be- tall: to ; out i--i ' . id i:lte the :: = sr.d i'e?' .re sun shining r y br.-uc* .:s. I would ; my I r-r s ! . ; ; :, iv i .sore :r.y roots deeper ini'> the or-vth. but try progress was so sscw 2 'grasv discouraged. Or.a day I saw a man and a boy p: through ire fc-ert. Tito man carried something over his shoulder - a they seemed to be iockirg for soirielhing. Ti er, the bey saw r. :: id cried: *"I. !*. father, there - lust the f. e v. _ want." lie ran e .r to r.te arc! fairly hugged ine in his'ejsgcrness. The man looked mo ove "Fine." he said. But when he began digging with the thing he !*.* i carried on his shoulder I began to tremble. I lelt my reels j snap one by one and soon I lav : | tumbled heap on the ground. Life ; seemed over for me. Next I vrs tied i< a funny looking thin;; on wheels, that sputtered and < ;v - i n Util II.' llTail OUVI W; climbed in and we started ??!l down a lv. ty little r-rid that wound through the lores?, then out on a v until we came to a wide driveway that led through, a sdopin;; lawn to a white cottage, j Hero 1 was untied ar.d put into a large cannon ior- filled with sand aiia carried into the house, and ret in a corner of a room beside a v window. Oh. the joy of hav- i the sun on my branches. I be- ; ym to feci less soared and to loo'; al oilt me. In a big mirror opposite I could ' watch ihe man as he fastened me upright. Then he put a string of . W '' J 'ilrs* : jj&h-WaSfcgK !; l|Sfc : m) 1 Two LiUlc races Prej ?ed Against the Wmdovj t *.c. Iffl'.ts from my .top to my tee, v- histing rofVly a - !:e worked. Then \ heard a door open and a rush of iccv?a little boy - nd a girl dashed ir.to the room crying: !4lamr.M cor .e quick, c d see our Christmas U\ .' They clapped their hands and danced iVur.n inc. Soon the mother came with a box filled with s nii:g lovely ihir.gs and my plain ;r ron dross was covered with . skiing jewels I hardly dared h-ok in the mirror for I rerr.env h-irc-d I was only a bumble tree ::iltr all. and what I saw could not r ? mo at all: but the great silver . : r cn n\v tor:most branch made r.u i'col very happy. I seemed to .raw coinage from just looking at Alter a time I was left to myself. I y.s.s glad, as I r. ceded to yest up n b:t and gel used to my strange surroundings. It gvcv; dark bir.s5i.-e ar.d show vrcs f: Uifcg; but inside my star shore red a quiet peace r ov cr r.-.e. Th en or re r.r.ro the dcors opened . *d r. mc-rry group of people came lis time there were Fr.ikr: i- ! C:\indfcth.cr rod Grnndmotker. end I.Toiher leading the little " oy end girl. Everyone was saying .v lovely I was; but I did rot war.? j:ii to icpk at nil. I wanted there eee two little facer, outside ersc-i against the window ~ c rc e hoy saw them first. "Look, dr-ddy. Mamma!" he shouted and ;..l-i iu u:e wmcow. "mere arc v.-o children out there. 3ring therri Daddy; give tV.cn some of ou: Christmas." And the little girl clapped her hands and cried; "Oh, do. Daddy, it's cold out there!" When they were brought in looking rather scared, but glad, I was so happy I almost shook my baubles off. Then Mother made music or a big box with shining keys and everyone sang Christmas carols Then Father told the old story o' lie Shepherds and the Star that led o the Christ Child. Then a jolly rnan with a red coat and a pack or. his back gave everyone presents, including the little strangers. There were candies and nuts, plenty fc? all. and such a babble of happj I voices. I felt the thrill of it my so"' and the big star glowed in symps thy.