Of
MARY CRANE emptied the last
tub and stood It against the
?bad to drain, sighing her thanks
flut if she must wash clothcx on
Christmas Day the Job vas at least
sm and done with by nooo. She
had hist returned to the kitchen
when a knock came at the doer.
'Ik was her neighbor. Battle Jamie
mb, decked out in her finest.
"Aren't you the one," Hattie ex
claimed, "washing clothes an
Christmas Day!"
Mary conceded it wasn't the best
way to pass the day. but added that
K must be done.
"I wonder if you'd do ma a fa
tot?" Hattie asked. "John and
Tunaj have asked us to come to
town lor Christmas dinner and the
tree tonight. You know, times were
a little tough for Henry and me this
year, so I took those two little Stat*
orphans to board. Now, I don't
want to leave them at home alone,
and Fanny wouldn't want them to
come mingle with her youngsters."
She sighed faintly. "Would you let
them come stay with you for the
evening? "
"Why, of course," Mary replied,
?mlling. "It will make Christmas
for me. who wai spend in' it slone.
What time will they comeT"
' "F anny's sending the car for us
about five o'clock, and we'll drop
them off here on the way."
After Hattie had left, Mary mused
that she didn't suppose the Lord
thought Fanny's children too good
to mingle with these two orphans,
but after a moment she realised
there was much to pe done. By five
e'elock she had walked to the store
and spent her few pennies on two
tiny pair of red mittens, which w<ere
now hanging on the little spruce
tree Mary had cut in the bsck yard.
And in the kitchen a hot, hearty
supper was waiting.
Mary sat in the living room, wait
ing. "Lucky I did that extra wash
ing today, so 1 feel justified spend
ing those pennies on the youngsters.
Those children must have a Christ
mas, and maybe?" she sighed ? "I
shan't have a home another year!"
Waiting there in the old rocker,
her head dropped slowly, and Mary
Crane fell asleep . . .
? ? ?
"One thing I'd like to do before
dinner," rich old Andrew Craig said
to his wife "S'pose there's time?
You remember Mary Crane had
some tough luck a few years back.
She borrowed money from the bank
on her house and couldn't keep up
the payments. Well, the directors
decided not to give her any more
time.
"All tall and bright and ? and
beautiful.*'
"I couldn't help remembering our
lean years. Sue, when Mary was
our neighbor and worked day and
night to pull you through pneumonia.
So I Just gathered in that debt ?
It was only a few hundreds ? and
had some papers made out to Mary.
Td kind of like to take them out
to her on Christmas night."
Sue pulled his head down and
kissed him. It will take Just 10
minutes to pack a basket for you
to take along," she reckoned swift
ly. "If you drive there and back in
half an hour, you can do it Re
member, we have guests coming!"
It was snowing when Andrew
alighted from the car. A lamp
showed him Mary's kitchen through
the window, the cheery tree, and
the sleeping old lady. He tip-toed in
and placed his basket on the table,
papers on top. The latching of the
door aroused Mary.
Her small guests rushed in a few
minutes later to find Mary holding
the papers to her heart, her face
alight with Joy.
"Merry Christmas. Mary," cried
the Httle girl. "There was a man
en your step* when we came down
the lane. We saw him plain aa
OMtd bel"
"You're right." said Mary. "An
drtw Craig is a man. If ever there
?rata tea."
"Mot the man in the fur coat,"
Insisted the child. "It>waa another
Juat behind him. All tall and bright
and? and beautiful."
"Well," aaid Mary. 'Tm not sur
priaed. Some folks might say it
waa shadows and lamplight nnd
snowflakes, but" ? tapping the pa
para? "wherever there's things like
thia goto' on Christmas night. I'm
persuaded He's there 1"
DEMOCRAT ADS PAY
Steers Give Boy a
College Education
Harold Marler, a member of the
Four OoaXs 4-H Club in Johnston
county, is going to have a college
education and he * going to make
baby beef calves pay for it.
Harold fed out his first steer
four years ago. According to
John E. Piland, assistant farm
agent, he fed corn from his
father's crib and other borrowed
feed to that first steer until he
could market him.
The second year Harola decided
to grow an acre of corn and an
acre of hay along with hia steer,
thinking his profits would be
larger. And that's just exactly
what they were. Then he decided
on two steers and larger yields
of corn and hay.
And so, like Topsy, Harold's
business "just growed." Today he
has five steers and he tells Piland
that he not only has enough feed
to carry them through the sea
son but also some ? extra money
in the bank.
With another year or two in
school, Harold hopes to continue
to add to the surplus which he
has already built up. He is going
to have a college education and
he is going to pay his own way.
Piland says that it's excellent
experience for any farm boy to
save the money that he has mada
in a project and then re-invest
it for still larger profits. In speak
ing of Harold, Piland says: "When
he does realize his ambition in
?
[getting rn education, he will
have earned it himself. will
|be a much more practical man
because of having done so."
DEATH BLOCKS REUNION
Chicago? Death blocked Dani
elle TonieutteV 18-year dream of
lu reunion in Italy with his wife
and five children. Coming to this
country 18 years ago, Toniutttf
36, told his wife he would send
for her shortly. Then came the
depression and he was out of
work. By 1940 he had saved up
lenough for the fares and then
came the; war. This month, as he
was planning to return to Italy
to join his wife, seriously ill in a
hospital, he was struck by an
automobile. The driver hurried
him to a hospital, but he Was
dead on arrival.
Wyatt, in housing farewell,]
blames short-sighted selfishness. |
J A C K 1 T S
Buy direct from one or
the moat reliable whole
sale fur Jobbers. The
'atest styles, quality
furs. Size 10 to ?. Wide
selection. Silver Fox
Muskrat, Skunk. Pony!
Kldskln, Raccoon, and
Coney. Also many oth
ers. Satisfaction guaran
teed or money refunded.
Send for free catalog.
Mar-Utk Fir Go.
Box i?t
Salisbury. N. C.
Announcement
Every Monday and Wednesday
Beginning Monday, September 9th, and until
further notice
DR. H. E. HALLER
of Lenoir, N. C.
will be in his offices over the Western Auto
Associate Store, in Boone, N. C., for
Complete Eye Examination* , Fitting,
Adjustment* and Repairing of Glauo
One week service (or less) from examination to
delivery of glasses.
Hours: 8:00 to 5:00
Monday and Wednesday
Every Week
After 5:00 by appointment only.
ALL OF OUR
FOLKS ARE HOPING
THAT ALL OF
YOUR FOLKS WILL
SPEND A MIG&TY
Werry CkrUtmal '
CAROLINA PHARMACY
o and Employees
i , WORK FINE
Portland, Maine ? Calling to
find out how the city's recently
installed parking meters were
working out, A. L. Somers, who
sold them to the city, listened to
City Manager Lyman S. Moore
laud the meters lor almost an
hour. He didn't get the whole
story, however, until he left the
office and found, on his car, be
sides a "time-expired" meter a
police traffic ticket.
UNUSUAL ACCIDENT
New York ? Alexander Cook,
41 -year-old mail carrier, and
father of four children, was fa
tally injured when he was struck
Djr the body of a woman who
plunged to her death from the
top of a 15-story apartment build-!
ing. He died an hour later in a
hospital.
SMART MERCHANT
Butler, Pa. ? When J. F. Den
niss' loaded truck leaped a bank)
and somersaulted twice, the
wreckage looked like a total loss
to everyone except Denniss.
After patching up his bruised
eye, he set up shop right on the!
spot and sold his entire load of
potatoes, oranges, apples and)
beer to curious motorists who
stopped to "rubberneck" the ac
cident.
About 25 pounds of feed are re
quired to develop a pullet to the
laying stage.
R.N.
The Norourn Hcwplui at Ariwrllla. bavtac _
remdj to odw the East Wto*
Wtta toe mo?t modem ea'iloment but tacks Registered
Hone* Toar Brtoa conditions will be Ideal remun
vatioo excellent. II srallable oleaae wire or writ*
^jparjntendent erf Nnraea. Nortrarn Hospital. Aabe
?llh North Carolina.
More than 300,000 people visit
ed prewar Baden, Germany,
famous for its castle and its uni
versity, every year.
I Eire, which was called the
"poor-house of Europe" tn 1840.
today has one of the highest per
capita wealths in Europe.
Stockholders Meeting
The annual meeting of the stockholders
of the Mountain Burley Warehouse, Inc.,
will be held December 28th, 1946, at
3:30 p. m., at the Junior Order Hall,
Boone, N. C.
All stockholders are urged to be present.
H. GRADY FARTHING, Pre..
CLYDE R. GREENE, Sec'y.
List Your Properly
For Taxation
All male persons between the |ages of 21 and 50 years, are to
list their polls at the same time. Returns on property and list
ing for poll taxes are required, and those failing to do so are
subject to the penalties of the law.
It is also required that farmers make a crop report at the time
of listing. Don't fail to do this.
be at the various listing places during the month of January,
at which places and times all taxpayers are required to list
their property as of January 1, 1947. Listing places and dates
will be announced early in January.
In accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina, all
persons living in Watauga County are required to list their
property, real and personal, for taxation during the month of
January, 1947
The list-takers for the various townships oi the county will
The continued co-operation oi the taxpayers is respectfully
requested.
PAUL A. COFFEY
o
County Tax Supervisor