VOL. XV. FINAL EDITION ELIZABETH CITY. NORTH CAROLINA. TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22. 1925. EIGHT PAGES. NO. 321. Jj Currituck Commission Authorizes Bond Issue For Proposed Highways County Will Lend State 8200,000 on Cost of Hardsurfaeed Koads to| Courthouse and Virginia PASSES UNANIMOUSLY Hart Promises Completion of Both During Coming Year, Solving This Sec tion's Itoad Problem Definite promise of a con-i Crete highway 16 feet wide! from Elizabeth City to Cur-: rituck Courthouse, on the one hand, and to the Virginia line, on the other ? both to be completed during the coming year ? was given by Highway; Commissioner W. A. Hartj yesterday upon authorization! by the Currituck Board of: County Commissioners of aj $200,000 bond issue partially to finance the two projects. The two roads, both of which j will be built from the Sllgo end j of the State highway now being built across Camden and Curri tuck counties from Camden Court- [ house, will cost about $275,000, It: Is estimated. The State Highway Commission will put up $75,000 of the money outright, under the | agreement, and the $200,000 to I be furnished through the Currl- ; tuck County bond Issue will con- , stltute a loan to the State high - i way body. When this money la repaid to the county. It la to be re-loaned to the State Highway Commission for construction of a paved high way southwardly from Currituck Courthouse to Culnjock. When it . la repaid the second tlme. lt may "be re-loaned again TOT ItT9TTT6l!VT* mileage to the southernmost tip I of the Currituck mainland. Vote In I'MuilmotiM Decision to authorise the isau- , ance of the bonds was arrived at ! by the Currituck Commission with I the unanimous concurrence of the crowd present at the hearing, which was held in the courthouse. The auditorium was crowded, and everybody rose In a standing vote | In favor of the measure, accord ing to news received here. At their regular meeting the , first Monday In December, the commissioners voted to Invite Commissioner Hart to the court- j house for a discussion of the pro- 1 posal. The commissioner* then ( recessed, Instead of adjourning, and thus the meeting yesterday ' was a continuation of the regular j session. In this way, any legal obstruction to tho action taken ! was avoided. Consummation of this project, which is regarded as the most Im portant now under way, from the standpoint of the northeastern | part of the State, wss brought i about largely through the activi ties of the Elisabeth City Cham ber of Commerce, co-operating with Representative E. R. John son, of Currituck, and other for- 1 ward looking residents of the county. The matter flrst came up some four weoks ago when Secretary I Job. of the local Chamber, paid a visit to Mr. Hart at his home In | Tarboro with a view to ascertain- | Ing the status of the Chowan . bridge letting, scheduled for to day. In the course of the confer enr Mr. Job asked Mr. Hart about the prospect for hardsur facing the rosds from Sllgo t? Currituck Courthouse and the Virginia line, respectively. Sf r. Hart told him tnere wasn't suffi cient money svallsble. "How about Currituck County lending the State the money for th*se roads?" Mr. Job asked. Mr. Hurt Wim Over Mr. Hart agreed to take the matter under consideration, and Mr. Job departed. That night, : according to Mr. Job, the high way commissioner called him by long distance telephone and as sured him that If the county would lend the money, he would build the road. Armed with this assurance. Mr Job sppeared before the Curri tuck County Commissioners at their December meeting, at which It wss decided to Invite Mr. Hart to Currituck Courthouse for dis cussion of the proposal. The ac tion taken yesterdsy wss the out come. Representative Johnson presid ed at yesterday's meeting, which opened at 11 o'clock. Commis sioner Hart motored through from Tarboro. coming by way of Norfolk At the opening of the meeting, strong sentiment was manifested by residents of the lower psrt of Currituck for s bond lusue suffi cient to build ten miles or more of hardsurfaced highway southward- j ly from the courthouse. Mr. Hart r Inquired what the county's total i property valuation wss. Upon be- . lag informed that It was about $S, 500,000, he counseled against Continued en page 4 \cu Can Be A Santa Claus This Christmas Do you know of a faintly thai i Santa Clan. I* Hk, ly to overlook, when he makeo his rounds on Christinas live uiBht? . Would you like to ''J' Christ.ua. cheer tor ?otno 'a.i.lly which but tor you mluh. so with OU|nl,elth?r case. you ?ho"1'11^> tn touch with K'-v. A. II- O"11"; County Welfare Oftle*r> who just now is quite busy In tt" to make sure that no slngl. ralu ^..'.?ru^-tl. this morning" Mr outlaw told The Advance to- , h.; "that I had baskets and ! stocking, promised In .ulTlcleut , number to take care of all the . families that were o? tuy U?t. ' , And now that more baskets and , more stocklnus are needed. | "1 hope that any one who wouia like to have a part In mak,?? Christmas brlsht and j the less fortunate (amlllM Ot oui community will cotumunlcate with me promptly (or particulars. Atm j If there are any needy families for whom uo provision aeema Ilk 1 ly to be made, I would like to hear of those also." FISH NOW HAVE OWN ELEVATORS, Whisked Over Power (.om pany Dam on Their Journey Upstream Be^'brj^^Worl government Is havlnlt Installed to whisk him up over power company dams so he can continue bin tm portant yearly Journey up Mr. Steel head trout la to ijj ?? other passenger to ride tom'?r' ably up over falls without flip ping a flu or wlggllnK hla tall_ After much work and research ?lenci""i"wlreba.?kete levator r.. b"? Perfected so that fUh and factories can occupywestern streams at the same time. They are now< , being Installed, to be ready for the bin aalmon run neit Heretofore thousands of fl.h have been sacrificed so 1 wheels of industry rnlRh tnr? , It Is impossible for fish on their way up stream to spawning waters " lib over the big dams erec ed by power companies. ? ?loc'". light. were to blare In cltlea and , villages along the hankB dead fish had to litter the streams. But, now learned profe.eor. have .Ived the problem. The flah will rid*. Before their gills have time to gasp surprise they are to he swung Into the air and safely landed In the quiet waters above ( "VTohn N. Cobb, director * I ,h. r?illcK(? of Fisheries of mo University of Wsshlngton. Invent ed the new flah elevator. While other, were angllnK ?? ???? streams laat summerProfwof Cobb was climbing ateep embank ments and peering o'.r dams ntudylng the habits of fish ana . their reactions to riding in cleva ""Sr. Cobb has received Inqulrlea from all over the world C"nr*[?; In. the salmon lift. Preserving fish and at the aame tlme encour aglng hydro electric Progress constitutes a world prohlam *?ow- 1 er companies and government of flclals are snxlon.lyaw.ltlngthe ?t?:in.v".n?gr.r;ruih.*,o,,n.r.| ""n.iule's getting adnlt 'lsh nje atream. the elevator la expeeted to to save the live, of many youn? flah traveling down atream WIFK OF SECRETARY RETURNS TO CAPITAL Savannah, (la . l??e nwl.h! r Davis, wife of Secretary ;'?Uh"r tohV. vr.np the 'nspect ion r.":".hh.,0wi m.kS? band and wtll return from here to Washington today^ FIRST SHOW DOWN ON prohibition today Washington, Dec. It.? In the first showdown on prohibition this neaslon the ffoase Dry* to*, dar swept aside. by a rote of 13ft > to IT. H proposal to restrict the. use of funds for the purchase of liquor was evidence Th* amend- ! ment was offered by Repi>s#?nta ; t Its Tucksr, Democrat, of Ylrgta- j la. a dry. and wan defeated by a rising rote. FRANK MUNSEY WORLD FAMOUS PUBLISHER, DIES PrritoniU* After Operation Proves Fatal to Man Who Hewed Way From Pover ty to Great Wealth HAD MANY REVERSES Found Himself $ 100,000 in Debt After Eleven Years of Bitter Struggle; Then His Luck Turned New York, Dec. 22. ? Frank A. Munsey. newspaper publisher, died shortly before 7 o'clock thli morn Inn in the Lenox Hill Hospital. Mr. Munaey had been suffering from peritonitis which developed following operation for appendici tis on December 13. Up to the last his physicians held out hope ror his recovery but early today he suffered a sinking spell and the end came shortly. Frank Andrew Munsey was 28 years old and a telegraph opera tor when he arrived in New York one cold, bleak day in the win ter of 1882. He had come down, to the metropolis from Maine, . bringing all his property with him. , ll consisted of a grip-full of i manuscripts, the clothea he had on, and $40 In cash. He was go-; ing to start a publishing business. Seeking a focussing point for ( what he felt certain, even at that j time, would one day be a great enterprise, he engaged a little room for an office, bought an 98 table and a couple of cheap kitchen chairs, some pens and a bottle of ink, and the $40 waa gone. Frank Munaey waa broke in the world's greatest city, where even the mighty must fight to hang on. Alger Waa Contributor With all his trouble* ahead of him. he atarted to work, and two months later appeared the flrat number of the Argoay Magaslne ? then an illustrated weekly pa per- of eight pages for boys and girls. Horatio Algar Jr.. waa one of the contributors. Thla waa the beginning of a struggle which has had few if any parallels In the publishing world. Forty years later, after one of the most remarkable demonstra tions of hewing succeaa out of fail ure ever seen in that particular business. Frank Andrew Mun sey had become one of the fore most publishers In the United States, numbering his newspapers and magazines by the score and his wealth by millions. It hsd been a fight every step of the way, and not once did luck lend a hand with the burden. His most notable achievement In the newspaper field came In February, 1920, when he acquired the New York Herald, one of the oldest newspapers In the country, and merged with It the New York Sun. the Hersld's senior by two years, which Mr. Munsey hsd pur chased In 1918 and consolldsted with the New York Prssa. The elder James Oordon Bennett hsd founded the Hersld. and Charles A. Dana developed the Sun. The merged publication waa called The Sun and the New York Herald for a time, and then changed sim ply to the Herald. At the same time the Evening Sun, another Munsey newspaper, waa changed to the Sun. The early life of Mr. Munsey, as he forged gradually ahead In spite of countless dlsappolnt menta and bitter reveraes. was not unlike that of sn Alger hero, though his ultlmste success out did the Imsglnstlon of even thst famous writer. Born In the little town of Mer cer. Maine, August 21, l*f>4. he has been described aa "one of those msny bare-footed country boys who stsrt life with more in their hesds than In thslr pock eta." He attended the public achool of Mercer for a while, but soon felt the urge to make money. His flrat job waa In the country atore. where he served aa gener al utility boy. Hat4luf. When they had crouned the I'amdi n County line. Mitchell turned to the officer. "All right, you can no oil back lo Pasquotank. You've got no Jurisdiction over here. ??'.???! by." With that, he i?t rolled *-reuply away, headed toward Camden Courthouse, leaving the nun* liluaaed officer ilat in his tracks. Hence It was that Mr. I'rltrhurd'i usually genial anille lacked -aoitie thing of Renulnen.nj Tu sday morning. Hotel Thief Raids Bride and Groom In Washington j "Unavoidably on our part. wltb i doom locked, someone stole from our room my handbag with most I everythlnp; In it. also Frances' suit case with all her dresses and many 'other things. Wlllard Hotel will' I make everything satisfactory. ; have been assured. Leaving (or : New York late tomorrow." The foregoing telegram re- J ; celved Tuesday morning by Mra. j j P. H. Williams, of thia city, re- , latea in brief how misfortune ; swooped upon Mr. and Mrs. L. Curtis Baum. Jr., In the Wlllard ! Hotel. In Washington. D. C., the day before. Mr. and Mrs. Baum were married here Saturday night. | and are on their honeymoon. The wire was from Mr. Baum. His bride was Miss Frances Williams, daughter of Senator and Mrs. P. 1 1 H. Williams, of this city. Thieves show little conaidera- i i tlon (or honeymooners, l??l ! hotel rooms are secure from an j expert with a paaekey. First wdrd of the misfortune was received by j Senator Williams in a telegram : Monday night, indicating that the couple had lost considerable of their funds along with their oth er valuables. Aside from the loss of a trous- i seau running high into dollars and centa. tho young bride, after , having most carefully chosen her i wearables for the trip, now must i go through the whole bothersome ? process again. But even though she has lost many valued articles. It may be that little Mrs. Baum. ; as la the way of her sex. can find a thrill In picking out a new trav eling outfit of pretty dresses and I the many other mysterious artl Icles ? from a masculine viewpoint ?that must be included In a girl's .wardrobe. Organize To Fight Rubber Combine Washington, Dec. 22. ? A move ment to cut down the America! : consumption of rubber lias been organised with the backing of Secretary Hoover and represents ,tlves of the principal rubber con suming trades. The secretary declared today that nearly 9700.000.000 a year' has been exacted from the rubber using public by the British Hast Indian rubber combination. Prlcee have been raised to three times the original figure by *ur cessful methods of the scheme to restrict production. Mr. Hoovpr said. FORI) HAS PROJECT FOR POLAR FLIGHT Washington. Dec. 2 2. ? A pro* ijert for polar flight has been pre sented to the War Department by William D. Mayo, chief engineer for Henry Ford, but ofdrials have decided that congressional author ity would be necessary for (lovern ment participation. Wants Investigate The Cotton Tariff Washington, Dec. 22. ? Investi gation of cotton tariff schedules was proposed In a resolution todsy by Representative Oldfleld of Ark ansas. chairman of the Democrat ic Congressional Committee He stated that the resolution was prompted by the situation In New England where he ssld prof : Its in the textile buslneas hsd been Increasing while wages were de creasing. COTTON MARK* t New York, Dec. 22. ? Cotton fu tures opened today at the follow Ing levels: Jan. 18.29. March 11.70. May 11.42, July 12.11, Oct. 17.75. New York. Dee. 22. ? Spot cot ton closed quiet, middling. 19.16. /a decline of IS points . Faturee. (closing hid: Jan. 12.2R. March It ??. May IS, 2t, July 12. #0, Oct. , 17 ?4, POOR COLONEL PROBABLY WILL GET HIS MONEY President Cuolidge Prepar ing Kent it Thai furl of Mitchell Sentence IVr mining to His |?a> Washington, D.c. 22.--l'resl CoolldK*- Is prepared to re mit that pan ?f gen,enci. atM of hi? ?uap<*naloii rroiu the service. Tbla auteiuent ha. been made " quartern no authorltatiw ihnt Ii ituuuiHtl the War IJepart ,,t liaelt may nuggent thl. course to the I'realdent There la plenty of precedent f..r ?C1 of "clciuency" on the ii?rt of the commander In chief of ,h* N"V}r' ??a 'here ^ , "? I" 'cert.-nt fur con tinuing Colonel Mitchell on the Army rolla for live yeura without The court martial which im ?TU !hr. ,,,nu""?l acnt.nce upon Colonel Mitchell -unusual i? auapenalon fr.itu |.,iy a]l(1 ?||,)W ancea for a,, Ion* a term had no rlKht to take cognizance of the fact that the colonel la Independ ently wealthy and that hla pr. fiAT 1 her own right. Colonel Mitchell before tho court a* juat an ordl nary officer of the Army, theoreti cally dependent upon hla pay antl hla allowancea for the aupporl of hlmaelf mid hla two famlile*. for the colonel .tin ??der |,w a| Imony obligations to hla llrat wir and the children hy that marrlace li.i* qH ST , vld*n< "l? I the couil r"h'r ^ , "ot 01 ?Old not dlveat un'iL'n- ^ nowledge Colon,. I Mitchell a worldly gooda and therefore made It. .entence aa a, - vere financially aa it could. With the exception of the de privation of pay and allowances he aentenre of the court general l> la approved In higher Array clrclea and these circle:, will have Influence With I'realdent (oolldne. Many onicera who njmpathlie wlfh I he ,nd tent of Colonel Mitchell have been hla harahent crltica for the ,?au ta.u r *''nl ,h'"" hl" task of attracting public alien. 'ion. Inaamucb aa Colonel Mitch ell can make no headway With Ills ??hr"." I"' " u"ln'"1 "lr aervlc hJfiT l!" "d Congress. It I, ,v.? h?v'' """" hla at tack through Conareaa ralher than by rlalng from the ranka. aa 11 "ere and denouncing 1. II or hi* auperlor offlc. ra aa well a, the conatltuted authority of the w.ir and Navy Departments. President Coolldge i? a stickler for orderly procedure and ther. th."2..Cll"l;r* ,h,t ul>*" io e^.f ."J l""'"'" further thin 10 remit the loas of pay. Thin will n.^0|"", *rn"0' *l'hheid la tha latter evr nt he mlxM oh : ?.? '""'"laoiii" to te-i the Cor, ?tttmlonallly of bclnu held In the Army without compenaatlon. aaaumptlon la geaerai that Colonel Mitch' II Z"!?" r"*'"n ?" "oon ?" hla eaa ? la dlapoaid ot hy ihe Prealdeni. it L.5" . i!"" <" III- famllv .1.1 !d'?^ hl" lo re , ' " he had bei-n arqulttrd l? the court martial 'he eaa- cornea "P "? 'he frealdent. M. Tel .i?* ?*Km'nr. *hether the colo- , ,# S . he allowed f? realltn. II Colonel Mllch.il la "good ? he tnny bp allowed to cjult ff h> ; before resigning he can Ii * Armr InrteflnlteH gnd b? held reaponalhle for any thl?? he may aay The chance. ilTiJ "!V"' h" will be a (himIV m*nr have j CLUB BOND ISSUE IS AUTHORIZED IN SPECIAL SESSION Additional 821MMH) Made Available fur Improve men!* on Property; Plan l!? Ereet Pier Is Opposed W il l. PAY UP DEBTS Onlv u Few Bond? to We Sold at Present; Remain der Will lie Held in Treaf nry for Later Needs A band luuv of ?20.t>?0 (or ad ditloiial improvements was autho rised laM ulRht by the stockhold , r% If the Kllxabeth City Coun try Club at a combined bunln? as and social suasion at the new club houHf. Immediately after th ? atock holders' anion, the board of directors passed a resolution offi cially i iilorlnr, issuance of lb** > bonds. Tb?- bond proposal was carried with a stipulation thai no pari of the money (O be derived from It shall be used f??r construction of a .pier front lb.* property, except upon ratification by the stockhold ers at a subsequent meeting. Onlv a nm:?ll part of the bond issu? will b'- ?old at present. W. V. Duff, president of the club, staled todav. explaining that enough bonds would bo deposed of to meet several thousand dol lar." outstanding Indebtedness, and that the remainder of the ls tue would be placed In the club s tn usury, to be us.d later for such Improvement* us may be decided upon. . The aetlon of the stockholders last nluht raises the club's total authorized bonded indebtedness to $50,000. a bond Issue of 930. 000 ItavInK been sold last summer to provide funds for erection of the club bouse and for other Im provement* The club also raised s*'5 000 by the sale of 200 mem b?rshl|i? at ?,?h- A,J .,unJ" obtained boen InT'.ted In the I.ro|>orty. It In ejplalned. and , hence the total bund taauc ????" 000 will represent a lien against an investment of $75,000. With an Indicated Income of 910 000 to 912.000 annually, members of the club a* a rule, express the opinion that no dtrn - cully will be encountered in retir ing the bond a* they mature, and meetlnK operating expenses. The business meeting last night was followed by a social session, at which dancing was enjoyed. Music was furnished by the Caro lina Merrymakers, an orchestra. More than 100 club members and guests were present at Hit event, and a large number not on band wore represented by proxies at the business session. The nlsht was stormy, and ?neni bers of the club expressed tho opinion today that If the weather had been better, at Wast three fourths of the membership would have lurned out for the occasion. The house committee or trie club has been Instructed to ar range a social function of some sort al least once a month during the coining year. SEEKS HAVE AMERICA ENTER CONFERENCE Washington. t>ee. 22. ? I'artlol nation by tho United Btatea In tho fort Ii' omlnn t-eague or disarmament conference would be authorized In a reaolutlon Intro , lurid today by Senator King. Democrat, of Utah. PRESIDENT COOL1DGE WORKING ON HEPI.Y Waahlngton. I>c, 22. ? Print flont Cool Id ?e is working on a re ply to tho league of Nations in vitation to the preliminary disarm ament discussion In an effort to find a way to areept. A. C L. COMPLETES DOUBLE TRACK SYSTEM New York. Dor 2 2. |Th? At lantic Coast Line today announced completion of the double track system from Richmond to Jack sonville. the main project In the $101,000,000 improvement pro gram. BRITISH OFFICIALS .SAY ITS NON8EN9K London. Dec. 22 Officials of the Uovernmeiii denied thai the ItrltlNh Clorernntent has been "mnnlpulatlng" the prices of crude rubber and raid that the suggestion in the United Hiates Is pure nonsenne. Yule Shoppers Throng Streets As Old Santa 1 Fills His Pack Here* - NORTH CAROLINA IS DRY EST STATE IIS THIS DIVISION fliarlotte, Dec. 22. ? Bootleg price* over tieoiula, North ( 'ar a n?l South Carolina were quoted nt from 912 to 1210 m K?Ui>n for corn liquor, accord ing to a atatement today from the Federal headquarter* for the dlvlaton here. North Carolina la the dr>i*t Mate of the dlvlalon, tl?e atate tnent declared. POOLROOM RAIDS NET EIGHT BOYS Minora Fined Dollar tmdi Cent!* Each at Record er'? Court Session Eight offenders who landed In a police roundup of minors In 1 white and colored poolrooms In the city paid fines of $1 and costs each In recorder's court Tuesday morning. The police showed no partiality on the ground of race, nabbing four white and four col- t ored boys. Under the law. It is a misde meanor for a youth under 21 years of age to loiter In a pool- i room, and the officers arc deter- i i mined that the law shall be ?n- i forced here. Proprietors of pool- I rooms explain that It Is difficult for them to handle the situation through the natural tendency of ' , the violators to stretch matters a j .bit when asked their age. The law requires also that ev ery individual who enters a pool j room shall write his name and : addreas In a book provided for the purpose. This phase of the law, strictly observed at first, has , I b?en neglvotW somewhat during recent months, officers say. Ed. Koughton. In court on a i charge of forcible treapass, was let off with a suspended Judgment j conditional upon payment of the costa and the return of a horae cart which he had sold to one ] posh Zachary. colored. Zachary j was ordered to pay Koughton a balance of |3 which both agreed I waa still owing on the cart. Wltneaeea testified that Rough- , ton had sold the cart to Zachary t for |15, to he paid at the rate of ; 95 a week, but that Zachary falled to meet the third week's i payment in Cull. After some de lay, Koughton saw an opportun ity to regain possession of the cart, and took advantage of It. Subsequently the colored man brought a charge of forcible tres pass against him. In pssslng upon the case. Coun ty Judge IV O. Sawyer reminded Koughton that, from a strictly le gal standpoint, he had no right to I take the cart, without due process of law. William Jones, colored, charged with failure to list nls taxes, wss required to psy the taxes due and the court rosts. Mayor Objects To "Resigned Officer" Philadelphia. Dec. 22. Briga dier General SmMley Butler to day announced that he had re signed from the Marine Corps In order to remain In Philadelphia as Director of Public Hafety. and an hour later Mayor Kendrlck made it known that he would not accept j the General In the position of "re signed officer of the Marine Corps." DOWAGKK PltlWlMH OF MOKA DIKH MIDDKM.Y Pari*. Dec. 22. ?The dowager ( princess of Monsco. who was Miss Alice Heine of New Orleans, died auddenly here today. She was married to the prince of Monaco In 1889 and their marriage dis solved In 1*02. H MKKAL MIHM flurlal services for Miss Bettle Del?on.. who died Monday morn ing 7:10 o'clock at her home on Cedar street, were conducted at ih. grave tn Hollywood Cemetery at 3:30 o'clock Tuesdsy afternoon < by the Kev. J W Hsrrell, pastor j of City Road Methodist Church The psll^srers were: J. W Shannonhouse, W. K. Dunstan. W. C Sawyer. H. W. Sanders. J. B Ferebee. Oeorge Wood. J. K Wil son. and J. H. WIlKins. Miss DeLon was 82 year* old and Is survived by three sisters. Mrs. Penelope Davis of Newport News. Mrs. A. L. Aydlett and Miss Linda De1x>n of thta city, by a brother. Jeese DeLon of Balti more. by fonr nleeee, Mrs J. R Hsrrell of Norfolk. Mrs. Walter Johnson of Weekavllle. Mra. Win If red Gregory of Rocky Mount and Mfse Brace Davis of Newport | News and by a nephew. Lawrence Aydlett, of this city. t Merchants Offering Kxcep. tionally Attractive Holip day Ware* ; C h e e r jr Crowds Making 1'urchaaea BUYERS CONSERVATIVE Trend Thin Year Apparent ly Toward Serviceable Goods; Gray Skies Not Keeping the Folk* Away Christmas shoppers are thronging the stores of the city this week, as the Yule holiday approaches, and San ta Claus is rapidly filling hia capacious sack with present? for most everybody in the Al bemarle. Elizabeth City store* have never offered more at tractive holiday wares, pa trons agree, and Old Santa is having no difficulty in finding a wide enough variety to suit the most capricious taste. Generally speaking. Friday and Saturday were buay day* for mar* chants here, but yestardSf , eclipsed them. Crowde throng*! the stores all day. despite a light, misty rain which began falling !*? ward nightfall. Facetiously mln fl ed ones ascribed the rain to the Country Club s business and social session last night, declaring tKs weather man and the club offi cials were 100 per cent at odd*. Thus far, It has rained almoat ar ery time there was a special func tion at the handsome new club house. "Weather or no." yesterday's trade in Elisabeth Cfty waa good enough to cheer the merchant?, measurably. Buyera, in the mall were showing a decided predllai tlon for reasonably priced. bsl vlceable goods as agalnat gaud|| showy things of little Intrln worth. The Chrlatmaa shoj this year la a careful buyer, . keen after full value for hla dd lar. Incidentally, he seema to m getting It. Everywhere, priota apparently are cut to a minimum. Open After <*?rb*iMui indications are that the mer chants have decided agalnat , a suggestion that the stores closed the day after Chrlstmgfc In order to give employers and employes a three-day vacaUoa.] This suggestion was prompted by the action of four of the banks In closing that day. "It wouldn't hardly be fair to our patrona," one merchant mm. In discussing the matter. "The after Christmas always Is a MM one with us. There are tha In evitable exchanges of merchan dise which Isn't exactly the right slse. or color, or style. There Srt? msny folks who receive monaf for Chrlstmaa, and usaully they*** picked out something they want, and hurry down the day afta# Christmas to buy It. "Then, too, there are many l pie who receive unexpo* Christmas gifts. Wishing to clprorste as promptly as they < they come down naxt day make their 'emergency' purchan All In all. we wouldn't be doing our duty by our patrons if wa closed for the day." Two merchants volunteered tM Information yesterday that tha* IVcember business thus far hsa exceeded laat years. One hsa ad vertised In every laaue of both tha city's newspapers during the ya^J Just closing. The other hasn t missed half a dosen laauea. ? Hlien It Pay* ll?t \ "We And that our advertlallg during the dull seasons paya ua the biggest dividends," one or tna two commanted. "For Inatanes. we can trace many of our holiday sales to advertisements wa IM during the quiet midsummer son. 1 guess It's because p4 read newspapers more compli then. W*?'fe convinced that pay* to advartiae tha J around." Christmas trees In many hoi In this city and section tkls j will have come from far-off Mail thereby counteracting to a la extent the annual slaaghtov young treea In thla part of country. Hymmetrlcal young asm furs cut In the anowy wll ness north of the Kannebec offered on the /oml market considerable quaStttto*. themselves admlrsbly to tlon. they ara provlgg with the trade. Early today the atradta thronged with freah holiday buyora. sad on their facea. waa thing of the glad makee Chrlatmas ui of all tha year a holidays. skies. ??* pec ted at thla tlna year, obviously did not ?? deterrent to out of town ah? ? It takaa mora than a hint of ( to kaap away folks bout on i denlag the b?*rts of and dear on Christ ma 3 * isi&rabtv m OnW j^MORt