STIR RE REE i I$ 18 Ww [1 % i How the mice turned back the } Christmas clocks One Christmas Eve, Santa was very late in arriving at the little village of ‘Snowflake, the last stop on his annual trip around the world. Fortunately, all the children of the village were asleep, so they didn’t know that Santa had been delayed. As the village slept, animals gathered at the town sqaure to discuss the situation. It was almost 6 o’clock, the hour when the children traditional- ly arose on Christmas morning. “There are going to be some pret- ty disappointed youngsters around here,”” commented the calico cat. “You can say that again,’’ growled the German shepherd. You see, on Christmas Eve all the animals of the village would forget about their usual rivalries and speak to each other. Just then, a robin landed on the square. ‘‘Santa’s on his way!’’ he chirped. The animals barked, mewed, squealed, and crowed over this good news. ‘‘Wait a minute,’’ grunted the pig. ‘‘It may be too late. The children will be getting up soon.” ‘If we could only keep them in bed a little longer,”” whinnied the horse. But how, the animals wondered. Suddenly, a field mouse squeaked excitedly. ‘I know! We’ll go into all the houses and turn back all the clocks!”’ The animals applauded this idea, and soon all the field mice of the village were scurrying into homes and clambering up the elocks. They mov-. ed back all the hands a half hour, just enough time for Santa to finish his rounds. It wasn’t long before Santa did ar- rive. When he heard about what the field mice had done, he laughed hear- tily and thanked them. Then he went ito work putting, pr tree. baciiiinin six, Santa climbed into his sleigh and flew off, waving goodbye to the animals of the village. As the children happily opened their presents, the animals settled down for a nap. They were tired from waiting up all night for Santa, and the field mice were the most tired of all! Footprints in the sand One night I had a dream. I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and across the skies flashed scenes from my life. In each scene, I noticed two sets of’ footprints in the sand. One was mine, and one was the Lord’s. When the last scene of my life ap- peared before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand, and, to my sur- * prise, I noticed that many times along the path of my life there was only one . set of footprints. And I noticed that it was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. I asked the Lord about it: ‘‘Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. But I notice that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why you left my side when I needed you most.’ The Lord said: ‘My. precious child, I never left you during your time of trial. Where you see only one set of footprints, I was carrying you.’ — Author unknown ts uder,gery Just as the clocks began to strike Heap on more wood! the wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, we’ll keep our Christmas merry still. — Sir Walter Scott ROBERT WINGO tells Santa a secret wish for Christmas dur- ing a holiday party at Jane Campbell's Dance Studio. i Plymouth Reliant, 2-door Plymouth Reliant with front-wheel drive, of- fers you six passenger seating, high-tech engineering, performance and dependability all at an affordable price. 38771 ZOE Plymouth Reliant, 4-door Six-passenger Plymouth Reliant restyled with a contemporary look for 1985. We made the best better. No. 290 *8507% DODGE OMNI Dodge Omni for ‘85 features quality and high efficiency all at a low price. Front- wheel drive and power brakes are standard. No. 244 56032°° ° w ~