Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-24
Christmas Eve =
at Sank Center

| siue' AS Hlother stands at the dishpan,
banking the soapy dishes OH the oil.
cloth or the kitchen table, while Lucy.
expectant OF tomorrow, dries Thorn
| with scrupulous care. With the last
blue trimmed dish in its accustomed
place. and just S tho days work
seems over. Adelbert comes rushing in
with the demand for popcorn.
10 the munchins Of the corn is added
the crunch OF the apples, as Ola read,
! from her give Little Peppers and
How They Crew." and Orvile busic,
himself on the moor trying to secure !.
! perfect alignment of spools on the NAL
'eses justly aroused tail Mother, find
ing that another stocking needs mend
ing, sinks quietly into her rocker under
the red lamp chimney. while father
gives up the pretense Of being awake.
! Out booms the great. deep throatcd
clock-nine long revcrbcrating stroke.
land father swallows and sits up
| right. No wonder he was getting 40
Sleeps o'clock
The Stockings mt the Chimney.
It's time for all honest people 10
hear,edness that father is wont to
affect on holiday cves. Santa Claus
can never come with US all .cttin' up
watching for him"
Aside Ola lays her book and obedi-
entity Orvillc leaves the cat to her own
entertainment. and. with tho others
they make ready for the shivcring bed
| chamber. On the mantclpiece they
hang their stockings, with baby Fred
trick's tiny ones the last in the row.
/ the safety pin tears still in them
! With the children disposed Of father
and mother. without a word. tiptoe on
= common errand 10 the pantry and
from the highest shelves there is tn.
/ crinkle OF stin paper. Back they creep
and string is tied from the toe OF
Orville's stockins to his new sled, and
into Ola's stocking the white fascinator
Ia put. When tho last sack of candy
is placed In the last stocking. father
| looks at tho clock. startled.
Ten o'clock. But it's worth it
Christmas. as has been pointed out
comes but once year. They can maks
up for il by sleeping late Tomorrow
morning. Slipping off his socks II.
his shoes and speeds for the bed Will.
mother fingers to force freedom on the
cat and to blow out the light. Put be
/ fore removing her shoes she makes an.
other trip to the spare bedroom and
back she comes With package. Into
fathers gaping shoes it gocs-the chill
drcn must not get ALL
Hut les Different New.
| That's tho popular idea Of Christina.
! in Sank Center.
| Hut Sank Center the pictur.sou.
crossroads town. has disappeared
The motor car and the motion -pictur,
| show arc responsible for the chang.
As n buying and retailing place. Sauk
Center has passed away. The Square
Deal grocery store. for instance, is no
more. Its place has been taken by tn.
Inail-order catalogue. When Uncle
viii and Aunt Mary want TO buy any
I thing they now turn TO page 134. and
tear out the perforated pages IN tn.
back OF the book. And they get their
, things for less than We proud pcop!.
! Of the big city pay.
There is no tired Christmas shopper
in Sank Center.
When father and mother want 10 do
their Christmas shopping. they have
an early supper, clear oft the dishes.
get out the catalogue and turn to tho
pink index pages. When appropriate
and suitable presents have been Sc
lected for Ola. Orville. Adelbcrt and
baby Frederick. father foots up the
bill. writes check and licks the
stamp. Mother puts out the cat winds
the clock. and the Christmas strain i'
over.
week before Christmas the pack
ages arrive. unmarked. They are
wrapped and put away in tho spare
bedroom and on top of the pantry shelf.
out OF the way OF eager eyes. until
Christmas Eve with its softly raining
snow
on TO the Bijou Dream.
Bu, on Christmas Eve father and
mother no longer sit around under the
red lamp shade. The red lamp shade
is no more. II has bsen replaced by
Tungsten with an art glass hood,
and the good old Charter Oak wa:
sold for dollar and a quarter to the
junkman. and where the stove once
stood there Is now black hole in tn.
noor regulated by thumb screw.
No longer do father and mother 81,
around OH Christnlas Eve. Not much
not with a 1871, model selling for $3.50.
and them eggs going to the whole
saler Mt 4" cents. And nowadays
there is never any softly falling snow
Socks are no longer hung up in Sank
Center. Mother. who attends all the
Housewife League lectures. would be
horrifed at stuffinE candy for pratt
Ting babe in an unhysienic sock. She
on chocolate and white mice on Christ
| mas; Adelbert now gets one piece
| after each meal. and II he takes two
he has to read chapter from Dr.
| Wiley.
When Christmas Eve comes TO Sank
| Center these days. father and mother
have early supper, pile the children
into the car and hit it UP on the turn
pike to forty and head straight for
the Bijou Dream. thirty miles away.
I
full carrier. they go inside and revel
In the movie art Each member OF
the family has his or her favoritc Ola
loves Jack Kerrigan. Adelbert has six
photos OF Marguerite Clark in hi.
room.
"Cnll Ne At q"
And Orville has no hesituncy IN maxi
| ing il known that it is personal In
suit il the manager let's the evening
go by without putting on At least ops
good Indian picture. Mother LIKES
those travel pictures, whore the peo-
pie wear such strange clothes and stare
at the camera. while father doesn't
mind vampire now and then--if She
is good one and does little skirt
dancing before she sends the man TO
ruin.
Wheu the show is over, father
gathers up the children and works his
way OH through the mob In the entry
waiting for tn: doors tor open for the
second performance. and goes out to
4