The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1919-12-11
Christmas Eue
on Paint Rock
By c. NJ. MORRISON.

bunch Of folksl Take down in the
Paint Rock neighborhood as an illus
tration. II is. or used to be, back.
woods all right, but you can hardly call
IL that any more Anyway. II is about
two whoops and a boiler" over the
ridge. Another name the natives had
for II around here was Happy Hoi.
low" so called mostly because II
looked like II was anything but happy
Mostly log houses over there. and
it's a solemn fact that a good many
OF them had stick and clay chimneys
and were daubed with plain yellow
mud. Half grown youngsters there
went barefoot right through corn gath
ering and up till hog killing time. Old
Paint Rock was always pretty good
market for blockade whisky" and Il
was even whispered around that they
made a pretty good article OF white
mule" in the neighborhood some
where.
II isn't much wonder that the war
drives" paid mighty little attention TO
these folks and yet they were as good
Americans as you ever saw None OF
that lodging the draft stun went with
them. They went and they went with
a whoop. But their attitude seemed
to be that while they would take care
OF the fighting somebody also would
have to raise the money.
Most of them were good workers, too,
but they had mighty little. They saved
next to nothing Thrift" was a word
that you didn't hear in the Paint Rock
country down Happy Hollow" way.
They worked over here on this side on
the farms. but they simply never had
$50 at time. And they weren't used
to the installment plan Of doing bust.
ness. When the Paint Rock man had
finished a days work II was a case
OF pay me now" with him when sun
down came.
Just how the War Savings Stamps
idea ever got into Happy Hollow" is
a mystery. Doubtless the first citi-
zen who got e took it as curiosity. II
must have been at that. II wasn't
exactly money. you know More OF a
sort Of a promise to pay, you see Blu,
somehow the idea of getting together
four dollars and some odd cents and
loaning IL to the government away OF
yonder at Washington. made hit.
II undeniably did. The promise OF
Uncle Sam TO pay IS in cash on
given date sort Of fascinated the Paint
Rockers. You see, all their lives they
had been owing the other fellow or the
government or somebody money. and
this otherway-around thing pleased
and interested them. They began
reading the circulars about the War
Savings Stamps and Fostering the
nearest postmaster about them. Be-
fore they knew It they had been
formed into War Savings Society.
First thing you knew Paint Rock
er's social standing was being deter
mined by the number Of Baby Bonds"
that he had or was thought to have.
That Savings Society is still doing
business and gathering in a new mem
Der now and then Folks over there
like to stack another stamp on top OF
the ones they already have. A few Of
them are even beginning to eye the
Certificates" now and again.
Christmas had always been a pretty
hectic and frolicsome time over in the
Hollow" But the last time. instead
of gathering into a band that wandered
out Of the valley TO disturb other folks
on Christmas Eve. Paint Rock had
funny kind Of Christmas Eve cele-
bration. II was a Christmas tree with
w. 8. S. chapter to 1t. They held II
in the little old school house that
stands on the hill above the creek.
The dragged a big tree out of the
woods and down one hill and up an
other and set II up. OF course all the
presents that they hung on the tree
were not Baby Bonds" but you
would have been surprised IL you had
kept tab. to see how many Of them
were.
1t would have been a little out OF the
ordinary anywhere, but over on Paint
Rock that kind OF a Christmas tree
was little short of revolutionary to
folks who remembered the rain, tar
rim old-time Christmas that the Hap
by Hollow" folks had always cele-
brated.
II was the accepted thing to make
somebody else in the family pres
ent of War Savings Stamp. And the
big boots and the weather beaten
hands OF the old-time Paint Rockers
made the rafters ring when some
youngsters came marching sp the aisle
in response to his name and went back
red faced and pleased looking with one
on the governments promises to pay.
1t looked like everybody understood
that every bond" that had been
bought and given away was adding
to the sum total Of the wealth and re-
speciality Of little community that
had never gone in very strong for
saving Of any kind-no matter wheth-
er IL was daylight soap, grease or
what not.
II has all had the effect of making
the Paint Rock folks understand what
the government means TO them and
what they mean TO the government.
They feel like they are part Of the
machinery Of the nation now. and that
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