The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1940-12-26
The Common-tater
-ByC Chuck Rattle
COlumnist's Scrapbook-

The night settles deep about you. You walk along
muffled in the fog with blanket. There is
something combining, intimate, personal in the un-
felt touch of the cold, damp fingers Of the lady in
black. Lights ahead are mere pin points.
They to be srainng at their bulbs like man too
sleepy to raise his eyeids to penetrate the gloom
You walk along looking at the light aperture
like moving inside the box Of camera looking
toward the opened shutter. There's air of
something about to happen. Trees move stiffly
like one creeping along in the darkness looking fol-
something-but knows not what The limbs, rheu-
matte in winter are touched with the white froth
that Is fogs cold caress. Nature seems to stand
STILL rolling its eyes to behind but scarcely dar
ing to breath, lest it be heard. The lights of the
town mass to penetrate in single great attack
that blanket of gloom but tossed back in burn
ing glow that rides the under side of the black
ladys skirts. :. There is feeling that above the
blanket something is changing, something is about
to happen. But it's hidden. While the magician
plays his seigh of hand the stage is di the scarf
is rustled before the eyes of the audience. Fog
is natures magic scarf. It's night at its black,
est The blackout that comes before the change
l.. Natures camouflage.
Neat angle Of marriage writing You might say
the hitch went off without hitch. This little
tidbit of punnery broke before ears the other
day. "she's like butter in his hands," quoth one
And chimed the other, "You mean he pats herr"
No one, to knowledge, has ever written a
poem the Saturday night before Christmas. .
But we wandered about last Saturday night and
truly in these small towns, it is institutional.
1t is the last really big day in the shopping world
|. The crowds seem to swing up and down the
streets, without pattern, with seemingly unpurposefu
haste. Yet there's definiteness about thing
!. They are all and each in hurry. good
natured joval, showing hurry that kicks the polish
off your shoes and shoves the weary and the stroll
ing about like leaves before the wind :. Parcels
stack high in their arms There is strain on some
faces after long days Of planning and buying.
But there is the difference about this buying that
other Saturday nights do not have For this buying
is for someone else 1t is unselfish time.
Shops busy, clerks tired after long, hurryine
hours supplies are mussed and shelved stocks thins
|. Then suddenly the street quiets There is
less clatter less crowding. There's the let down
Clerks move more idly. few light up cigarettes
one two here are tearing out window, grocers
are packing away their fruits. Here and there
few die-hard customers search for what they want
clerk perches on a counter for long awaited
| breathing spell. Lights begin to wink off, cars
leave the street The shops regurgtate the bust
nesseers and shop girls. The weary way home
The town goes to sleep
In 1871 there will be 7o-odd weeks. They haven'
quite decided yet. Well, hold on don't toss the
old calendar out the window yet. :. For in the
lunar calculations your edition is perfectly proper
Of them are enough. The deal is promotion b,
trade associations, manufacturers, clubs, cultura
groups, and others who have a particularly pc
they want to give special recognition to- So weel
pops up. There for instance national apple week
national raisin week. two tea weeks (hot and cold)
a sew and save week. Yes, even a peanut weel
| to name few. During one week in April they
are asking to remember that it Is Q) be kline
to animal week, (2) national foot health week, o.
national fishermen's week. We can readily spo
| trouble ahead :. fellow is going to have diff
ficut time going fishing in his slippers holding
stray calf in his lap
Caroling is a Christmas custom that gives one
outlet for something inside that is best emitted
the most loved of all we have. While the custom
fades from the high point it reached in schools
churches it occupies important place, and yes
in small social groups. One of the most unique
bits of caroling was carried out last week when the
sixth grade pupils of Miss Helen Sather made the
rounds after school evening To the pupils
Of their room, absent with illness, they gave par
ticular attention.
Company parties in which employer and en-
ployee mingle a social plane are gaining popular
ty They are still rare enough to indicate onl.
the beginning of possible trend, but year by year
particularly at Christmas, new group joins in this
unique fun One of the oldest annual parties fol
employees is the one the telephone company stages
each Christmas tide. There manager, operators
ct al caper with adoescent games exchange presents
around the tree eat midnight lunch. Latest
to join the swim the Waldorf gang who last
Thursday night got together with proprietor Allan
! Megs And his family for whale Of evening
;: :. And F; L. Parsons Main Street crowd. The
only obvious difficulty attending each of these two
thine. keephg tile business place going at least to
degree. So MITIGATE shift arrangements are
worked out. The fun and the work go hand in hand
Was time when giving calendars was an &C
cepted medium of good will building that chronologi
caly speaking happened appropriately at years end
|. It could be depended faithfully as the
fact the minister will be in church Sunday 4.
You went up town in those days and you carried
home the calendars in armloads like much kind
ling. Then the amazing thing you found
somepace to use most of them. One for the kitchen
another by the telephone Perhaps one by the bed
so If you woke up Of a morning with a lost sense
of days, there eternal reminder. . Invariably
at months end, calendar months did not tab 1t was
some job to go around to all to tear Off the used
leaf Or perhaps you just liked the picture But
the giving Is not plentiful today. few chosen
spots still dispatch calendars but the profusion OF
the old days is gone. -.
A brief note from Vic Conkln, now in Flower
ida. O ha concludes. XVa