Evening star., 1944-01-30
Just Between
Ourselves
BY Philip II. Love-
Editor, The Junior Star,

by Fhtttp II. Love-
Editor. The Junior Star.
Dreams sometimes do come true
For years, Ashton Mossburg, jr.
dreamed of travelling. But his
studies at Washington-Lee High
School kept him too busy, for one
thing. and he lacked the necessary
cash, for another. So he took to
travelling via the "scrapbook route
by collecting tourist guides. He
wrote to all the places he wanted to
visit, and soon he had two big scrap
books filled to overflowing with
illustrated travel folders. And
whenever he hankered to take q
trip-which was often-he just got
out one Of his books, settled down
In his easy chair and was of.
But now Ashton's dream has be-
gun to come true. in small way, at
least. He has started going places
instead Of merely reading about
them. At least, that's the impress
sion I get from the mail I'm receiv-
ing from him.
The first piece Of mail was q long
letter from Waynesville, seat o1
Haywood County, N. c., where Ash
ton was, as he put it, spending the
best vacation I ever had" Waynes-
vile is at the eastern entrance to
the Great Smoky Mountain Ma
tional Park, about Is miles from
Asheville, and the 19-year-old trav-
eler gained pounds in the az
weeks he was there.
From WayneSville, Ashton went
to the Cherokee Reservation, SO
miles away. This" he wrote, lis
the home Of more than 5000 In
dians, descendants of those who hid
in the Smoky Mountains when the
Cherokee removal to Oklahoma be-
gan in 1885,"
Ashton was impressed by the fact
that the park is huge wild-life
sanctuary. mo hunting or trap
ping is allowed" he said, thus
making it possible for such animals
as the black bear, red and gray fox,
white-tailed deer, bobcat, raccoon,
wild turkey, squirrel and ruffed
grouse to become tame. Some so
species Of fur-bearing animals, more
than 200 birds, so fishes, "a reptiles
and 36 amphibians are known to
occur here.
The park Is 19 miles wide and
more than 54 miles long," he con-
cluded. For SO consecutive miles,
the Great Smokes are more than
5000 feet high, and 16 of these
peaks reach above 5000 feet"
Ashton returned to his home, 816
South Barton street, Arlington, for
a while, and then was off again.
Before he resumed his travels, how
ever, he dropped in at The Junior
Star office to promise me: IF I get
as far as Florida I will send you a
palm tree"
The Office walls are pale green,
and the top of my desk is a darker
shade of the same color. A palm
tree would fit in perfectly.
But I haven't seen the palm tree
yet, though I've received five post
cards from Florida, and on two of
these Ashton renewed his promise
One, from St. Petersburg, bore a
picture Of "The Singing Tower,
Mountain Lake." apparently sur
rounded by palms. And Ashton's
message was: Those palms sure
look good to me. Watch out for the
one I'm sending you'll"
The other renewal Of the promise
came just as I was beginning the
paragraph next above. It was a
postcard view of st. Petersburg's
palm m-surrounded Soreno Hotel, now
occupied by the Army Air Forces
Technical Training Command. And
again the message was: Watch for
that palm tree I'm sending!"
Well, I'm watching. But I'm afraid
this is one Of Ashton's dreams-and
OF mine, too-that can't even begin
to come true.
Junior jottings: David Harris, II,
Sacred Heart School, has been earn
ing spending money by delivering
grocery orders. He's temporarily out
OF business now, however, because
somebody stole a wheel off his wagon.
=. Seven Eastern High School stu
dents are working at part time jobs
in the Maritime Commission.
Playing the piano is the hobby of
Pauline Nikarada, Mckinley High
School cartoonist. . Richard Chad
wick, Eastern, was living in Hawaii
on Pearl Harbor day. Susanne
Duhey, Kensington, Md, likes to
draw faces which, when you turn
them upside down, look like another
person" She sent me a sample, and
it's quite tricky. :. The Junior Red
Cross has issued a call for more
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