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Show 6 isS . t Saturday, December 30, 19S5 The Daily Herald i ' f Adapted by Her silk veils swirled around her. The music slowed and the doll danced, and when she was nearly Finished, the music changed once more. Now Marie heard tinkling bells, and the Chinese ballerina in her bright red slippers jumped onto stage. As she pirouetted, the flutes began to trill. This time even the instruments leaped onto stage, spinning round and round, thrumming and strumming. Marie had never felt so happy AMY FRIEDMAN Universal Press Syndicate Christmas Eve, and 'larie's house was filled with It was delights. In the living room stood a magnificent tree decorated with colored bulbs, silver streamers and toys. Oh, the toys! There were sil-tflutes and clarinets and piccolos hanging from the branches. At the very top stood a beautiful fairy tnade of icing sugar, j Beneath the tree were Marie's dolls from China and gifts rRussia and Arabia, each one , gearing the clothing of its country. Toy soldiers dressed in vtfarched uniforms stood nearby. Marie loved all the toys and Jjolls, but most of all she loved her godfather had 4 the nutcracker given her. The nutcracker looked i like an old man, with a huge igniting mouth and large teeth for i gracking nuts. When she looked &ito his eyes, she imagined he i.lould talk to her. , J Marie invited all her friends to see the tree. The children had a ; wonderful party. They played w ith Vthe tin soldiers, made music with . the instruments, ate cakes and oth-fsweets. But suddenly her brother. Frit, dropped the nutcracker as he played with it. The nutcracker ibroke into several pieces. Marie bit her lip and tried hard not to cry. She pretended not to 'mind because she didn't want to ruin the party. But when all the children had left and everyone in the house had gone to sleep. Marie slipped out of bed and tiptoed downstairs. She hoped she could piece the nutcracker back together again. Just as she reached the bottom of the long stairway, the clock (struck midnight. Before her ey es. Mhe tree began to grow bigger and bigger, and the fairy at the top vUaved her wand. All the toys alive. Best of all. the was mended! Each took an instrument from the 'free, and they began to play a merry march. With the nutcrack-vil- r leading the way, all the toys Ulaifced around the tree. er as she felt now, watching and listening to this marvelous show. When at last the music-stoppe- iii er ei ' Suddenly Marie heard a Mrange scurrying sound. To her 'Astonishment, an army of mice egan to march out of the corner of the living room, with the 'Mouse King leading the When the toys saw the "'mice, they stopped dancing. The ;bldiers stopped playing music. 'Everything was still and silent. Breaking the silence, the nut tracker cried. "Take your posts Vat once!" The toys quickly moved into formation, an armv fairies waved as Marie and Prince Nutcracker floated to the ground. "Welcome to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy." the prince said. When Marie looked around, she saw that this land was filled with all her old friends. She saw the Russian doll, and the Chinese ballerina, and the Arabian dancer, and all the soldiers playing instruments. Everyone was bowing to Marie. "Hooray." they cried. "Hail to you for saving our Prince Nutcracker. Marie. You are our hero!" Marie was quite surprised by all this, hut even more so when suddenly a queen appeared. She looked exactly like the sugar fairy on the top of the Christmas tiee back in her faraway home. "To celebrate -- this joyous occasion, we have arranged a special show for you." the queen said. She gave a signal, and all the soldiers lifted their instruments and began to play a charming song. Piince Nutcracker leaned close to Marie. "This i the dance- - of- - the Sugar Plum Fairy.'" he whispered. "This dance is for you. Marie." The queen leaped upon the stage and whirled and twirled, and soon the Russian doll joined in. vigorous and quick. Arms folded in front of him. he squatted low and kicked out his feet in time with the wonderful music. With a crash of tambourines, the dark-eye- d Arabian doll stepped onto the stage, with rings on her toes and jewels on her ankles. At last they began to drift downward, and Marie saw that she was in a most amazing country. The mountains surrounding her w ere made of chocolate cake, topped by snowy white whipped cream. The ground was coated with brown sugar and sparkling candies, and everywhere dolls and n. '. Illustration by Jlllian Gilliland battle began. Marie trembled as she watched the Mouse King with his seven heads struggling wilh the nutcracker, twisting him this way and that. It seemed as if the nutcracker would any moment split in two. Without thinking, she took off her slipper and threw it right at the Mouse King. He fell to the ground, and the other mice dashed back into their hiding place behind the .wall. The moment the Mouse King fell, the nutcracker was transformed into a dashing young prince. He bowed before Marie. "The Mouse King was an evil fairy, but you have broken his spell." the prince said. "He changed me into the nutcracker you once knew, and now I am a prince again. Because you've saved my life, I am going to take you on a magical journey." He had barely finished speaking when Marie felt herself lift into the air. Out the window they flew. Higher and higher they rose, into the shimmering stars. Far below. Marie could see her house in the moonlight, growing smaller and smaller. -- forma-Sftio- 1 of their own. The terrifying er sol-'iii- Prince Nutcracker bowed to Marie. "Now we will attend a ball in your honor." f In a flash Marie was in a beautiful winter garden, surrounded by flowers. "These are snow flowers." the Prince explained as the flowers stepped out of their bushes, two by two. Soon the flowers were dancing. Lilies and tulips, narcissus and hyacinths, hollyhocks, daffodils and roses frolicked to the sound of sweet music. "May I have this dance?" Prince Nutcracker asked Marie. She nodded, and he took her hand in his. They spun around the dance floor, in and out of the dancing flowers, careful not to crush the soft petals that brushed Marie's cheek. Marie closed her eyes and leaned her head on Prince Nutcracker's shoulder. She felt as if she were dancing in the sweetest dream imaginable. And then, in the midst of their dance, Marie heard a soft voice calling to her from far away. "Marie. Marie," the voice called. The music played on. but the voice grew louder. It seemed to be coming closer. "Marie. Marie ..." With her eyes closed, and the fragrance of flowers and sweets surrounding her. Marie suddenly recogni7.ed the voice. It was her mother calling to her. "Merry Christmas, dear. Merry Christmas to my sweet daughter." Now Marie felt herself spinning and flying through the air. She opened her ey es and saw that she was home again, lying in her warm bed. She touched the crocheted flowers of her soft quilt and smiled. "It's Christmas morning. Marie." her mother said. "Time to wake up." Marie smiled up at her mother. "I know it's Christmas, Mother. And it's the best Christmas ever. We must go dow nstairs and celebrate with everyone!" And that's exactly what thev did. indness to strangers doesn't go unnoticed IJear Ann Landers: You hav e printed several letters from readers wjuj wanted to express gratitude foj;;a kindness done years ago that was never acknow ledged. Here's Dear Diamond Bar: The best appreciation for an act of kindness is to pass it on. Keep reading for more. Dear Ann Landers: The letters in your column about acts of kind- and insisted that I accept two large pieces of chicken from his own lunch bag. It was the most delicious meal I'd ever had. After that feast. I dozed off. Thank heavens way to show mjjie.. It is 25 years overdue. ,(n October of 1970, took a train fro)i) Belen, N.M., to Los Angeles, a trip with a connection in I was a college stuCalif. Bestow, 17 in my pocket. I with cents dent, meal in sev er-decent hajjyi't eaten a tired and so was my eyes days vvnuld barely stay open. conductor, an iThe train's African American, started a conversation. This was the era of Civil Rights, Kent State and the Vietnam War. He was highly intelligent and When it began to he stopped by to remind gufctfark. mt.,t.hat the dining car was closing "in case you want to eat." said I whsn't hungry, which was not true. r,A half hour later, he came by ness to strangers have inspired me to w rite and share my experience. While I was on vacation with my parents in New Mexico, my father developed a serious heart problem. He had to be rushed to a hospital in the nearest city, which was Albuquerque. My mother and I were terrified. To add to our problems, we had no place to stay since all the hotels were booked for the State Fair. When Dad asked Mom where we were staying, she didn't want to upset him. so she said. "We haven't settled on a place, but don't worry, we'll find something soon." The wife of the patient in the next bed overheard her. She invil- - 1 pD-mi- le al d. 1 v Landers he woke me up in time to get off and catch the train at Barstow. If he hadn't awakened me. I never would have made it. That man's generosity made me aware of what an act of kindness from a total stranger can do for a person. I want to say. "Thank Still Grateful in Diamond you." Bar. Calif. by Cathy Guisewite cgthy uinim A 610 cook, ?q VOU'lL LET NICE BREAK-ff- BREAKFAST ct BEFORE rd; mom? (HE VOU FIX BREAK FAST?? von m VOU'LL CLOSED, DAD. WILL VOJ HELP? ALLW HE J N. f needI lwnivou brush m hair, Ti mom HELP?? SUITCASE ACTU-- i mE ? will about WILL VOli LET HELP?! J talk to von m job, dad? BOTH 3UST SIT HERE AND HELP uRE out HE my LIFE ?? e.uc'c MFllFft SO f.flftV PlETELV OURS A&AlM AS WHEN SHE'S PREPARIM& I I TO WALK OUT THE DOOR.. III out in the hall what the hotel this town. You can stay in our spare bedroom as long as you like no charge." We were overwhelmed by her generosity and accepted the invitation at once. There is no way we can repay that dear woman for her extraordinary kindness. She will Nanalways be in our prayers. cy in Hereford. Texas ed Mom to come and said, "I know situation is like in and your daughter Dear Nancy: Beautiful. hope she sees your letter and recognizes herself. If I hear from her, I'll let you know. Dear Ann Landers: I found this in an old book of poems and thought it might save someone's Holiday confection doesn't turn out right ?My neighbors didn't get much from me for Christmas, but all their dogs had fun playing with raisin-stuffe- d Frisbees that looked curiously like cinnamon rolls. The overly salted caramel popcorn is making a nice mulch in my backyard and the lime frappe I tried to blend with a mixer splattered the walls so thoroughly I'm sure I'll still be finding spots when I'm discovering stray strands of Easter grass in September. It's been a bad season. It started the week before Christmas when I skipped my daughter's holiday concert to make six batches of flaky sweet rolls for my neighbors that I would serve with that gourmet cocoa everyone gave each other this year. The dough had that spongy feeling you get when you know you've got a good marriage between yeast and flour. They raised beautifully in the pan. They came out of the oven fragrant and beautiful. And when I bit into them. I broke my new crow n and realized I had just made 72 bookends. My husband accounted for the failure to my messed up priorities. He assured me that had I gone to the concert, I would have had wonderful rolls. As it was, I worked on them from 7 p.m. until 2 in the morning. The caramel popcorn is a can't fail family recipe that wins raves. I planned it for always but the first recipe my was too salty. assumed I had bit a too much when it pinched called for a pinch of salt, so I made the recipe again, omitting the salt altogether. Again, it was tew salty. I had used already popped com, and when I tasted it. I realized I had purchased a failure from the supermarket that translated into a failure at home. Some popcorn maker must have dipped into the spiked punch once too often when he or she made that com. It contained enough salt to constitute a year's supply. The frappe was for a party, and the ruie at our house is that if some disaster doesn't happen as the first guest rings the doorbell, it isn't a Winters' bash. Unfortunately, I didn't disappoint. ld 1 The worst moment occurred, however, when I tried to make it to my daughter's flute recital. I had had a hair coloring appointment for more than a month, and unlike the local weather men, I had it within my capacity to have a white Christmas on the top of my head. 1 My cosmetologist assured me thd in finished of would be plenty time, and although we finished about five minutes later than expeW ed, I thought if I jumped a curb--or Charlotte inters A Winter's Tale two, I could arrive before the recital began. As I walked into the performance hall my daughter looked at me incredulously. She was putting her flute away. The recital had been a half hour earlier than the time penciled on our calendar, and they had waited 15 minutes for people like me to arrive. I missed her by three minutes. Because I was already in the recital room, my spouse beckoned for me to join him. I spent the next listening to other children play at various teyr parents' els of virtuosity. As I thought of all the things I had to do before the I became increasingly disap-pointethat I had missed my daughter's solo. hour-and-a-h- hoT-ida- y, began to complajn I missed the most the recital but that of important part I had also lost valuable baking time. My beloved smiled. "That just saved us a lot of money in ingredients! Boy, turn you loose in the kitchen!, and not only is the black-bottopie really black, but so are the bottoms of the cookies, candies and cakes." , "Touch." I said as I poured uj each a cup of eggnog. Why wasn't J surprised that it had gone bad? At home, I that not only had m Slim for Life courses begin Let the American Heart Associ- ation, Utah Affiliate, help you achieve your goals and begin a heart healthy, lifestyle change. The Slim for Life course begins the week of Jan. 8 in Utah County. Classes meet one hour per week for ten weeks and are held in a lecture discussion format with a weekly weigh-in- . Course topics include: how to make healthier food choices, how to reduce your fat intake and still enjoy what you eat, how to modify J recipes you already use. The cost of the class is $60. A refund of $5 is given to those who attend nine out of the ten classes and another $10 is given to participant ; meeting their weight loss goals. will be held fol Classes at the lowing locations: Orem Recreation Center, Provo Health) Dept., Lehi City Library. Registraf tion ends Jan. 3. Call the Americai) Heart Association Office at or to register I for more information. City-Coun- ty 322"-560- Gutter 27th Annual Winter Super Sale! Mens & Ladies Suits 20-5- OFF 0 Untveftty Mull, Oram 225-390- 0 NEEDLEPOINT SALE I life. Please print it. 14. Future Driver Hilary. Age Dear Future Driver: There's a lot of wisdom in these few lines. Thank you, and here they are: This is the grave of Mike O'Day Who died maintaining his right of way. His right was clear. His will was strong, But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong. BEYOND RESOLUTION OUR ENTIRE STOCK OF NEEDLEPOINT KITS PAINTED AND PREWORKED NEEDLEPOINT ARE mm FEATURING KITS FROM . TT77 Dimensions. AND SUNSET. SALE ENDS 12096 Once "AGAIN" you have Resolved tut hke -- The Service Carl & Dottie" Thornhill ti to lose weight. alrtaL We will show you how to keep It off. We use the newest medications with professional supervision. Associated Psychological Consultants, Inc. (APC). Call for courtesy appointment ColdwcD linker Wtrt Realty 225-669- 6 Since 1904 - America's Oldest Knit Shon P 176 W. Center also at 50 E. Tabernacle, St. George 373-519- 3 :' |