Show 0 1 i Katheri pt A rv M 4 t av R 01 J 7 T WAS three weeks before christmas cut but already the atmosphere of the holiday season seemed to cover tho the city paul rainer felt it as lie he boarded the street car that took him home each evening already men and women were loaded down with packages that had all the earmarks of yuletide yule tlde g gifts ats there was something about christmas that always thrilled paul lie he even liked to repeat the name over anil and over to himself lie ile often wished that he might be selling toys and things at christmas instead of being office boy bay at the big lumber concern where lie worked gee mot mother berl lie he yelled as lie he went in the door the daily mirror Is giving prizes tor for the best decorated homes at christmas it be great if we could win one of them put but paul mrs rainer spoke as it if she hated to throw cold water on his enthusiasm you know we cant afford to do anything of that kind I 1 1 I only wish we could for your sake she added mabbe mas be next year paul looked around the sparsely furnished room before replying never mind mother he be said for the time I 1 forgot about things darn money anyway why does it always have to block the way when we want to do something we filkel it it always block the way patti pa hi in fact most of the time the absence of it Is an incentive to do big things if everybody had bad money many of the great deeds that have thrilled the world never would have been accomplished complis compUs hed bed and and paul dont you think we have been fairly happy without a lot of it she looked anxiously into his face aj ai she put the question paul was his old happy self when he replied bet your life we have why all the fellows say rather come to our house than anywhere else and and mother it if dad had bad lived we could have been as well off as the rest of them in the hours that followed paul seemingly forgot about the newspaper prize but his bis mother did not that night after he had retired she sat down in the little living room and pondered the matter over was there any way that she could help him to carry out his desire what a happiness it would be to give him the joy of competing in the cont contest estl suddenly she started from her chair rod and a smile came over her face her thoughts had bad drifted back abrou through b the years back to childhood days she remembered out on the farm how her mother had taught her to fashion many beautiful christmas decorations out of scraps of tinfoil and colored paper always there bad been a box in the attic where everything of this sort had been stored away and as Is often the case the things we do in childhood stay with us so she herself had continued to save bits of paper and other things as her mother had and now there was a huge box of it stacked away in the closet closel perhaps out of it she could fashion something that would enable paul to enter the contest for a whole week two busy persons worked across the table from each other every evening carefully small rolls of tinfoil and rolls of green and red paper were smoothed out and fashioned into christmas decorations out of the discarded pieces of silver I 1 I 1 J had the the earmarks earmark of yuletide gifts paper and tinfoil a great gleaming star began to take shape a tar star that thai seemed to fill the whole rol room with its radiance for from the moment that mother and son began world working g upon it it seemed to them a as a if the star that led the wise men hen was shining again from the love and care they had put into its making it seemed to be taking on real life and all unconsciously ly their voices grew low and hushed as they worked upon it and slowly from the red and green paper letters were formed huge letters along simple lines that told the message that the angels sang in the long ago mother its going to be greit great 1 1 paul would say any ewry every now and then in his enthusiasm there t be anything letter better than this why why this star seems as if it were really alive put but sirs mrs rainer knew of the many lavish and expensive decorations that were going up all over town the simple things that they were livere fashioning would probably show up very small topside such display 11 hut ut she tried to keep beep faith with the taiti faith of her sou son and even though they should not get a prize this aliis work that they were doing was bringing them a great amount of happiness a deeper still and finer spirituality than they ever had known before they seemed to have caught the very spirit of christ christmas mas e each ach day seemed to be bringing them nearer to bethlehem in a week the decorations were finished and paul took a ladder and set get to work vork across the high side wall of the house that faced the street he placed the letters that had been woven from scraps of paper when completed they rend read glory to god in the highest and on earth pence peace good will toward men aboe this he placed the silver star i v hech had grown to lie be so real with long extension cords and three reflecting lights that they hid had been able to hire from a nearby electrician for a small sum the lighting system was ins complete paul could scarcely wait until darkness fell to turn on the current his hands trembled with excitement when 1 1 0 0 N A mother alother its going to be Grea breall tIll finally the moment came and his heart almost stood still as he looked up and I 1 saw the message that has thrilled the world for nearly 2000 years stand out in bold relief above it the silver star gleamed brightly to paul it seemed more alive than ever through the days that followed mother and son thrilled as they noticed the many people who stopped outside cars from all over the city drove by each night and the comments and praise that they heard was as music to their ears paul do you think we could have got as much happiness out of this if we had bad lots of money and could have bought anything ne lie wished mrs R alner inquired of her son one evening no mother I 1 dont I 1 paul answered very quietly there have been half the tun fun in it that there has been I 1 just dont care now whether we win a prize or not to see how much beauty we have been able to make out of so little has been reward enough and it has taught me a lesson I 1 will never forget oh mother erl 1 his voice grew excited you are just wonderful you are who but you yon would have thought of such a thing cut but paul did win a prize to the surprise of his mother and himself he won the biggest prize the paper had offered the simplicity of the design the artistic skill that love and care had woven into it the contrast between it and other elaborate decorations entered and the evident spirituality of the message all lent their influence toward the final decision three times the judges drove by to see it and each time they grew more impressed there seemed to be a strange radiance rad lanca about this particular exhibit that they could not account for they could not know that it came from all that had been put there by loving hands but all were unanimous in deciding that it merited the fira and best prize it is doubtful if any two ever spent a more nond wonderful erful and joyous christmas than paul and his mother they could scarcely credit the fact fact that their work had been counted the best in the whole city and the prize meant much to two who had bad to scrimp and save for so many years to them was a very large arno amount tint it would buy many needed things cut but over and above this was the thought that the thin thing they had rash fashioned from almost nothing but faith and love had been considered worthy of a prize and as they stood in front of the modest little home after the judges had left and looked up toward the great glistening star that seemed to smile down at them they were both filled with the deepest and most wonderful happiness that even christmas can bring love and faith had once again found a way I 1 its star was shining brightly for the grateful pairl M I 1 1931 western volver union |