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Show vjr Thomas? Taylar" ffjgrt THERE was mot 1o be any'; Christmas tree .at the Uttle church at Ihe head of Smoke : Creek that year; and of the several J families who lived Hiere, not more ', than half were .expecting Santa j Claus. The -dark days hed left the dismal little valley or hollow even more gleomy than it had been in better years, when tthe mines across the ridge in fee next hollow gave some employment to the heads of the families of Smoke Creek. Jim Knox, who lived .at the very head of the stream, was perhaps , the most unhappy of all in the ; I the epidemic im the creek. 'The title l appealed to nim "The (Christmas Carol." He took 'the book and began be-gan to reaa. Page after page and i chapter . after chapter, he read on. ! It was the first book -3oe had ever read. It filled him with new visions and new ways of thinking. He read on till midnight and had been so impressed that he decided to read a 'chapter from the Bible before going to bed. By mere-accident the chapter chap-ter was one 'on the birth at Bethlehem. Bethle-hem. Its teaching overpowered him he had found the more abundant .life. On 'Christmas 'morning when Jim Knox vwent out 'to the spring for 'pail 'Of water 'he noticed something Jike a. card 'taxlked on Joe Hath-'way's Hath-'way's door. :Hesaw no smoke from the 'Chimney. Taking in the water, 'cautiously 'heiapproached Joe's cab-dn cab-dn cdoor, and 'read the note which :said: "Dear .Jim: You will find ine gone. I was reading some last night in 'The tChristmas Carol' and in the Bible. .1 :read that verse that itold of peace. and good will to man. Said to myself, 'My family is all gone the :last .was Mary. She left the book "to get me on the right :track. There's nothing in this hollow hol-low for me. any more. Maybe l ean. :find work .by New Year's over on Cedar Creek.' You and I never could get along. So to make things better for us both hereafter I am leaving i at daybreak. And Jim as I say 'Good-bye,' I also wish to say, 'Peace on earth good will to men.' " And as another result of "The Christmas Carol", two mountaineers were better men, and though they had no Christmas cards or presents, and no holiday 'programs, the pines .on the hillsides -seemed a bit green-'er green-'er .and 'the music .of the streams Beemed sweeter. Vestern Newspaper Union. j He Noticed Something Like a Card Tacked on Hathway's Door. i little "settlement." His wife and only child, a son of seven, had died, and his nearest neighbor was Joe Hathway, a bitter enemy with whom he had had many difficulties. So that lonely night of Christmas eve as .Jim sat before the open wood fire, with the light of blazing hickory hick-ory logs his only company, he was not without fear for his own safety-he safety-he knew Joe Hathway had threatened threat-ened his life. As he sat dreaming his eyes happened hap-pened to rest upon his rifle standing in the cornx of the log room. "That gun or Joe Hathway's will some day tell the tale," he said to him-ell him-ell He meant that one day, like so many others down the lonesome tream, either he or Joe would go and using a common mountain expression, ex-pression, "with his boots on." He did not care much if it should be himself; life had come to mean but little for him. While Jim was thus dreaming, Joe Hathway sat in another log cabin but a few yards down the ttream. By chance Joe's attention was called to a book on a shelf. Th school te&cher had given it to kia daughter who had died from |