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Show 1 Christmas i on a f i Battleship j i; By HAROLD COOIC ""jl NICE old lady who had no -;-V.--' relatives, but who did hnp KV?ly''r plenty of money, wanted to Vjvf1 S'Pi'cad Christ mas fi:ij i;li hhs where she thought tlisie fiM would be none. She there V"i fore prepared fifty beautiful !ei packages all nicely wrapped In white tissue pupe' and nicely ! tied with red ribbon. In th packages were razor blades unj bars of chocolate choco-late candy and bags of peanuts, cigarettes, cig-arettes, talcum powder, shaving cream, end other things she thought would be acceptable to Uncle Bain's sailors. On Christmas afternoon she had the packages piled Into tha back of ber car and ber chauffeur drove her to the uavy yard. A handsome sailor wu detailed to show her around, and wnat she saw was an education to a woman who believed that all Bailors ars half-starved paupers Who earn but thirty dollars a month-She month-She was Immediately conducted to the flag ship. It was beautifully trimmed for the holiday. Christmas trees were everywhere on the stern, on the bow, on the towers, and even at the ends of the gans planks leading lead-ing to the ship. And one whole deck had been divided up Into little booths by the different divisions of sailors, and decorated like Greenwich Village dance halls for a festive celebration. Dim lights, fire places, radio music, and girls and children were everywhere. every-where. The sailors were dancing and having a fine time. The children wandered wan-dered unrestricted and wide-eyed on all parts of the ship. They were orphans or-phans from the city, whom the sailors had entertained for dinner. And here ' " - Radio Music, and Girls and Children Were Everywhere. is a list oX the good things that the orphans and the sailors had to eat: Celery, pickles and olives, roast turkey with giblet gravy, oyster d-ess-ing and cranberry sauce, baked spiced ham with green peas and asparagus tips, candied sweet potatoes and boiled onions and mashed potatoes. Lettuce and tomato salad, mince and pumpkin pie, mixed nuts, oranges and candies, pound cake and Ice cream, bread and butter and coffee. Besides this splendid dinner, the sailors had given each orphan a Christmas package of toys, and the men of one division had added a dol- i lar bill to each package they gave out so that the child could buy what he wanted for himself if Santa Claus , had not given it to him. Happiness beamed in the eyes of everybody. The good old woman was delighted. She asked her guide to find some sailors who had not received any presents themselves, and soon forty-nine forty-nine of them, mostly orphans themselves, them-selves, were gathered around her to receive gifts. Thus these carefree sailors who bad so generously given of their little to make other, younger orphans happy, each received for himself him-self the kind of present that he could enjoy most on the ship. But the kind old lady was reserving the loveliest package of all for some special case. She was just beginning to wonder If there was one such, when her guide took her into the sick ward. About twelve sailors were lying ly-ing there in bed with books nnd boxes and even flowers all around. They looked very happy. The old lady asked the attendant if they had all had a happy Christmas, and he replied, re-plied, "Yes, madame, all but one." He pointed to the far end of the room where there was a beautiful, smiling, black-haired boy lying in a bed. He seemed happy in just watching the other boys enjoy their presents, hut he had not received a single gift himself him-self as he was an orphan. Two little lit-tle children whom he had especially befriended were standing by his bed talking with him. The old lady moved down toward him and handed him her loveliest package with a cheery "Mer ry Christmas!" Tears of gratitude and Jov welled to the boy's eyes and the old lady hastened from the room to spare him the embarrassment ot thanking her for her gift. Il.-r y. ! were moist, too, with tears of joy. fo, ! that was the climax of the happiest Christmas day that she had ever had . 1929. Western Netrsnnoer rnlcn.l |