Franklin Twp. – As Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Williams and Mr. and Mrs. James Williams and daughter were returning from Binghamton, Tuesday afternoon, in the former’s Ford auto, they had an experience which all will carry to their graves. They had just ascended the very steep hill this side of Franklin Forks when their automobile slid over the side of the road, going through a fence, and turned its nose straight down the steep hill. After going a few rods, the machine took a turn to the right, in the form of a circle and completed its wild orgies by turning two complete somersaults. None of the five occupants were hurt in the least, the top which was up, protecting them. The auto came out almost as well as its occupants, the glass in the wind shield not even being broken. Also Henry W. Hill is one of the few survivors of the famous Silver Lake drum corps and speaks with much pride of the success attained by that organization in years past.
South Ararat – Will Gelatt, Ben Hine and Frank Belcher were fishing on Fiddle Lake Saturday. The ice was thin and it thawed so they didn’t fish long. They report poor luck.
Fairdale – Benjamin Monroe Fox was born in Hebron, Conn., Oct 10, 1824 and died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Jerome Smith, Dec. 9, 1913, aged 89 years. Mr. Fox is one of the pioneers of Susquehanna county and was one of the oldest settlers in Fairdale. He raised a large family and had a large number of grand children. Those who survive him to mourn his departure are one sister, Mary Ann Allen, and the following children: Mrs. John Webster, James Fox, Mrs. Jerome Smith, Myron L. Fox, Ella Winner, Mrs. R. W. Stone, Mrs. M. C. Mulvihill, Wm. Fox, Mrs. W. A. Spoor and Mrs. Wm. Sivers. Interment in the Forest Lake Cemetery.
Springville – Little Malvina Ainey has just recovered from an attack of measles. No one else has been exposed and no more cases reported around here, so there will probably be no spread of the disease. In Lynn automobiles are still running over the roads, a rare thing this time of year. Also in Lynn - Taylor & Owen, our popular young merchants, are making a grand display of holiday goods which are arriving daily. Their decorations are most beautiful and on Christmas Day a real live Santa Claus will appear at about 2:30 p.m., who will distribute candy to the little folks. So parents bring the children along and let them feast their eyes on some of the nice things to be seen.
West Auburn – Friday evening, while H. C. Clapper, of Silvara, was on his way to make the evening train, at Laceyville, in passing the steam shovel, being used on the State highway here, his horses became frightened, jumping off the bank, some 30 ft., landing in a brush pile, with three men and wagon on top of horses. “Wonder!!” But no one injured and but little damage.
Thompson – Anna Harper closed a very successful term of school at East Ararat, Dec. 5th. She will enter the school at Mansfield, Pa., January 1st.
Brooklyn – At the M. E. parsonage on Wednesday of last week, Minnie Evans and Louis Hohn were united in marriage by their pastor, Rev. F. A. VanSciver. They are taking their wedding trip to Bradford Co., after which they will be at home to their many friends in Brooklyn, who wish them years of happiness.
Silver Lake – An entertainment will be given by the pupils of Snow Hollow school, in the School building, Saturday evening, Dec. 20, at 7:30 o’clock. Everybody invited. Admission 10 cents.
Howard Hill, Liberty Twp. – A number of men from this vicinity attended the telephone bee Monday and assisted in changing the telephone line at Brookdale, which was along the creek, and put it by the road. A decided improvement and hope for better service.
Hallstead – Sunday morning between 12 and 1 o’clock, two large automobiles came up the river from Binghamton and stopped near the R. R. station. Shortly afterwards several men were seen prowling around the poultry house of Henry Smith. An alarm was given and when men went to investigate, a shot was fired from in front of the station, warning the automobilists, who quickly rushed to their machines and speeded back toward the city. That chicken thieving is proving very profitable for the thieves is shown from the large number of poultry houses robbed in the last year or two.
Montrose/Tunkhannock – Freight traffic on the Montrose branch has increased enormously in the past few years. It is easy to remember when the little narrow gauge train used to handle all the freight along with the passengers in one train. Now a train of solid freight makes the round trip over the road daily and one of the big 60,000 pound cars will carry as much freight as the entire train once handled. The Montrose branch is a good feeder for the Lehigh Valley.
Montrose – Ten sawing machines are being constructed at the plant of the Beach Manufacturing Co., for the Ford Motor Co. at Detroit, Mich. This is only one of many orders that are coming in constantly from all parts of this country and from foreign countries, but coming from such a large establishment where only the best of equipment is used, it is a strong endorsement of the good qualities of the machines manufactured by the local company. The plant has never before experienced such a December rush of work, we are informed, and it may be necessary to work part of the force nights to care for the heavy orders.
Forest City –Tony Opecka and Frank Kraus left yesterday with the fixed purpose of enlisting in the United States army.
Uniondale – Julius Scheible and Walter Whitman are the champion fox hunters of this vicinity. They have captured several gray foxes for which they receive a bounty of $2 on each fox. ALSO F. M. Davis’ store presents a handsome appearance, beautifully trimmed and decorated, and in neatness is not surpassed by stores in larger towns. It is headquarters for all holiday gifts.
New Milford – Amos B. Kent, one of the oldest residents of this place died on December 5th, aged 87 years. Mr. Kent had voted at every presidential election since 1848, and cast his vote at the November election this year.
On Thanksgiving Day, my little sister gave my girls (Ally and Lauren) a present – it was an “Elf on a Shelf,” which included a little girl elf doll and a book that explained how the elf was coming to our house to help Santa compose his naughty/nice list. This special agent elf was supposed to be released from her boxed cage on December 1 – she would hide around the house and report back to Santa every night as to just how well the children in the home were behaving. The book cautioned that the elf was magic, but the magic could be broken if the children touched the elf.
As my sister was reading the elf story to my girls, my youngest, Lauren, seemed undeterred by the warning that she could not touch the elf. She was working mightily at a means to extricate the elf out of the little plastic holding container in which she “slept.” Even after repeated reminders that the elf could not be touched, my little one pulled, yanked and ripped at the box to liberate Santa’s little helper. Between the repeated failed rescue attempts, the girls managed to name the elf “Holly,” and for Holly’s safety, Mommy took the box away from the little hands.
Children are persistent. While Lauren had not succeeded in her first attempts to free Holly, she was undeterred. The next day she achieved her goal of emancipating Holly. I am not sure how she got the box itself, I only know that she came to me holding the elf in her little hands. She also suddenly realized that the elf’s magic was gone because she had been touched by a human child. As I watched her struggle with her conscience, as well as listening to Ally’s hysteria that there was no way that they were avoiding the naughty list now, I was struck at how often adults do the same thing. We know we are not supposed to do something, but we do it anyway, and we immediately feel the regret, shame and guilt that comes with knowing that we failed the test. Why are we so weak?
Thankfully for my daughters, my wife was able to convince them that Holly did not have any magic until December 1, which is apparently the date that Santa activates his helper elves. The girls were filled with relief – and even Lauren seemed to have a new resolve to avoid touching Holly and risk placement on the naughty list. Of course, since December 1, Holly has magically and wisely appeared in different locations in the house where neither of the girls can reach her. I suspect Holly has no desire to press her luck with Lauren – or even Ally for that matter – and I think Holly is making a good decision in not tempting them further.
I know that my girls are very thankfully that they got their second chance – Holly still has her magic and they may still make it on Santa’s nice list. Frankly, their prospects are probably pretty slim unless Holly is doing some serious editing prior to her daily reports to Santa. Their behavior is certainly an interesting mix of naughty and nice – sometimes the different behavior occurs in shockingly quick (and confusing) succession. Holly’s watching eyes have certainly caused them to rethink some of their actions – and regret other ones. The other night Ally wisely left Holly a candy cane. I am sure she was not trying to bribe the elf – she was simply being nice – but either way, it was a smart move for a 6-year old. Do not misunderstand me, I have been blessed with two terrific little girls – and I am smiling even as I remember the tantrums, the fights, and the difficult moments – through all the antics, they remain precious.
From a personal perspective, I can remember Christmas Eves where I knew that I had blown it and that I was destined for the naughty list. I knew that I really did try, but there was never a time when I had done everything I was supposed to do – or refrained from doing something I was not supposed to do. But Santa always came through – even when I knew that I did not deserve it. There is a special feeling of redemption in that moment, when you know that Santa loved you so much that he forgave your mistakes and misbehavior. There is relief, joy, exuberance, excitement and pent up emotions exploding under the Christmas tree – and as a child we rush past that moment too quickly in our unrestrained glee.
As I have watched my children open their presents on Christmas morning, I have come to realize that as adults we too often do the same thing – rush through the moment without really giving ourselves the chance to contemplate it. I know one thing for sure – I would not want to read Holly’s reports about my behavior. There is no doubt that I have missed the mark more times than I have hit it. Despite my imperfection though, I know that there is a priceless gift just waiting for me – and each of us – on Christmas morning. Do not rush past it this year!
Christmas is that divine and eternal love that gives us those second chances time after time – the love that embraces our imperfection perfectly, the love that forgives the unforgiveable, the love that encourages us, inspires us, and teaches us to be better people, and the love that we do not deserve but we receive with grateful hearts. Whether we have been naughty or nice, God has given each us the most precious gifts of all – His unconditional love incarnate in his Son. Merry Christmas!
Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/.
“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ~Norman Vincent Peale
It doesn’t matter whether you hang up a handmade stocking, one of the purchased- from-the-store variety, someone’s worn out sock (or even a pair of pantihose), you’re continuing a tradition that began many years ago. You see, as legend has it, long, long ago, there lived a poor man and his three very beautiful daughters. He had no money for dowries to get his daughters married, as it was customary to give sums of money and property to the Bridegroom’s family. Being elderly and not in good health, he was worried what would happen to them after his death. Sadly,he thought they would become old maids. Saint Nicholas was passing through the village when he heard the local people discussing the plight of the Sisters. St. Nicholas wanted to help, but knew that the old man wouldn't accept charity. He cleverly figured out a way to help them secretly. After dark he threw three bags of gold down the chimney, each one landing in a stocking the girls had washed and hung by the fireplace to dry. When the girls and their father woke up the next morning they found the bags of gold and were thrilled. The girls were now able to get married and live happily ever after. In past centuries, the custom of the Christmas stocking was cherished and is derived from the Germanic/Scandinavian figure, Odin. Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw and sugar cubes near the chimney as a gift for Odin's flying horse named Sleipnir. Odin would reward the thoughtfulness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy. This practice survived in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands after the adoption of Christianity, and became associated with Saint Nicholas. There are almost as many customs as there are countries around the world. For example, in France, children leave their shoes by the fireplace hoping to find them filled by the welcome visitor. In Hungary, children shine their shoes before leaving them by the door to be filled with treats, Traditions are different in Italy, where children leave their shoes out the evening before the Epiphany (January 5th) but not for St. Nicholas—nooo, for La Befana, a kind, Grandmotherly “Good Witch” who knows if girls and boys have been naughty or nice. And last but not least, in Puerto Rico, children fill small boxes with greens and flowers and place them under their beds on Christmas Eve for the camels of the Three Wise Men. These and many other legends, customs and traditions can be found in volumes on your local Branch Library shelves. Why not take a few moments , stop by and borrow one for your family’s enjoyment and adoption of something special to make the holidays even brighter and more memorable.
If you haven’t dropped into the Hallstead/Great Bend Branch and purchased your raffle tickets for the Gift basket filled with Author Troy Soos’ Baseball-themed mysteries, time’s getting short! The drawing will be held on December 27th, so don’t delay! You can’t win if you don’t play!
Don’t forget to find us on “Facebook”: (Susquehanna County Library) and look us up on “Pinterest” for lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore and now, if you “Tweet”, follow us on Twitter (@susqcolib) to check out event information, local scoops and much more.
As I watch the torrents of snow flurries work their magic and make the mountains disappear, I leave you with this thought:
“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” ~Burton Hillis
Candy Canes—Sleigh Bells—Advent Calendars
ENJOY!!
