The midland journal., December 27, 1946, Image 3

About The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
3 Soldier Come Home
CHAPTER I
This, then, was the moment!
Johnny Davis Jr., recently ot the
357th Infantry of Patton’s famed
90th Division, stopped at the bottom
of the steps leading to the Daily
Clarion.
He was determined to prolong this
moment as long as possible—a mo
ment he had dreamed of and prayed
for through three long years. Years
that had taken far more of his life
than thirty-six months.
The gray face of the building was
perhaps a shade darker from the
seasons past, the lower two steps
broken and still unrepaired as they
had been when he had last walked
down them a lifetime ago. But
above all else it was home—and it
hadn’t changed. The room on Main
Street might have been where he
and his father had slept for the past
twenty-three years but this office—
this broken down old building, was
where he had been raised from the
desk drawer crib stage to star re
porter. This was home!
Standing there, anticipating the
moment ahead, he saw his father,
John D. Davis Sr., editor and owner
of Lexington’s one and only newspa
per, open the door above him. He
was a tall thin man and his face,
which wore a constant expression
of kindness, broke into a smile.
“Johnny! You old son of a gun!’’
He ran down the steps two at a time,
an easy matter for him to do.
“Thought you’d follow me over aft
er breakfast, boy.”
“Oh, I just fooled around. Want
ed you to be here to welcome me,” he
answered with a smile. A smile
that was all Johnny Davis—slow,
broad and one that was sure to
reach the heart. Johnny Davis was
handsome but not from perfect fea
tures. He was a man’s man and the
Irregularity of his features only ac
centuated his attractiveness. His
black hair was cut too short to actu
ally curl while his blue eyes told of
the same kindliness that belonged
to his father. He and his father
were of an even height and though
Army life had broadened Johnny
they both looked cut from the same
tall thin pattern.
"I had a few places to go,” he
continued. No need, he thought, to
tell where he had been for the last
three hours—wh 'ie had to go
first before coming even back to the
Clarion. J. D. had probably guessed
it anyway.
“Look, son, I’m sitting in on
Council meeting at the City Hall in
a few minutes so go on in and get
to work. Harry, Tops and Findley
are still with us. There’s a couple
of new girls at the front desks. I’ll
make it short—O.K.?”
As he stood now looking after his
father he realized just how much
this one person meant to him. How
much he had done for him to take
the place of the mother and family
he had never known. J. D. was—
he shook his head and a smile came
to his lips, well, they didn’t make
adjectives that big he decided and
walked on up the steps.
V/hen he opened the door of the
front office he found himself con
fronted by a spinsterish individual
who looked at him inquiringly over
her glasses.
“Yes, sir? Something?” Her
voice, pitched high and sharp, cer
tainly added no attraction to the
plain figure that owned it.
Johnny and Kit
Get Acquainted
“Why . . . I’m—l mean I wanted
to—look around. ...” The sergeant
who had encountered a nest of
Krauts unabashed was finding
things more difficult on the home
front of the Clarion.
“Look around?” It appeared as
though she had never heard the ex
pression before. “Well, whom did
you wish to see?”
But the question remained un
answered. A strange girl suddenly
stood between them.
“Miss Handley, I think this might
be Sergeant Davis. John Davis
Jr.—right?” She looked to him
for confirmation.
“Right,” Johnny answered re
lieved.
“It's really not Miss Handley’s
fault, J. D. forgot to tell us, you’d
be’in today.” TO Which Miss Hand
ley uttered a hasty apology and set
tled herself back at her desk quite
interested in her work, . leaving
Johnny to the girl who had inter
vened at such an opportune time.
They toured the entire building,
stopping only long enough to make
conversation with his old friends.
He followed her obediently although
he knew each step of the way with
his eyes closed. What he did not
know, and what he managed to find
out during the next ten minutes,
were certain facts about Kit Wil
lett. He suddenly found himself
very much interested in these facts.
She was about five feet six—or
chin height for Johnny. And her
eyes were a soft brown. Her hair,
a bright auburn that curled natur
ally in a long bob just touching her
shoulders. Her figure, thin and
lithesome, seemed the very essence
of energy.
They lastly came to his father’s
office and she turned to go back to
her desk, hesitated, then looking
back at him, asked:
“I—l suppose you’ve seen the
‘Park’?” Then as if summoning
more courage she left the door and
came back to where he was stand
ing. “It’s really a shame, isn’t it?
I was so in hopes that some mir
acle would happen before you got
home and it would be finished and
waiting for you. But no such luck!”
Johnny looked at her, startled at
this mention of the thing which had
been foremost in his mind. “I
think perhaps it will take more
than a miracle,” he answered. She
noticed the discouragement in his
voice.
“J. D. wrote you about the peti
tion, I suppose?”
“Petition? No—what for?”
“A park site for the town. The
end of Maple Avenue. But don’t get
excited because it didn’t go through.
It looks as if old Lady Martin won’t
give Lexington the ‘Park;’ there just
won’t be any.”
Suddenly she seemed surprised at
this sincere conversation with this
stranger whom she had known such
a short time. “Well, I don’t mean
to repeat any famous last words but
—it’s a good idea not to give up
too soon.” She smiled at him as
she closed the door behind her.
Too soon—he thought. Well, it had
been twenty-three years since his
“Oh, I just fooled around. Wanted
you to be here to welcome me.”
grandmother, Jennifer Martin, had
chased the laborers from her ‘Park’
project. Twenty-three years on No
vember the thirtieth. The day Lin
da Martin Davis died giving birth
to John D. Davis, Jr. The old lady
would certainly not change her
mind now.
But something that had happened
inside the last sixty minutes had
given him courage to face any prob
lem. Something ... or perhaps
someone. Kit Willett . . . perhaps.
Johnny Davis stood at the front
window looking down Main Street,
watching for the familiar figure of
his father. The old office seemed
empty now that Kit Willett had gone
back to her desk in the outer of
fice. He shoved his hands in his
pockets in an impatient gesture. It
was hard waiting.
The idea of the “Park” crowded
all else from his mind. That was
nothing new, however. When he was
big enough to listen he had heard
the story and since then it had been
his number one ambition to see it
through, to finish “The Park” that
his grandmother had promised the
kids at the Settlement twenty-three
years ago.
Jennifer Martin
Reneges on a Promise
Johnny had always been a con
scientious child. Somehow, although
he knew it was not so, he believed
the people blamed him for the fail
ure of the Park-and he held himself
responsible for the completion. Not
until that time woulfl he be com
pletely satisfied. For surely if he
had not arrived on the scene when
he did, the Park would have been
finished in record time. This, then,
was the old question that Johnny
mulled over in his mind and caused
him the only unhappiness in an oth
erwise contented existence.
Linda Martin, Johnny’s mother,
had been a beautiful girl. Beautiful
and. wealthy aa the only daughter
of Jennifer Martin, owner of two of
Lexington’s sewer pipe plants and
stock controller of the three mines
in the county. Martindale, the Mar
tin estate, was situated on a hill
MIDLAND JOURNAL. RISING SUN, MD.
overlooking the town, the pipe
plants growing at the foot like so
many children clinging to their
mother’s skirts. Linda and her
brother Henry were something like
a prince and princess to the children
of Lexington, who were mostly the
children of the plant workers and
miners. They had attended the
best boarding schools, known only
the right people’s children and were
thoroughly spoiled. Linda, howev
er, retained her lovely personality
through it all. Henry was a differ
ent proposition. A mean, contempti
ble child who had no intention of
growing out of his disposition. It
was a princess fallen, though, when
Linda fell in love and married John
ny Davis, a strange reporter who
had just arrived in town. Jennifer
Martin completely erased her
daughter from her life. She was
even refused admission to Martin
dale.
Linda, being fond of her mother
and wanting peace restored, man
aged through one of the servants to
let her mother know she was ex
pecting a baby. This was too much
for even “Queen Martin,” as her
“subjects” called her, and she wel
comed her daughter back with open
arms—but never Johnny. Though
Linda pleaded with her time and
again, she would not accept her son
in-law. Linda visited her mother
daily and it was during this time
she suggested, planned and persuad
ed her mother to donate the land
and the building expense of a park
and a playground for the children
of Lexington.
The park was to cover five acres
of ground at the foot of Martindale
Hill, easily accessible to the chil
dren living in the cramped quarters
of the Settlement. There were to
be swings, teeter-totters, a huge
swimming pool and a bath house,
picnic tables and whatever else
might be suggested by the towns
people. Linda, sitting at the large
front window, during her pregnancy,
planned it all. It became almost an
obsession with her during the last
few weeks of her life when her
mother finally gave consent to have
the work started. Excitement ran
high! It was almost unbelievable
that “Queen Martin” was giving the
town a part of her sacred land, in
addition to building a park on it for
them—a long-needed playground for
their children. But it was true. One
had only to go to the foot of the Mar
tin estate tu know that it was a fact.
Workmen of all sorts—gardeners,
painters, carpenters—all there to
prove it.
And then one day in Fall—Novem
ber 30, 1922—the workmen, the gar
deners, the painters, were sudden
ly confronted by an irate old lady,
who ran at them down the hill, shak
ing her cane in defiance and scream
ing at them to quit work immedi
ately. It was at once a terrifying j
and a pitiable sight, as if she could j
in this way avenge the untimely l
death of her daughter, Linda Mar
tin Davis, who had died giving birth
to the son of a man she loathed
without ever having seen him.
The workmen returned several
days after the funeral and began
work again, thinking that the tem
per and sorrow pf the old lady had
subsided. They soon found out they
were wrong, however, when she re
peated her performance, threaten
ing to break their backs with her
cane if they ever returned again.
Helpless Against a
Woman’s Determination
And “The Park” became a farce
—an unreal dream. Children still
played in the alleys and narrow
streets of the town. Too many of
them still were killed by the speed
ing cars. Lexington could have built
its own park during the twenty-three
years that followed, but the land that
was available to them was across
town—five miles from the Settle
ment. Everyone of influence tried
at one time or another to cope with
Jennifer Martin. John Davis, re
membering how badly Linda had
wanted this park, even took little
Johnny to see her. But it was use
less. She refused to see them. She
would not even be approached by
anyone about the land. It was like
trying to open a door that she had
closed and bolted long past against
all attempts and one she apparently
did not ever intend to open.
Johnny was still staring out the
window, seeing nothing, when his
father opened the-door behind him.
“Well, son . . . How’s it look—
everything the same?” he asked,
tossing his hat toward the rack and
missing it, as usual.
“Yep, same old place, Dad. But
—there’ve been changes made!” He
gave J. D. a knowing glance.
"Oh, you mean Handley? I know.
But it’s hard to get help now and
she’s—efficient. Efficient . . .” he
tried the word over again on his
tongue. “That’s a good word for
her—as good as any!” He laughed
and sat down beside his desk.
“Handley? Oh, yes. She’s that,
all right. But—l meant the other
one—Miss Willett.” He hesitated
over her name, not wanting to ap
pear too exact.
' (TO BE CONTINUED)
'— U ' Ua |MPROVED UJUIILIiII
UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY I
chool Lesson
By HAROLD L. LUNDQUIST. D. D.
Of The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
Lesson for December 29
Lesson subjects and Scripture texts se
lected and copyrighted by International
Council of Religious Education; used by
permission.
PAUL CLAIMS THE WORLD
FOR CHRIST
LESSON TEXT—Acts 9:1S; U:U; 23:11:
28:28-31; Romans 1:13-18; 15:22-24.
MEMORY SELECTION—I am debtor both
to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both
to the wise, and to the unwise.—Romans
1:14.
The gospel is for the whole world.
God wants all men to hear and come
to repentance (John 3:16; II Pet.
3:9).
For the establishment of the great
missionary program with its world
wide sweep, he called a man gift
ed, prepared and anointed for that
work, namely Paul, whose life and
ministry have been our interesting
portion these three months.
Now ; find him at the very
center of the then known world to
claim it for Christ. Politically, com
mercially, socially and religiously,
Rome was the very heart of the
known world which centered around
the Mediterranean sea (the name
of which means “the middle of the
earth”).
Having preached almost every
where else,. Paul had a longing to
face heathendom at its very center
and claim trophies for Christ and
the gospel.
Our Scriptures present;
I. God’s Plan and Man’s Purpose
(Acts 9:l!i; 19:21).
Choice involves the thought of se
lection because of certain qualities
or abilities. The Lord had prepared
Paul for just this ministry, and now
he chose him to carry it out. That
encourages us to believe that God is
leading in the experiences of our
lives, preparing us for the day when
he will call and use us. Let us be
yielded and ready.
Our seoond Scripture (Acts 19:21)
tells us that the plan of God was
put into operation by the purpose in
Paul’s heart. God does not have
to depend on man to do his work,
but he does just that! We may hin
der his full use of us if we fail to
purpose in our spirit to do his will,
as Paul did. God wanted Paul in
Rome. That was his plan, and that
was the purpose of Paul’s heart.
11. God’s Confirmation and Man’s
Determination (Acts 23:11; Rom. 1:
13-16; 15:22-24).
Man needs to have his good pur
poses confirmed by the Lord, and
so it was in the case of Paul. He
had been taken prisoner for the gos
pel’s sake. His trial had resulted
in an uproar. Things did not look
too f promising for him. Humanly
speaking, there was a question
whether he would get anywhere, let
alone to Rome.
In man’s hours of discourage
ment God stands by with a good
word. “Be of good cheer,” he tells
Paul; “as thou hast testified of
me in Jerusalem so must thou bear
i witness also at Rome.”
j In his letter to the Romans, Paul
' expresses his determination to come
to them. There were hindrances,
there was a contemplated trip to
Spain (which he probably did not
make), but in spite of all these
things he would come in due time.
The reason for that determination
is tremendously interesting and per
tinent to our own lives. He saw
himself to be a debtor. The gospel
had been committed to him, not as
a deposit for his own good or
pleasure, but as something he
must give out to everyone who had
not heard, including Rome.
We, too, who know Christ are in
debt to a world which has not heard
of him. That includes the cultured,
whom we often forget, and the un
cultured, the men of every race—
everyone who has need of a Saviour.
The tremendous urge which
moved Paul should be characteristic
of every believer. Think what it
would mean for the evangelization
of the world if every Christian said:
“As much as in me is, I am ready
to preach the gospel” (v. 15).
111. God’s Salvation and Man’s
Declaration (Acts 28:28-31).
A slight change in the arrange
ment of our Scriptures brings us
to our concluding thought. God had
sent salvation to the Gentiles and
they would hear it (v. 28), even if
the preacher had to come as a pris
oner, for Paul came thus to Rome.
How wonderfully God arranged it
all, for Paul was given the privi
lege, even as a prisoner, of living
for two years under guard in a pri
vate house. Here he won his guards
to Christ, many members of Cae
sar’s official household (Phil. 4:22),
and others who came and went as
he preached and taught, “no man
forbidding him” (v. 31).
When man declares the gospel
of salvation which God has sent,
mighty things are wrought for the
glory of God and the good of men.
It is just that which we should be
about with renewed zeal and dili
gence during the new year just
ahead. We are in debt, and we
must discharge our indebtedness by
declaring to all that Jesus saves,
keeps and satisfies.
Best wishes for a most blessed
new year! It may well be the most
important year in all history. Let us
make use of it for the glory of God.
Ring Out the Old,
Ring In the New
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells,
A across the snow;
The year is going,
A J Aatk let him go;
.s'/m Ring out the false,
ring in the true.
Ring out the
| grief that saps
*■ ” the mind,
For those that here we see no
more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor.
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the
times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful
rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and
blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of
gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier
hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
—Lord Tennyson.
Pagans Also Sent
New Year's Cards
Here in America the popular and
evergrowing custom of exchanging
New Year’s greeting cards is of
fairly recent origin, but actually the
New Year’s card antedates the
more familiar Christmas card by
several hundred years.
! With Christmas our greatest na
tional holiday, most of us are in
i dined to think of New Year’s as a
| sort of happy afterthought. The fact
j is, it is one of the oldest of festivals,
dating back to pagan times. In cer
tain countries of Europe where
! Christmas is observed as a purely
j religious festival, New Year’s takes
! the form of a real feast day and its
celebration is marked by rejoicing
and the exchange of gifts and greet
j ings.
The earliest known New Year’s
j “greetings” were medals marked
| with good wishes which date back
to the reign of the Roman Emperor
Commodus (180-192). And while
New Year’s cards long have been a
tradition in China, where the tech
nique of printing was invented, the
first European New Year’s card we
have record of is of German ori
gin, dating back to the 14505. It
depicts the Christ Child and a chest
overflowing with good wishes. An
other card of the same period has
a treasure ship as its central design.
Our present-day New Year’s cards
have an impressive history behind
them. V/ith their festive confetti
colors and “Baby New Year,” “Fa
ther Time,” bells and balloons, they
serve as messages of the good will
we feel toward our friends and
neighbors, and of our hope for “A
Prosperous and Happy New Year!”
New Year Antedates
Birth oi Christ
The celebration of New Years on
January 1 began in 452 B. C., and
therefore, contrary to logical reason
ing, had nothing whatsoever to do
with the birth of Christ.
After December 25 had been
established as the day of nativity,
the church made January 1 a re
ligious festival honoring the circum
cision of Jesus; the day being thus
> observed in the church.
—r~r r - z~T -T- *
Flying a ‘Straight’ Lice
Pilots of super-planes flying at
supersonic speed will have art in
stantaneous check on instruments
when army air forces scientists
work out a regrouping of the instru
ment panel into a "line” pattern.
When the gasoline, oil, tempera
ture, manifold pressure and other
flight elements are functioning
properly, a graphlight block will
show the pilot one solid line. If
trouble the solid line im
mediately shows a break, and the
pilot knows Instantly what is wrong.
Greek Here
When Loues, a Greek peasant,
won the marathon race in Athena
at the first modem Olympic games
in 1896, his reception was so great
that women threw their Jewelry at
his feet A hotel proprietor gava
him an order for 885 free meala
and even a street urchin pressed
forward with a promise to black
his boots for nothing for the rest of
his life.
Paper Rugs
One of the possibilities of the fu
ture is the use of paper rugs. The
secret, of course, is a flexible plas
tic. Gay colors, durability, water
proofness, stay-putness, and ease of
cleaning are mentioned as other ad
vantages. The material may have
other uses, including coverings for
furniture.
Preparing Water Fowl
hi cooking wild water fowl a lit
tle special attention will help in
sure a much more tasty dish. In
preparing a bird for cooking it is
well to remember that an older
bird has less tender meat and Is
best cooked with moist heat with
only a moderate amount of season
ing, while tender meat is cooked
with dry heat Seasonings used in
clude onions, tomatoes, garlic, lem
on, marjoram, thyme, cloves or chili
powder.
Push-Up Sleeves on
Sunburst Sweater
YES, a sweater with push-up
sleeves . . . the very latest
fashion! And how extra-special
this crocheted sunburst sweater is.
• • •
Just single and double crochet through
out. Pattern 046 has directions In sizes
12-14 and 16-18.
Due to an unusually large demand and
current conditions, slightly more tline is
required in filling orders for a few of the
most popular pattern numbers.
Send your order to:
Sewing Circle Needlecraft Dept.
564 W. Randolph St. Chicago 86, 111.
Enclose 20 cents for pattern.
No
Name
4 HHrA—
Ul II ETC I cl/MRS, HMKCMfTffIS, STOK
nntCLd SHOP OWNERS
NOW AVAIIABUI SAVE MONEY
• Build your own carts,
wagons, children s ve
hicles, etc. Easy with
Walton puncture
proof, massive, rub
ber tired wheels. 14
sizes. FREE catalog.
Dealers, manufacturers, Jobbers, salesmen
wanted. Waltoa Wheel Co., Dept. ED, Bos
432, Milwaukee, Wls.
"Stuff sd-Up"No, Headache?
Ml®
•aMalyaar miseries
! starts to t sesends is-—* TAHITI or IHMM
Cavtlom Take only as directed /
Next Time in Baltimore
MAZE IT
HOTEL MT. ROYAL
PERFECT HOTEL SERVICE
# Homelike Atmosphere
Rates begin at $2.00 per day
You Can AUo Enjoy
MUSIC DANCING
PAN AMERICAN CASINO
NEAR RAILROAD STATIONS
MT. ROYAL AVENUE AT CALVERT ST.