{ title: 'Tupper Lake free press and Tupper Lake herald. (Tupper Lake, N.Y.) 1937-current, November 25, 1937, Page 13, Image 13', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn84031109/1937-11-25/ed-1/seq-13/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn84031109/1937-11-25/ed-1/seq-13.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn84031109/1937-11-25/ed-1/seq-13/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn84031109/1937-11-25/ed-1/seq-13/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
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•X- TOWN WEEKLY MAGAZINE SECTION 1 i i i CHLOE'S CHRISTMAS CAROL Chloe Proceeds with the Plans For Scott's Christmas Party SYNOPSIS — Chloe meets Scott Kelvin the village elentor, ami becomes intere»ted In him. She la bored In the, small mill town where her fath- er owns the cotton mills. One ilny, driving her roadster reck- lessly, Chloe runs down Kelvin and injures him severely. She discovers that he la worried at having to five up a Chriatmaa party he has promised to give the mill hands and their chil- dren Chloe promises to carry out his plans, visits Mrs. Bar- well at Scott's suggestion, and enlists her interest and aid. PART FOl'R THE ALLOWING morning, nnxioua to l\ave as much as possible to report to Dr. Kelvin v. hen she made her aftei non en 11 at the hospital, Ohloe de- termined to see Sara Jenkins iind enlist her aid. When she fared her father across the breakfast table his eyes wid- ened R little. She occasionally breakfasted with him but It w a.'i usually in gay lounging p.ijarrms tr H -house gown. This norning stye wore a trimly tailored dark dress. ;in impu- dent little hat coeke<i over one i yr. and she ilroppeVi a little fur jirket on a chair :is she came into th<- dining room ••Hello, Pad!\ she greeted him lightly Not since that dteadful c\ oning in the hospital v hen they had waited to nnd nut whether Scott Kelvin \* oiild li\e or die. had she used the stiff, more f< »rnnl salutation of \Father\ Howell noted it and u;us glad for he felt thvt it brought them, somehow, oloscr together. \May I give you a lift to the office this morning?\ Howell grinned at her, and answered lightly, \Oh anl so you're goinj; to the office this niorning? 1 ' She nodded. \To see Sara .1. nkin.s know her?\ she an- swered lightly and sampled her t• ipiato juice. \Of coiirse. she's been with us thirty years or more A line woman. Hut what op earth do you want with her?\ demanded her father. \Frankly nothing But Scott Kelvin thinks she may r* a valuable assistant in this idiotic Christmas thing,\ an- swered Chloe carelessly. •Her father studied her for a moment and then. \Still think it's idiotic, Chloe?\ he-asked. Sho flushed, hmkeel up swift- ly, hesitated and said frankly, \T did until yesterday after- noon, when a crippled cltfld was overcome at the thought that she might actually have a doll of her own. with 'sleepy eyes and a white dress'.\ Howel) smiled and said gent- ly \Want to tell me about It?\ She did, and Howell listened with sincere Interest and un- derstanding. \Jennie Harwell's a fine woman,\ he said when she had finished. \I remember the day she came to work for us, years ago.\ \I suppose you were the best man at her wedding too, eh, Dad?\ suggested Chloe. \I probably was, 1 don't re- member,\ he answered, and grinned. Chine poked a fork into the scrambled eggs on her plate, buttered a bit of toast and sud- denly looked up at her father and said: \Dad. I have to ask you something. Are conditions in our mills—well - fair to the people who work for us?\ • Before he could answer she rushed on, \T'p North, when the glrl« knew that I was a Sargent of the Sargent Mills, some of them asked a lot of questions, and well, lots of people seem to think that working conditions are tntol- etable In southern mills, and that the people live dreadful lives, underpaid and over- worked and generally ground down. Do we -do we pay fair \«. ages nnd make it possible for our people to live decently? 1 ' \I'm deeply and sincerely pi ad, Chloe, to be able to tell you truthfully— yes!\ aaid her father quickly. \We pay' a wage »cale that compares a little more than favorably with that of any other mill in the country. Our people are com- fortably and adequately housed; the living conditions are as good as we can make them. After all. you know, no matter how good a man's house, how well equipped, the man himself decides whether it is to be kept clean and orderly oi allowed to be squalid and filthy. We don't hire snoopers tr. go around and Investigate and prove that Mrs. Jones takes proper care of her home, ot that the family doesn't go into debt, but so far as we are nble, we see to it that our people live comfortable, order- ly lives. They have unemploy- ment insurance; they have a commissary at which they can buy the things they need at 'Oh, there may be more to this Christmas racket than 1 •\'\ is viAibTe to the naked eye,' 1 said Chloe nonchalantly, and rose to accompany her father an he left the room. prices lower than anywhere else In town; the- machinery Is the latest and safest. Tea, 1 think we can honestly say that our people live under the beat possible conditions!' * \good! i'm glad,\ said Chloe honestly. \Suddenly yesterday I began to wonder. I suppose I hadn't thought very much about it, but when Mrs. Bar- well showed me those two ba- bies and said there wasn't any father and the mother was having a hard time making a living for them, and I realised how I throw money away*, well, gosh!\ She and her father smiled at each other underHtandingly. \I'm glad you're taking an Interest in the mills and the people who opeiate them. Chloe Some day they will be your responsibility, you know,\ said her father. \Are you sorry I'm not a son, Dad ? Maybe I should have been \I wouldn't, for anything in the world, have you anything but what you arc a living and lovely reminder of the other Chloe.\ he said swiftly, and Chloe lookM up at the paint- ing that hung above the great old white marble mantel. The painting of a girl about her own age with lovely, laugh- ing eyes and a tangle of taffy- colored curls tumbling from a low knot on her neck both hands tugging at the collar of a beautiful lawny collie dog \She was lovely, wasn't she?\ said' ('hloe. and there was a mist of tears In her eyes. Aunt Jane came into the room and said, seeing Chloc's street attire: \liood heavens, child, where PEGGY DERN are you off to at this hour of the dawn?\ \Down to the mills, to find out what makes them tick!\ answered Chloe promptly. \A ahame a girl who is as bored by Christmas as .you are has to take such an active hand in It!\ commented Aunt Jane teasingly. \Oh there may be more to this Christmas racket than is visible*to the naked eye,\ said Chloe nonchalantly, and rose tf accompany her father an he left the room Aunt Jane chuckled, and , Chloe looked at her suspicious- ly But Aunt June's-(-yen were limpid with innocence nfl' Chloe followed her father without another wonl. Chloe's roadster was wait- Ing In the drive and Howell, with a^-little smile steppe*! in beside her as she bucked the car competently to the tree shaded street that would lead them down the hill to the mill village. It gave Howell a dis- tinct thrill of pleasuic to be riding into town uith this lovely daughter of his. He felt 8 little guilty at the thought of his own happiness at having hei home for Christmas. Guilty, because he knew that It had meant a real sacrifice for her to give up her rosy plans nnd hopes for that Car- ibbean cruise. - Reaching the largest of the mills where the administration building was located Howell showed Chloe to a parking place at the left ot Ihe oflicc and they walked fngrther_ across the yard with its t;l<w- ir:g bods of scarlet (annas still blooming defiantly. In spitr of tho faint and growing chill that each morning hi ought. The building was n dinfjy red brick. Dingy because of the grent belching columns of . smoke that poured out of its tall chimneys twenty four hours of every day. The big outer office was al- ready humming with activity when Chloe and her father en- tered Fifteen or twenty people, busy at various tasks about the office, looked up and said good morning, eyeing Chloe curious- ly as she walked beside her fa- ther into his private office. O'NCK CHLOE had gone down Into financial New York with Betty 1'earsall to her father's office. It had been an impressive place with a de«p-plled nig on the floor, expensive draperies at the windows, handsome furni- ture. Chloe thought of all that as she looked about her fa- ther's oflVe. furnished plainly^ with a few heavy, old-fashioned pieces of furniture that she know had been there for many years. \Who is it you want to see this •norning'\ he asked Chloe \Miss Sara Jenkins, i think. Mind if I sec her dm ing u oi k- irg hours. 1 >ad \'* \Of course noi I'M huv-' hrr come heie to the olln <\ 1 have to s[K*nd an houi oi so in the spinning'room We'ie trym •; out some new machuieiv th*-!\ and I'm curious to see how it uorks,\ answered l!<<\\<]!, nnd went swiftly out i>f the oflice. Chloe waited, hei hrait ^vat- ing a little faptei. ;LRnTnVi few minutes th< door opened nn<J a thin, faded little woman in a sleazy dark m-rgo, clumsily made, hesitated in the doorway. There were small dinks of color in her sallow .hicks atld her faded bine ryes i shy and apprphenstve- \I'ni Sara Jenkins.\ she said shortly. \You v. .• nto> 1 to see me?\ \Yea .said Oilor nnd smiled her prettiest smili- \Won't you ('(•me in and pit down?' 1 \I'm pietty busy this morn- ing.\ Kara protested \It's the el;%r before pay d::y and 1 got the pay roll to t heck .ind every- thing, before Walt got s to tho • hank after the money.\ Cliloe's (olor rose a little at the wonipn'n t< Mr ;md manner. Hut she .'••:iii. tvindy, \Dr. Kel-
