Midget Christmas Trees and a Helpful Gander
Mary Minter and Jack Howard cope with homesickness in a northern Christmas tale. Mary crafts a tiny cedar seedling tree on a tin bracket for a hospital visit and a warm note of community life echoes through the Newton area. RS Durkee's gander helps thwart a robber, turning danger into a Christmas laugh as the widow shares lettuce with her avian protector.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ary Minter
Mason- Dixon Line
Jack Howard
Jack
Mary
Milt Spears
City Hospital
Milt
Ann Spears
Howard
Christmas Cracker Origin Traced to France
The Christmas cracker originated in France about eighty years ago, tracing its festive start to French customs and spreading to celebrations in other regions over time.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
France
Australian lawyer and Jacky on the stand
An Australian lawyer recalls a black defendant in a country town facing theft charges. The judge tests whether the man understands the oath. The exchange yields a grim joke about lying sending him down below and truth costing the case.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jacky
Atlanta Constitution
Say Jack, I’ll pay you to answer a simple question
A brisk exchange looks like a friendly bet where one speaker offers five dollars for a correct answer and the other agrees to try. The setup hints at a casual, lighthearted moment of quick wit.
Chalk marks on tires spark a street-side joke
A Pittsburgh officer marks tires to enforce time limits when a passerby jokes about chalking his heel and waiting for his wife on the corner. The lighthearted exchange follows the officer’s routine on a busy market street.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Market Street
Mike
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Broadway friend tricks cash from actor in quick sting
An actor famed for a respectable income is cornered on Broadway by a friend who asks for money. The actor replies with a witty retort admitting he has no cash and wonders who told his friend.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Broadway
The Easiest Way Young Senator
A quip contrasts a young senator who endorses new theories with an older senator who prefers endorsement over explanations, noted in Pathfinder Magazine.
Book-Lover Visitor and Pocket Book Confession
A visitor tells a prisoner that their shared passion is books. The prisoner replies that his love for pocket books brought them to this moment, presenting a terse exchange about reading and fate.
Positive Dislike of Codfish Quip Sparks Debate
A terse remark about codfish reveals strong antipathy toward the fish. The speaker claims they would eat cod if they liked it, and express clear displeasure with the taste, prompting responses about culinary preferences.
Good Showing Sparks Credit Talk In Town
A brief snippet shows a man praising a good credit while noting he owes people money, reflecting local concerns about finances and reputation. The exchange underscores tension between perceived trustworthiness and actual debt in the community.
Elderly passenger jokes with pilot on first airplane ride
An elderly woman aboard her first flight scolds the pilot as they climb several thousand feet telling him to turn off the propeller since it is too cold and windy up high.
Elevator Request Sparks Gaff in Illinois Guardsman Scene
A quirky exchange unfolds as a shopper asks for an elevator amid a busy scene. The clerk mumbles about wrapping or carrying items, highlighting a moment of comic confusion at a store run by Illinois Guardsmen.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Illinois Guardsman
Sunrise Quote Sparks Senate Bid for Calm
A quip from a balladist about sunrise draws a comparison to a senator’s remark that some places await the sunrise as a cue for execution. The exchange highlights tensions over timing and violence in world affairs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Senator Sorghum
Local Wit Delivers Classic Exchange On Tour
A clipped dialogue captures a tourist and an Indigenous man sharing a terse exchange. The white traveler expresses relief at meeting a “big chief,” while an Indigenous speaker calls out a companion named Jake to hear a pointed quip.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Big Chief
Jake
Inexpensive Easy Patchwork Quilts For Home Crafters
An 18 by 9 inch block can form a full size quilt with minimal yardage. Folder 536 shows four designs and six patch diagrams with yardage details. Send 10 to 19 cents to Home Craft Co. Dept. D St. Louis for folders and patches, include a stamped envelope.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Address Home Craft Co
Dept. D
Nineteenth and
St. Louis Ave
St. Louis
Sweden's Riksdag Votes Counted by Button Press
In the Swedish parliament each deputy has three voting buttons on their desk. When a vote occurs the deputy presses their button to record their stance and within a minute the total results light up in luminous figures behind the president's chair.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Riksdag
Sweden
We Still Getting Mad On as the Savages Do
An observed parallel between childish taunts leading to blows in Tom Sawyer and Arabs and Bedouins and a comparison to modern international threats. Italian verse and British embassies prompt fear while Britain ships warships near Malta to deter perceived aggression.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom Sawyer
Rome
Egypt
Italy
Britain
Gibraltar
Malta
Lanai Reputed as Cleanest Municipality in Hawaii
Lanai City on the sixth largest Hawaiian island is praised as the most immaculate American municipality in the islands. The town features color painted roofs, streets shaded by Norfolk pines, and yards bright with hibiscus and flowering trees, amid Lanai’s shift from a cattle ranch to a pineapple and pheasant region.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Isle
Lanai
Islands
Persistent Resistance to Temptation Proof
Doctor Johnson argues that resisting a single temptation does not prove honesty. True proof lies in resisting ongoing lure like silver in a window, where the servant could be tempted when master is unaware. Forcing such a test injures the person, and share in the guilt if he succumbs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Doctor Johnson
Also Mentioned on This Page
Western Newspaper Union
RS. Durkee
Mrs. Durkee
Gosling
Ann Spear
Martha B. Thomas
Pathfinder Magazine
Clark
MR. Haynes
Usten
John
DR. O
China
MBSR
Saneee
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