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BETTY MASON ... She
gets the Santa Claus
Letters
SHE HAS NO LONG, WHITE
♦ WHISKERS BUT HER GIFT
PACK IS ENORMOUS
By ADELAIDE KERR
AP Newsieatures Writer
Betty Mason plays Santa Claus
for thousands of United Nations
service men scattered all over
the world.
Look for her nearly any week
day and you will find her flank
ed by miniature mountains of
lingerie, perfume and what-not
1% a large New York department
store, selecting Christmas gifts
for the mothers, wives and
sweethearts of soldiers, sailors
and marines. Thousands in Pa
cific and European battle areas,
delegate her to do a job which
they can’t do themselves. Others
who pass through New York en
list her help as United Nations
service men’s shopper in the
store where she is employed.
“What do you think they buy
most?’’ asked blue-eyed Betty
with a little grin. ‘‘Black under
wear for their wives and sweet
hearts. The buy stacks of it, and
all kinds of other lingerie too.
Their next favorite is a make-up
kit or any kind of a kit and the
third is purses or wallets. Then,
they love musical powder boxes
and the tune most of them want
the boxes to play is ‘‘Always.’’
Betty says sbe filled 7,000
service men’s orders last Christ
mas and expects to do much
more this year. In her work she
has helped patch up a lot of
quarrels, learned of some trag
edies, kept a lot of secrets. One
ensign ordered a number of
Christmas gifts last year for his
expected heir—and died the day
after he was born. (When she
learned that Betty cried) ... A
sergeant in the European war
theatre wrote that he had broken
his moher’s rocking chair as a
child and wanted her to buy an
other to replace it. (She finally
found what he wanted, even to
chinzt cushions of he right col
or.) ... A captain wrote from
Italy, “My girl and I have had
a row. I want to fix it up. Here’s
a check for $75. Get her some
thing nice in jewelry.’’ And then
a little later, “Thanks a lot. But
it didn’t do any good.’’ ... A
corporal wrote from England,
“Get my girl the prettiest flow
ers you can find.’’ And then, be
fore she could fill the order—
“Never mind those flowers. Buy
me a flashlight instead.”
Most service men for whom
Betty shops write her extrava
gant thanks.
TOADSTOOL SABOUTEURS
LONDON, —(AP>— A spy
scare, caused in a country dis
trict when a main road glowed
at night, ^/as traced to luminous
toadstools.
ARMORED DIVISION
ON MULS-SAVING TIME
FRONT —(AP)— Armored divi
| sion GI’s in charge of a string
of Italan mules got supplies
through despite the fact that a
couple of the mules crashed down
an embankment.
‘‘We didn’t know anything
| about mules,’’ said one donkey
| tender, “but the stuff had to get
through. Our chaps were holding
a spearhead and the only trail to
them was under fire from three
sides.’’
On the trail two mules slipped
and skidded down an embank
ment with their loads of cigar
ettes, water rations and mortar
shells. Both the mules and sup
plies were too precious to lose I
so the GI’s went after them, got
I them back up and finished the
trip.
FIELD OPERATION
OAKLAND, Calif. — Working
by the light of a welding torch
with a pen-knife borrowed from
a Seabee as his only instrument,
Dr. Vernon C'antlon Navy doc
tor from Reno, Nev., amputated
the leg of a bus driver whose
machine had smashed into the
rear of a truck.
CHURCH NEEDS
MANPOWER
CARLISLE, Eng. — fAP)—The
Bishop of Carlisle says that lack
of manpower in the church is the
main cause of the decay of re
ligion in England. The needs of
religion, he said, should have first
priority in consideraton of post
war problems.
At one time Turin was the
capital of Italy.
HOLIDAY GREETINGS
0
The candle symbolizes the light
that occasions thoughts of hap
piness and good will toward
others . . . We hope it will ex
press our sincere wishes for a
joyous season and smooh days
for the coming year.
SERVICE CLEANERS
MR. AND MRS. C. O. MICKELSON
| Wishing
I You All 1
I “Merry Xmas”
NOME LIQUOR
STORE
HILKEY ROBINSON, Prop.
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