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CHANDELIER SALE IN PROGRESS TILL DEC. 5th! •40% OFF LIST •50% OFF LIST WITH y^OlO CHANDELIERS Snow berry Lane A Christmas Story by Helen Boydston, McHenry Far, far away, in the general direction of the North Pole, there's a place called Snowberry Lane, situated on the North edge of the Great North Woods. Now it's not really a town ya know, because there's only one street, and who ever heard of a town with only one street? So, because it isn' t a town it doesn't have a name - like most towns do. Nope. Not like Jamestown, Watertown, or Capetown; Freeport, Newport, Westport, Shreveport, Lexington, Burlington, Appleton, Wilmington, Nashville, Hicksville, Danville, Jacksonvill, Bowling Green, Ishpaming, Montabello, Sacramento, Alameda, Pasadena, Cincinnati, Ypsilanti, or Kalmazoo. Phew! Nope. I guess nobody ever thought of calling the place anything but Snowberry Lane, which happened to be the name of that one and only street. J u s t b e f o r e Snowberry Lane takes a sharp turn deep into the Great North Woods, there sit 10 little houses, five on one side of the street, and five on the other side. On the north end of the street is a tiny white church, just large enough for 10 families. And of course there's a gas station and a general store owned and operated by old Mr. Jones. Well, one Saturday, not very long before Christmas, all the little children of Snowberry Lane were outside playing. They were having a wonderful time. Susie, Billy, Ann, and Michael were sledding on the snowy hill behind Mr. Jones' store, while David, Patty, Bob, Jean, and Jerry were having a snowball fight. Little Ellen was helping ho* brother, Tom, build a snowman. "When can e go in the woods Tom? When?" Cried Ellen. "Soon, real soon." Tom said, packing more snow on the top of the snowman's head. "But I wanna go now!" yelled Ellen. "Well, OK we'll go now". "Hurray!" shouted Ellen. "We're going tflte the woods! We're going to the woods!" " L e t ' s g o everybody!" shouted Tom. And all the children came running as fast as they could. This was the day they had all been waiting for. Once a year, just before Christmas, all the little children of Snowberry Lane went out into the Great North Woods to choose their Christmas trees. It was a tradition in Snowberry Lane. The following day, after church, the children and their fathers would go out into the Grdat North Woods, cut doflvn their Christmas trees and pull them iiome on sleds; and their mothers would hurry home to bake Christinas cookies. This was the only day the children were ever allowed in the woods, because it was dangerous and anyone could become easily lost. So, off the children raced down Snowberry Lane, around the sharp turn that goes deep into the Great North Woods. They reached the clearing just off the side of the road where the trees had been cut down for years. "I got this one", shouted Billy. Patty and Bob said, "We found the one we like." All the little children chose a pine tree except Ellen. She wandered beyond the clearing. "Don't go too far", shouted her brother, Tom. "There's a cave back here," yelled Ellen. "Wow! Let's go look," yelled David. So they all ran to the cave. "Looks scary there," Jerry said to Jean. All of a sudden they heard a loud grumbling sound from deep within the cave. "Let's get going", said Ann, "It sounds like a bear!" Everyone ran except Ellen. Sure enough, an enormous brown bear stepped out of the cave. Everyone was running home but Ellen. She wasn't afraid. Ellen just stood there looking up at the bear, and the bear just stood looking down at her. "Why aren't you afraid of me little girl?" said the bear. "I didn't know bears could talk", said Ellen. "Are you a friendly bear or a mean bear?" asked Ellen. "I'm a friendly bear except when little girls wake me up from my nap," said the bear in a very deep voice. "Well, I guess I better go now. 'Bye bear." Ellen took off, run­ ning. The other children had already told their parents about hearing the bear, and everyone was afraid to go into the woods. Everyone was talking about how dangerous the bear might be, and how they must get rid of him. When Ellen heard this, she became very upset. So little Ellen started off, but it was snowing harder now, and she wasn't sure of the way and became lost in the Great North Woods. She trudged through (he snow until she was exausted. She sat down on a fallen log and started to cry. Ellen was very, very, cold. -By now, everyone in Snowberry Lane was gathered in the tiny white church organizing a search party to go out and find Ellen. The blizzard was becoming so. severe they couldn't even see Mr. Jones' General store across the street. Everyone was very upset, especially Ellen^s mother and father and brother. Ellen started to cry and the giant bear heard her. Mr. Bear left his cave to go in search of little Ellen, but her tracks were already snow-covered. So, he followed the sound of her sobbing voice. When he found her, he picked her up in his warm fur arms and carried her through the woods to Snowberry Lane. "I'm going to take you home," said the bear. And so it happened. A giant bear wallking down the center of Snowberry Lane, earring little Ellen right to the front door of the little white church, much to the surprise and amazement of everyone inside. He gently set her down and left without saying a word. "He can talk", said Ellen shivering. He really can." Ellen told the story about Mr. Bear's neigh­ bors living in the pine trees and of how he saved her. "You don't have to get rid of the bear; he's friendly and he can talk too." said Ellen. The children only laughed at her and wnet on playing. It started snowing. Ellen played awhile but couldn't stop thinking about the giant bear. What would happen to the poor bear if he comes out of his cave tomorrow? He might get hurt. So she slipped away down Snowberry Lane, back to the clearing and the cave. "Come out Mr. Bear ", shouted Ellen. The bear grumbled and growled. "I'm not afraid of you Mr. Bear, but everyone else is." Everyone in Snowberry Lane wants to get rid of you." "Is that so! Well, don't you worry about it, I'll be just fine." And he chuckled the way only a magic bear can chuckle. "Tomorrow we're going to come here and cut down our Christmas trees." "Why," asked the bear, "do people have to cut down my beautiful trees? "Do you see that tall pine there?" asked the bear, pointing. "That is Mr. Arnold racoon's favorite sitting tree. And that one? Mrs. Squirrel lives there. And the little pine behind you? 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