Article December 2, 1944 Issue

Taking Off Masks

[Of Special Interest to Children]

HELEN G. LINBARGER

Gloria, a young Christian Scientist, was invited to a Halloween masquerade party and was happily looking forward to an evening of fun. A parade of the masqueraders was to precede the party.

There were goblins, ghosts, pirates, and other mysterious characters in the "masquerade march." The neighborhood resounded with the laughter and hilarity of the paraders, and all present, including interested spectators, were enjoying the fun. Suddenly a latecomer, a silent, masked figure, joined the parade—and for a moment the merriment and laughter of the crowd were silenced. The ghostlike figure wore the strangest mask that any of them had ever seen—a grotesque, fantastic "face" —and the weird form moved silently along, so there was no voice to reveal its identity. Gloria, who had always loved Halloween and other masquerade parties, was frightened at first and shrank from the white-clad, masked figure. Suddenly she hurried away to join some of the familiar "goblins" and other amusing, though mysterious, masqueraders.

Later the hilarity of the merrymakers at the party reached its height when it was time to unmask. But the biggest surprise of all came when the silent, mysterious "stranger" removed the fantastic mask. A mass of golden curls tumbled down, laughing blue eyes melted all youthful fears, and a sweet, familiar voice gleefully greeted her bewildered friends. Carol, whose happy smile and loving way had endeared her to all her friends, was beaming with joy and happily proving that she was not the weird "ghost" that she had appeared to be, but was their own good friend. Her disguise had been complete. Later she said to her chum, "Gloria, how could you ever have been afraid of me—when I'm your friend?" When Gloria saw the unreality of that strange, weird mask, and realized that underneath it was the smiling face of her dearest friend, she resolved that she would never be afraid again.

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