It was during the depression and I was 9 years old. My brother Russell, two years older made a supreme sacrifice .

He knew I coveted his two favorite marbles, each red and blue. He called them his twin glassies. They were so beautiful I coveted them openly but he never even let me do more than look as he poured his hard won treasures out on the bed after each day of doing battle on the dirt playground at Woodlawn elementary. Russ was a great shooter and probably could have won the marbles championship of the world if he wanted to.

He had several smoke agates and scores of migs of all description, But nothing in his pouch compared with those two beauties..

That Christmas morning when he handed me a little box wrapped in red crepe paper, I about died . His twin red and blue glassies were nestled in a bed of cotton .

"Merry Christmas," he said.

Jerry and Elsbeth wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas. Reach him at wseditor@robinsonnews.com