Editor:

For over 30 years a little evergreen tree on the cliff below Asbestos Spring on Casper Mountain has carried the spirit of Christmas through the year.

It took an extension ladder to replace occasional ornaments as they aged or fell off and was an annual trip for me, which did not take much time -- and on occasion, grandchildren would either help or just observe.

Until Cronin's book came out telling tales about Casper Mountain, very few folks knew that I was the "fairy" responsible for the little Christmas tree, and that was fine with me. But it didn't take long after coming home from the hospital for me to notice that something was missing on the way. The state highway crew had been cleaning the barrow pit and patching the road as they do every year, so a lot of equipment had been working there.

I stopped last week and walked over to the area where I knew the tree had been and saw a few ornaments in the ditch. Looking up, I could see the torn stump of the little evergreen, and also there are two scratch marks on each side that indicates something mechanical had been used to tear the tree from the rocks. The roots and part of the stump are still attached.

This tree was not gaudy or very eye catching. The ornaments were only a few, and the fake wreath material was mostly time worn. It is hard for me to believe that it would be any kind of a distraction. If it had been just a few feet higher, the equipment used would most likely not have been able to reach it.

Everyone I have told about this have expressed the same feeling that I have had: Why? Was this personal? Was this someone who does not believe in Santa? Is the state highway department going to remove all roadside distractions? Are small, decorated trees on some hit list?

I'm looking for another tree to receive my gifts of holiday cheer, and it would be nice if someone could tell me how to make it defend itself.

FRED C. KLEIN, Casper