Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-12-18
From the National Era.
THE LOST AND FOUND.
A story Of THANKSGIVING Day,
By MARY IRVING.


"lloowA for thanksgiving Day." CHR.
ruped ia, three year-old boy, bursting
in his night gown into Farmer Talbofs
warm kitchen. He was Trying to un.
lock TWO bright blue ey es, that sleep had
sealed up pretty freely, and cut quite a
figure with his sentorial, 'Hoowa!'
bravo, Bobby J" laughed the grand
father from the chimney corner. Try
j, again Bobby, you'll keep up the honor
vi the family. Come hs re, sir"
Bubby's eyes were fairly open by this
,ime-he had found his mother, and
took refuge in The folds of her check
dress, sucking his thualb in quie, thank
iulness. Mamma locked around ironi
The gridiron she was experimenting, Wild
a geAtle smile. Thatsmlle seemed ratli-
ci sac, methihks, for The scene and lhe
day; bui We will know more her.
Thanksgiving day was always joy
,us nme at Granfa,her Talbol's, not
merely Tor its turkeys, puddings and
pies--iliough {softly be il spoken,)
Grandmamma 1albo, and her daughter
DID excel all other grand-mammas no
aunties al r0asier--In the esilmaNbn
ef tie grand children, large and small.
Bul Farmer Talboat and his ''gude wife
were sraunch old Puritans-,wo o. thar
good old stock with which our blessed
New England shores were planted. The
stock has been grated uih many other
and foreign shoots since-bGt is II moi
sill the tree of our nailon's prosperity
Ii has long been fashioned TO ridicule the
quaint manners and The starched strict
ness Of the Puriians. Children are
taught To picture them forever coming a
i;salm book with nasal twang--as the
deadly foes to all chez riulness and mer.
. riinent. Is not this almost treason To
the memory OF The Pilgrim fathers who
sleep beneath us! Foes 10 the wild exu-
herance of untamed Spirits. they were
indeed--and often too prone 10 stretch
every mind to their own stature of opin
ION or feeling. But they were cheer
FIJI race. The happiesi, yes, the merri-
est Thanksgiving day was spent beneatl,
the roof OF s,aunch Puritan old lady,
one of the few tina, inger like sombrf
eyergreens in autumn, among the more
gay and careless Of this generation.
Farmer Talbot kept Thanksgiving
day religiously as well as cheerfuly.-
Good Ole patriarch! He might be for
given the pride with which he glanced
around on his seven children, with all
their little ones around him, and then
lifted up his handro bless heaven in their
behalf. But for three years, ever since
the little Bobby had been a sunbeam to
bless the g9od old mans hearth, there
had teen shadow, too, upon it--a gen
lie shadow--buta a sad one. That shad-
ow was the graceful mother of the child
the favorIte daughter of the family.
Adelaide Talbot was beautiful and
lovely in her youth, dearly beloved by all
but best by those of her own freside cir.
Gle. She was indeed the riches. gem
in that circle, When the long lashes
we're lifted from her ever changing cheek
sSyou could look into the very soul of the
/. high minded and sunny hearted girl
Six. years ago she stood in her fathers
Tow parior ON Thanksgiving eve; she
had stood between that father and anoth.
er,1to whose face she lifted her soul
speaking eye, his bride for an hour. And
as the good mothers raspberry wine
carefully bottled for the occasion, wen'
round. she dreamed not that in that cur
lurked a demon, that should yet over
throw the altar just ereced. Caleb Rey.
holds was now drunkard, and deser-
Ter from hfs home. He had enlisted
! 1t was thought in an hoar Of intoxication
!. but bis wife was lef! TO learn il from 9TH
er lips. He'went, without one word o.
farewell, to the plains of Mexico, and
bever since had She heard of him. Pool
Adelaide carried her crushed heart back
sito her fiaher's house, longing TO lay j
in the grave. Have you ever seen tree
in the western forest, blighted by ''gird
ling," as The woodsmen call it-cut of
from its connection with the .life-giving
earth, and then left to wither for years.
Ineyer pass such tree without thinking
OF the slow death Of the heart. to which
some writer has strikingly compared it
ltwas thus that Adelaide stood among
the other plants Of her fathers nurture
Have you ever seen, from such girdled
trec > younK shoot spring out, and stri