The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-12-06
DEACON E0oDING's THANRsGIvING
---- Il IL - uILA Ia. LII q IL

Deacon gooding was good old Conhert- !
cpi settler IA Nav Connecticut, a molu of
industry and thrift, bot ~ bis hcielfbors said
little eiai, lie moved 10 tho Westorn Ra-
serge when Il was literally bowling wilder.
mesa with two sialwart sons, jegel Ola wife,
andATuby riaughturs II ~s- -''st l,alfa as1sa
years before he had a snug clearing Of some
sixty acres, cut squAroly down Into the tall
Fhlck Forest which Stood up like a green cop
ed wall on three SIDES and a half OF il, On
tho other half side IL joined the clearing Of
tbs Mc1yIFMny, u fiiTrTItty uf ff-urruSytvaHiEu-
'engranis, consisting Of father mother, aud
nine saAs--asd-aana- of Nimrod too-wirh
agArooly less than unnleen dogs, little and
bIg, 1hinw we're nt skies and seycns With
these people, though tbcy wort moi hltoseth-
or lazy, or M disposed, They were hospita-
bio aud slovcny, andiheir big lcaky log barn
contralted strangely with the tidy framed box
IN which Deacon Gooding garndrcd The
wealth Of ,he year, The DGaeons barn was
az tight .As his purse, and that was so tight
that u never allowed any corporca iudul-
gence, unless Il were on the blessed day Of
Thanksgiving, which lac alone ia his settle.
menL always Obscryed with hborality that
.scuined proiusc and excited the wonder Of his
neighbors.
The year we speak Of tho DeReon's sons,
having grown to their majority, and feeling
the close FIST OF their father, had put out for
Sandusky, some sixty miles further west
where land was cheaper, TO clear tbemsclS yes
farm. Thoy had been gone all summor,nnd
were expected back ~ Thanksgiving. inthc
mean time the Deacon having to manage a.
lone. hal got into an almost deadly iesd with
his heighborp, the MuElrAths who had tram
Piled down his wheSt chasing wild turkeys,
and his corn 10y cooning with their small army
~ dogs. But worst Of all, though no great
shot, the Deacon had shot one of their favor.
lie dogs, sdspocting the animal Of playing the
wolf on his sheep. In previous years the in
dmacy Of the Dcacon's two sons with the Me
ElrHths had served 90 prev ent such a.siafo OF
things. liut these mcdiators being away the
fcud bad gone 30 far that the Deacon had per
omptorily broken on little ciNiliziug mag
noism which hnd beg0n TO work between
Finch McElrath, the eldest ofthc young MIN
rods and his blooming daughter, Ruth. There
was astato OF determined hostiliy--a rigid
keep clear Of INC, yon aud your dogs" on
one side, and spirit OF misrhievous annoy
anec'ou the other.
IL was in this posture OF affairs tApt thanks
Ri~i'sy fsaffsl Deseoaf fsssaiae-i'.il. il.a M-FirNth
settlement, 40 called, because that family had
pitched there first. The Deacon wished them
10 IF
swearing vagAbonds. The women folks how
ever, missed tho nice thanksgiving turkeys,
which, in former years the TiTi0s orrhc htriGi-
rath boys aud their own had Wed to fetch
them. Thanksgiving was nothing without
turkies. Tame roostcrs were contemplate,
and the best Of tho sucking pigs had been
carried OIL by some "WiId criittcr, tfi'hiJ tfi'hiJ f7Va=
con had reallyno moro left than he wanted to
keep, and to kill an old hog was not the thing.
AS the boys did not come home, though hc
was no hand with rifle, and had often G.
nough denounced all hunting as n sort of sin
the Deacon on the morning of the day before
thanksgiving, got down his smoothborc and
determined 10 sec if he could not pop over
one or two OF tho wild gobbIcrs that had grown
Hlothl III HlH NHfaN uflN dHh NiHuulNs Ai' fNN
out into the woods hoping of all things that
he would not fall in with the McElraths.
There was sprinkle OF snow on the brown
dry lcaves-jjust cpough to make tracks Nisi-
ble-whch had fallen in the night, lie had
gone mile or two under the tall still arches
of Natures ilmitable cathedral before he saw
, so vuch as mousc's track But then he
saw the track Of some animal larger than a
mouse or turkey. 1t was double or rath-
or quadruplc row of foot prints, about ns big
as those of todding baby, and led down a
steep bank through dense plum bottom. The
Deacon knew the trail, and didn't doubt that
il belonged oAhe very individual that had
rnade so free with his thanksgiving pig. In
stinctively--ior he was no coward--hc follow
ed il. Bear meat was not bad for thahksgiv
ing, though he meant to keep n bright look
out aud not get into any scrape. lie picked
his flint and rubbed the edge of it on his old
felt hat looked to his prmiug aud felt
auicke kesad circulation as he noticed the size
and freshness of the varmint's Typography
STOPPING, and half scratching his eyes out in
the plum thicket, he pursued the track about
a quarter of mile, and then lost il at a spot
where it seemed if tire crttcr had lain
down and snuiIed about good deal, or per
haps had met with other bears, and had BIT
Of frolc. There good deal of confu-
sion of tracks, and by going round and round
he could find none which did not lead intoit
What should be done He was just about
to give It up, when bis eyes fell down upon a
big buttonwood stub and there, in holo at
the root, not two yards from him, visible
a part OF Bruins black furry rump, looking
like the cap Of one of our Boston granny dsdrs,
Good graciousl what a chance. The beauty
was fIsr asteep. lie had crowded himself |
through precious narrow hole, and there was