Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-01-21
A Thanksgiving Scene.

lovely in her youth, dearly loved by all,
but best by those Of her own freside
circle she was indeed the richest gem
in that circle. When the long Iashes
were..lil'ed from her ever-changing cheek,
you could look into the very soul Of the
high-minded, sunny-hearted girl. Six
years before, she had stood in her fathers
low parlor on Thanksgiving eve--she
had stood between that father and mother
to whose faces she liGed her sou.spea ak.
ing eyes. the bride of an hour. And az
the good mothers raspberry wine, care.
fully bottled for the occasion, went round,
she dreamed not in that cup there lurked
demon thst shonld overthrow the altar
just erected. Caleb Reynolds was now
drunkard, and deserter from his home.
He had enlisted, it was thought, in an
hour Of intoxication-but his wife was
left to learn i. from other lips. He went
without one word of farewell, to the
plains of Mexico-and never since had
she heard of him.
Poor Adelaide carried her crushed
heart back to her fathers house, longing
only 10 lay in the grave. Have you ever
seen tree in our Western forests blighted
by gir'lling,' as the woodman calls it-cut
off from its connection with the life.giving
earth, and then left to wither for years? |
never pass such tree without thinking
Of the slow death of the heart, to which
some writer has strikingly compared it.
II was thus that Adelaide stood among
other plants of her fathers nurture.
Have you ever seen from such girdled
tree young shoot spring ou, and striking
down its fbres from a feeble connection
with the bark below, and sustain sure
though sickly life in the tree! It was
thus that little Rober, came to bind few
broken 6bres from her eurIy hopes and
dreams on earth. n
But we are forgetting our Thanksgiv-
ing-none of the aunties forget it, how
ever, or the cousins-and by the time
farmer Talbot's 'big-sleigh' had emptied
twice upon the old snow.sprinkled stone
steps, all were brought home from church,
and all were there, except two unaccount
able stragglers, 'the boys as txo strip,
lings nearly six feet high continued to be
called. who were cullivating the science.
in college no many miles away. And
why were they not there? So ques
toned every one, and grandmammn did
rot answer. only wiped her speciacles
every few minutes with her apron, anc
peered out Of her southwest window
Meanwhile the new comers were all clus.
tered in the sitting.room making merry
use Of the inerlude between service ant
/ dinner There was Rober., The eldes
son. with his romping family, and anxiou.
looking wits. There was Charlotte
nobody knew her by that name--I.ottie
blooming in her prime, and managing he
little ones to charm. There vas Phil
lip, the old bachelor, though by no means
a crus.y one. Next 10 him sata pale stiff
looking cousin from the nearest factory
village, Last, but not least, though sh,
was but little one.--.was the schoo
ma'am--.the youngest Of her father
6ock-the laughing, fun.loying Susie
She was not teautiful. as Addie bad heen
but there was such a world Of good ma
ture in her low, broad forehead and dim.
Piled cheeks, TINT you loved her at frs
sight. | will not attempt her portrait
for do not know that she ever, sat still
long enough to have i, taken, except ii
church. This day she was here, ther,
and every where among the children, kiss
ing one, rompipg with anothcr, and ,hei