Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-12-19
Choiee Miseellamy.
From the Atlantic, for December.
A Story Thanksgiving Time

Old Jacob Newell sat Respondent beside
his sitting-room fire. Gray-haired and ven
erable, with hundred hard lines, telling Of
the work Of time and struggle and misfortune
fuTowing his pale face, he looked the in
carnation of silent sorrow and hopelessness,
waiting in quiet meekness for the advent OF
the King Of Terrors; waiting, but not ho-
ping, for his coming; without desire to die,
but with no dread of death.
At short distance from him, in an an
cient straight-backed rocking chair, dark
with age, and clumsy in its antique carvings,
sat his wife. Stiffly upright, and with an
almost painful primness in dress and figure,
she sat knitting rapidly and with closed
eyes. Her face was rigid as mask the
motion in her fingers, as she piled her needles,
was spasmodic and machine. like; the fig
ure, though quiet, wore an AR OF iron re-
pose that was most uneasy and unnatural.
Still, through the mask and from the figure
there stole the aspect and air of one who
had within her deep wells Of sweetness and
love which only strong training or power OF
education had thus covered up and obscur-
ed. She looked CT thdt STERN furituuicnl
stock whose iron will conquered the severity
of New England winters and overcame the
stubbOrnness of its granite hills. and whose
idea of perfect lite consisted in the rigorous
discharge of all Christian duties, and the
Punishment, forever and ut all times of the
levity of pleasure and the folly of nmuse.
ment. She could have walked, ifneed were,
with composure to the stake but she could
neither have joined in game at cards, nor
have entered into romp with little children.
All this was plainly to be seen in the stern
repose of her countenance and the stiff harsh.
ness of her figure.
Upon the stained deal table, standing a
little in the rear and partially between the
two, reposed an open Bible. Between its
leaves lay pair of large, old fashioned, sill
ver-bowed spectacles, which the husband
had but recently laid there, after reading
the usual daily chapter of Holy Writ. HI
had ceased but a moment before and kad
laid them down with heavy sigh, for hi.
heart to-day was sorely, oppressed; and nj
wonder; tor, following his gaze around the
room, we find upon the otherwise bare WALL
before, five coarse and unartistic bu
loving tributes to the dead.
There they hang, framed in black, eacf
with its white tomb and overhanging willow
and severallv inscribed to the memories o
Mark, John, James, Martha, and Mar!
Newell. All their flock. None left to hon
or and obey, none to cheer, none to lighter
he labor or soothe the cares. All gone, ant
these two left behind to travel hand il
hand. but desolate, though together, to thu
end of their. earthly pilgrimage.
There had, indeed, been one other, bu
for him there hung no loving memorial. =
He was the youngest of all, and such no
BILE, strong, and lusty infant, that the faith
er, in the pride Of his heart, and with hi
fondness for Scriptural names, had christen
ed him Samson. He, too, had gone; bu
in the dread gallery that hung about tn
room there was no framed funereal pctur
''To the Memory of Samson Newell y
in the tomb of his fathers or mother
heart he lay buried no outward token CAV
note thereof -
So the old couple sat alone before the sit
ting-room fire. 1t was not often used, thi
room, scarcely ever now, except upon Sun
day, or on those two grave holidays that tn
Newells kept, ,-Thanksgiving-and Fa<t.Day
This was Thanksgiving-Dsy. The sno,
without was falling thick and fast. It cam
in great eddies and white whirls, obscurin
the prospect from the windows and s,uddin
madly around the corners. 1t lay in grea
drifts against the fences, and one large pil
before the middle front window had gather
ed volume till it reached half up the secon
row of panes; for it had showed all nigh
and half the day before. The roads were 9
blocked by it that they would have bee
rendered impossible but for the sturdy ei
forts Of the farmers boys, who drove team
of four and five yokes Of oxen through tn
drifts with heavily laden sleds, breaking on
the ways. The sidewalks in tho little vi
4 lage were shoyeled aud swept clean as fas
as the snow fell; for, though all busines
was suspended according to- the suggestio
in the Governors proclamation, and in con
formity to old usage. still they liked to kee
the paths open on Thanksgiving -Day.-th
paths aad the roads; for nearly half tn
families in the place expected sons an
daughters from far away to arrive on III
train which should have been at the railroad
station on the previous evening, but ha
been kept back by the snow. - I'D el
| But Jacob aud Ruth Newell had neithe
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