Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-12-03
Jnssfn,s THANKSGIVING.

path; the creeping. vine on the piazza Tcol-
umns glowed scarlet in the misty autumn air,
and the woods In the valley were stained with
the bloody footsteps of many sfnidnight frost.
And yet Hezekiah Underhill, standing pen
sively polishing his spectacles before the fire,
was not satisfied withanature's great kaleido-
scope of color. H Ill.
at don't seem Just right ?" soliIoquized
Hezekiah, not to have genuine snow storm
afore Thanksgiving p' aearseI IS
Take. things as you find em, father y said
Mrs. Hezekiah, stirring body who never
stood still long enough to give wrinkle time
to settle down on her face, and whose coffee
colored cap-ribbons, owing to perpetual
motion" were like brown birds continually on
the wing. "Elder Jones says there's nothin'
but what's for the best ~ -
"Well, there's no harm in wishin', s'pose,"
said Hezekiah, argumentatively.
"No," said Mrs. Underhill; "but if / was
goin' to wish, 'twouldn't be for such little
thing as fall O. snow. / know what I'd give
a big apple for" 4'a
"What ?" questioned Hezekiah, rather sur
prised at his contented helpmate's expressing
any ungratified desire.
The little woman f1uttered up close to him,
and there was liquid glimmer in the eyes
she raised to his face.
"Think of the many, many empty seats
there'l be around the Thanksgivin' freside
tomorrow, HezekiahI o, if could have my
wish, I'd bring 'em all back from the graves
upon the battlefield, and from the weary
hospitals. Think of our Jared, keepin' guard
along the Potomac think of Hiram Steele's
brave boy wounded under the very flag he
fought for, and dying in strange land ~ :
"Do you think he will die, Aunt Mary %
A slight figure was clinging to Hezekiah's
arm, and pale, pretty face, with bands of
shining black hair and wild, startled eyes,
was turned upward in breathless suspense.
"There, Eow, do say fort never meant
she should hear! Is'posed she was up stairs p
calculated the flurried old lady. "No, dear,
/ hope he'll get better any way it is our du-
ty to hope for the best That's what Elder
Jones said only last Sabbath dayi"
: "Uncle, tell me, do they think he will die ?"
repeated the girl, turning to the old man, as
if she had neither heard nor needed her
aunt's words.
"Child, how should know? You've asked
me that self-same question forty times this
last week if you've asked it once" said Heze-
kiah good-humoredly. "S'posin' he don't get
well, why should you fret about it? When
he went away, six months ago, you was fir
tin with Harry Messmore, and playin' with
his feelin's just exactly as our cat leases a
mouse. Didn't hear you with my own ears
telin Frank Steele he was nothin' more'n a
friend to you, and you wondered at his pre-
sumption in ever supposin' he could be any
thing more ~ ~
81 never meant it, uncle !" sobbed the girl.
"never 1t was that mad spirit of coquetry
that possessed me, / scarce know how. The
words had not passed my lips before l would
have given worlds to recall them. But o.,
the punishment is greater than can bear.
Tell me, uncle, do they believe he will die
o, if l could die, too ~
"He is in Gods hands, my child" said the
old man, solemnly, "and He who raised the
widows son at Main, and brought Lazarus
back to life, will not fail to do all things well.
Trust in Him, Jessie, and pray to Him."
Jessie Underhill scarce heard the old mans
words; she had resumed her seat at the win
dow and was gazing, sadly out upon the gold
and incarnadine of the sunset as it famed
above the western pine forest, likening it in
her own mind to the fash of cannon and the
dreadful stains of blood upon the battlefield.
And with the throbbings of her heart rose
and fell the treasured bit of paper cut from
the list of wounded" in the daily journal,
and containing but one line-"Francis Steele,
private, dangerously"
Hezekiah Underhill looked at his niece's
dropping figure, while strange contortons pass
ed over his weather-beaten features. Once
or twice he opened his mouth and shut it
again with click like the spring of a steel
trap; once or twice he made an involuntary
step toward her, and then resumed his form
er posture as if by an effort.
"No, no." he muttered between his teeth,
fairly beating retreat, and never pausing
until he was under the tossing boughs of the
old naples. SHE'S daughter, and niece, and
everything else to me- but can't do it It.
would spoil all J Poor Jessie, poor little brok-.
en-hearted dove!" y
Was Hezekiah Underhill demented that he
should break out into that strange smothered
chuckle, even while the tears were streaming
down his cheeks? Certain it was that he
conducted very strangely all that evening,
reading the newspaper with its columns up
side down, depositing the pitcher of cider in
his wife's work-basket, and finally bringing
down On his devoted head that lady's remon-
strances by stirring the fire with his snuff.box
and trying to put the poker in his waist-coat
pocket. f'.~-+1
"Hezekiah, are you crazy?" calculated
Mrs. Underhill.
swell, no, not exactly" said Hezekiah.
sheepishly but do feel kind o. elevated
Come up to the fire, Jessie don't sit way off
in the cold. That's right, puss-nestle down
in your old chimney corner seat That's the
way you and Frank Steele used to sit togeth-
er when you were children"
"Father" exclaimed Mrs. Underhill, re-
proachfully as Jessie burst out crying, with
her face hidden on her aunt's knee.
"I didn't mean to" apologized Hezekiah,
but even then his face was in a glow with
something brighter than the genial shine of
the freight. ~ - $40 7sl
1t was evident that Hezekiah was glorying
in the mystery of some wonderful secret. And
never did any secret struggle so desperately
for disclosure as Hezekiah's on that Thanks
giving eve. But he kept it. For the honor
of mankind let it be recorded that Hezekiah5
Underhill kept his secret. 1"st
81 y *
OF course it's no use trying. Soyer him
self, even were he gifted with the descriptive
powers of the wizard of Waverly, never
could have given you any idea of Mrs. Under
hills Thanksgiving dinner. The brown
cracking turkey, unctuous with stufing and
oleaginous with riyulets of gravy ; the pyra-
mids of crimson quivering jellies the green
crisp pickles; the battalion of pumpkin pie,
nesting like amber lakelets in shores of rus
set crust; the pudding triumphant mystery
of culinary art; the whole dictionary would
fall short of expressing the plenteous glorious
of the feast OF the fathers. aaiaJ CO..
Hezekiah disappeared soon after breakfast
whittier he had gone nobody knew, for all
explanation he vouchsafed to his wife was
that he was "goin' to bring company home to
dinner, But punetual to the noon-mark on
Ia QnAr he, Il.