Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-12-01
JEssIE's THANKSGIVING.

Diazed 50 long III russell and golden fire had
SnO"tTed the last Withered leaves upon the
path; the creeping vine on the piazza col
umns glowed scarlet in the misty autumn air.
and the woods in the valley were stained with
the bloody footsteps of many midnight frost
And yet Bezekiah UnderhiIl, standing pen
slFely polishing his spectacles before the fire,
vas not satisfied with natures great kaleido-
scope of color.
: 1t don't seem just right - soliloQuized
Hezekiah, 8 not TO havea genuine snow storm
afore Thanksgiving
Z" Take things as you find 'em, father !" 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 saws there's nothin'
but what's for the best"
"Weu, there's no harm in wishin', s'pose !"
said Hezekiah, argumentatively.
NO" said Mrs. Underhill; "but if l was
goin' to wish, 'twouldn't be for such little
thing as fall O snow. I know what I'd give
a big apple for"
"What ?" questioned Hezekiah, rather sur
prised at his contented helpmate's expressing
any unqualified desire.
The little woman futtered up close to him,
and there Was a liquid glImmer in the eyes
she raised to his face
" Think of the many, many empty seats
therell be around the Thanksgivin' freside
tomorrow, Hezekiah! D, if l could have nv
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 a strange land m
DO you think he viii 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, now, do say fort never meant
she should hear Is'posed she was up stairs p
Calculated the Hurried old lady "No, dear,
nope he'll get better; any way it is our du-
" TO nope Tor the best. That's what Elder
Jones said only last Sabbath day!"
"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 I know? You've asked
me that sef-same question forty times this
last week if you've asked it once" said Heze
klah 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 plavin' with
his teelln's just exactly as our cat leases a
mouse. Didn't hear you with my own ears
tellin' 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
"neyer 1t was that mad spirit of coquetry
that possessed me, scarce know how. The
words had not passed my lips before I 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 :?
0, if | could die, too !"
"He is in Gods hands, my child" said the
old man, soemnly, land He who raised the
widows son at Main, and brought Lazarus
back to life, will not fail to do all things we'll
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 lncarnadlne Of the sunset as it famed
above the western pine forest. likening it in
her own mind to the flash of cannon and the
dreadful stains of blood upon the battle field.
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 Underhil looked at his nece's
dropping figure, while strange contortions pass
ed over his Weather-beaten features Once
Or twice he opened his mouth and shut if
again with click like the spring of 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, M" he muttered between his teeth.
fairly beating retreat, and never pausing
until he was under the tossing boughs of the
old naples. Shes daughter, and niece, and
else to me but l can't do it 1t
would spoil all Poor Jessie, poor little brok-
en-hearted dove!"
Was Hezekiah Underhll 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 wifes 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
"Hezekiah, are you crazy?" calculated
Mrs. Underhili.
"Well, no, not exactly" said Hezekiah,
"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-
as Jessie burst out crying, with
her face hidden On her aunt's knee.
" | didn't mean to-" apologized Rezekiah,
but even then his face was in glow with
something brighter than the genial shine of
the freight.
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 Hezekiah
Underhill kept his secret.
x
Ofcourse 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 riVulets of gravy the pvra-
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 pIenteous glorious
Of the feast OF the fathers.
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 punctual to the noon-mark on
the kitchen floor he returned, but not alone. |