The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-12-08

HULDAH BELLINGER'S
THANKSGIVTSG
By AUGUSTA LARNED.

| By AUGUSTA LARSkD.
The great, wide-mouthed chimneys
Of the Bellinger homestead were putting
out volumes of smoke against the clear,
sharp cold. with that peculiar Thank
giving tang which comes in the esrly
dsvs Of New England writer. after kill
ing time is over. and when turkeys are
plump. and the first furry Of snow ha-
powdered tue golden stubhle of the
| fields.
The women folks in the farm house
kitchen were all astir and ba..lng with
! Thanksgiving preparation. Fhe woman
| element had become the Dotential one
| there since Frank, the eldest bow march
ed away, in the battle summer CT '6l. Cd
l the fore front OF the conflict, and lett
| his young wife and child under the shei-
ter Of the old rooftree.
1t WAS whispered that, even in plain
Silas Beliingers time, the gray mare
| had been the better horse;' but, be tina:
as it NAV. Wllder' Beilinyer, or Mother
| Bellinger, as she was more famiiiariv
| called. was . distinctive Individual
rounded and compacted of such elements
of thrift. fore hsndedness, and faculty
as do still largely enter into the compo-
| sition Of New England matronhooi.
| " a AooC
with the smell proper ut such \ time to
Mother Bellinger's kitchen it is impos-
| sible TO describe the incense that rose
! up there, and made a sweet SAVIOR be-
fore the genius of our good old Puritan
feast. The fire board hal been remov-
ed from the mouth of the great stone
| chimney, and a broad sheet of flame
went streaming up the sooty flue, in RI
| yalry with the fierce draft of the cook
ing stove.
| Mother Bellinger, of ample, solid pro-
portions, with the sleeves of her stuff
gown tucked well up above her broad,
dimpled elebows, stood by the table
packing q com Portable basket with speci-
mems Of flesh and fowl, highly sugges-
/ tive Of the season.
There was fat goose, pair Of chick
ems, coil of rich sausage, and q we'll
frozen spare-rib.
Come. Jack, stir your stumps! said
she to hardy, thick set lad of fourteen,
who was taking a bite preparatory to go
ing out into the cold.
I'm ON hand, mother, like hot cake
said Jack, wiping his mouth on his jeck-
et-sleeve, and pushing back his empty
plate.
Bundle up we'll; and by that time II
| have the basket ready
| Jack accordingly wrapped his tippet
around his ears, pulled down the lap
pets Of his cap, and slipped his hands
into q pair of blue yarn mittens that
Icame high up on his wrists.
| Meantime Mother Billinger was giving
directions
Tue sassage and spare rib. mind, is
for Blind Betty. Take the goose to Par
son Hszeltine's; and tell MISS Hazeltine
to bile it two good hours before she puts
it ia to bake, or it will be as tough as
sole leather. Then drive on to old lady
Bascom's with the chickens Hold a
bit. though! / Ii just tie them together
with string; and you can hang them
on the knob of the door. aud give a
knock aud slip off behind the woo1pile
don't want Miss ualviny spreading on
the thanks, next Sunday, and rubbing
'em in before the whole congregation
She's good hearted creatur'; but
when she gets to going. she hangs on
like the tooth ache. There, now, make
tracks.
Jack arasped the handle Of the basket
in his mittened hand. and shut the door
behind him with q slam, but he was not
to get off 80 easily. Mother Beitinger.
in her energetic way, ran after the lad,
and threw up the lower sash OF the
kitchen window.
Jack, Oh! jack
jack was unhitchiug Billy "a scraw-
ney Old nag. with hide that looked as
il 1t had vet 20 be introduced To curry
comb for the frs, time) AMI cramping
the wagon.
Go to Giles's, and git three lamp
chimueys. and q bottle of vermilla ex-
tract, n box OF Babbitts ratsin' powder.
half dozen lemons, and ten pounds OF
that A sugar he promised me.
Hold on, mother. Gosh. how you
do confuse a fellows head piece. Have
Hulda write them things down on 3
piece of paper
There ain q mite OF time. Hulda's
as busy as bee in a pumpkin blow
Don't fail 10 go TO the Deacon s. con
tiuued the matron, rising her voice. and
leaning her stout person more and more
over the window-ledge. Tell him to
come AMI eat dinner with US to morrow,
after meeting. He must fetch the girls
along, too, or Hulda will be disappoins-
ed
'Oh, mother, cried Huliah Bellinger
a pretty. fresh Yankee lass, of twenty
from where she sat by the chimney side,
briskly rubbing some old fashioned sill
yer spoons with whitening and chamois-
leather, you know well enough I never
liked the Bridgem girls
Mother Bellinger squared round upon
Huldah, with a frown. That's your
contrariness. It's real Bellinger
stresk. l always told your father so,
when he was alive It's my right to
send what word l please; and, when
} folks come to the house, they shall be
well treated.
Hu.dah gathered up the whitening and
the silver spoons in her apron; and, with
her blooming face slightly discomposed.
ran to the window. and looked out over
her mothers big shoulder.
Jack. / say, Jack. Don't forget to in
quire at the post-office-
Jack was giving Old Billy his head
now, and the chips of the backyard
were beginning to crunch under the