The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-12-01

HULDAH. THE HELP.
\ THANKSGIVING LOVE STORY.


I REMEMBER story that Judge Balloon
told a few years ago on the afternoon OF
Thanksgiving Day. / do not feel sure that
il will interest anybody rs it did me. In
deed, am afraid that it will not, and yet
/ cannot help thinking that it is just the
sort of trillc that will go we'll with tur-
key. celery, and mince pie.
II was in the Judges own mansion on
Thirtv-fourth street that | heard it.
ii does not matter To the reader how
/, a stranger, came to be one of that
family party. Since l could not enjoy
the society Of my own family, it was
an act Of Christian charity that permitted
eaten dinner and had adjourned to the
warm bright parlor. I have noticed on
such occasions that conversation is apt to
flag after dinner Whether it is that
digestion absorbs all of ones vitality,
or for some other reason, at least so it gen
orally falls out that people may talk ever
so brilliantly at the table, but they will
hardly keepit up for the first half hour after
ward And so it happened that some of the
party fell to looking at the books and some
to turning the leaves of the photograph
album, while others were using the sterco-
scope. For my own part | was staring at
an engraving in a dark corner of the par
lor " here | could not have made out much
of its purpose if | had desirsd-but in
reality / was thinking of the joyous COM
pany Sf my own kith and kin, hundreds of
miles away, and regretting that could not
be with them
What are you thinking about, papa?'
asked Irene, the judges second daughter
She was a rather naughty looking girl of
sixteen, but, as | had noticed, very much
devoted to her parents. At this moment
she was running her hand through her
fathers hair, while he was rousing himself
from his revery to answer her question.
8 Thinking of the old THANKSGIVING,
which were so different from anything we
have here. They were the genuine thing /;
these are only counterfeits."
Come, tell us about them, please"
This time it was Annie Balcom, the older
girl, who spoke. And we all gathered
round the Judge. For notice that when
conversation does revive, after that period
Of silence that follows dinner, tits very at
tTactivc to the whole company, and in
whatsoever place it breaks out, there is
soon a knot of interested listeners.
Il don't INST now think of any particu
lar story of New England Thanksgiving
that would interest YOU said the Judge
Tell then. about Huldah's mince pie,
said Mrs. Balcom, as she looked up from Il
copy of Whittier she had been reading
| cannot pretend to give the story which
follows exactly in the Judges words, for it
i three years since / heard it, but as near
IN "a i can remember il was as follows:
There was a young lawyer by the name
OF John Harlow practising law here in
New York twenty odd years ago. His
father lived not very far away from my
father John had graduated with honors,
had studied law, and had the good fortune to
enter Immediately into a partnership with
his law preceptor, Ex-Gov. Blank. So
eagerly had he pursued bis studies that for
two Years he had lot seen his country
home. think one reason why he had not
cared to visit it was that his mother was
dead and his only sister was married and
living in Boston. Take the "women-folks"
out of a house. and il never seems much
like home to young man.
But now, as Thanksgiving Day drew
near, he resolved TO give himself brief
release from the bondage of books. He
tod his partner that he wanted to go home
for a week. lie said he wanted to see his
father and the boys, and his sister, who
was coming home at that time, but that he
specially wanted to ride old Bob to the
brook once more, and to milk Cherry
again, just to see how it felt to be a farm
er's boy.
John" said the old lawyer, abe sure
you fix up match with some Of those
country girls; no man is fit for anything
till he is well married. and you are now
able, with economy, to support a wife.
Mind you get one of those country girls.
These paste and powder people here aren't
fit for a young man who wants woman.
Governor said the young lawyer, lay
ing his boots gracefully up on top of pile
of law books, as if to encourage reflection
BY giving his head the advantage of the
lower end of the inclined plane, Govern
or, Il don't know anything about city girls.
! have given myself to my books But |
must have a wife that is literary, like my
self,-one that can understand Emerson,
for instance"
The old lawyer laughed "John," he
answered, The worst mistake you can
make is to marry a woman Just like your
self in taste You don't want to marry 6
woman's head, but her heart"
John defended his theory, and the Gov
ernOr only remarked that he would bC
cured of that sooner or later, and the soon
er the better
The next morning John had lettel
from his sister. Part of it ran abou
thus -
1--WE concluded. old fellow, that if you
don't marry you'll dry up and turn tC
parchment. I'm going to bring home will
me the smartest girl 1 know. She Reads
Carlyle, and quotes Got'e, and under
stands Emerson. OF course she don
know what am up to, but you must pre-
pare to capitAate."
John did not like Amanda's assum
ing to pick a wife for him, but he di'
like the prospect of meeting a sraar
girl, and he opened the letter agail
to make sure that he had no
misunderstood. He read again, under
stands Emerson" John was pleased
Whys / think I can divine. John wa
vain of bis own abilities, and he wante'
avoman that could appreciate him. III
would have told sou that he wanted con
genial society. But congenial female SO
ciety TO an ambitious man whose heart l
yet untouched is only society that, in som
sense, understands his own greatness an
admires his wisdom.
In the old home they were looking 10
the SON. The family proper consisted o
the father, good Deacon Harlow, John
two brothers, ten and twelve years old