Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-12-08
MISCELLANEOUS.
HULDAH, THE HELP.
. THANKSGIVING LOVE STORY.

told q few years ago on the afternoon OF
Thanksgiving Day. do not feel sure that
ii will interest anybody as IT did me. In.
deed, am afraid that it will not, and yet
cannot help thinking that 1t is just the
sort OF trifie that will go well with tur-
key. celery, and mince pie.
II was in the Judges own mansion on
Thirty-fourih street that heard 1t.
. Il does not matter 10 the reader how
!, II 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
me 10 share the joy Of others. We had
eaten dinner and had adjourned to the
warm bright parIor. / 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 1t gen.
orally falls out that people may talk ever
80 brilliantly at the table, but they will
hardly keepitup for the first halfhour after
ward. And so it happened that some Of the
party fell TO looking at the books and some
70 turning the leaves Of the photograph
album, while others were using the stereo-
scope For my own part, was staring at
an engraving in dark corner Of the par.
lor, where could not have made out much
of its purpose IL | had desired--but in
Beality was thinking of the joyous com.
pany # my own kith and kin, hundreds of
miles away, and rcgrctting that could not
be with them.
"What are you thinking about, papa9'
asked Irene, the Judges second daughter
She was 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.
Thinking Of the old Thanksgivings
whichwerc so different from anything we
have here. They were the genuine thing |;
these are only countcrfcits"
"COme, tell us about them, please"
This time 1t 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, ii is very at
tractiye to the whole company, and in
whatsoever place 1t breaks out, there is
soon knot Of interested listeners.
II don't just now think of any particu-
lar story of New England Thanksgivings
that would interest you," said the Judge.
"Tcll them about Huldah's mincc-pie
said Mrs Balloon, as she looked up from a
copy Of Whittier she had been reading.
cannot pretend to give the story which
follows exactly in the Judges words, for il
il three years since ! heard it, but rs near
ly as can remember It was as follows:
There was q young lawyer by the name
of John Haslleeaw, practising INV 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 tt
enter Immediately into partnership with
his law preceptor, Ex-GOv. Blank. Sc
eagerly had he pursued his studies that for
two years he had not seen his country
homo. | think one reason why he had not
cared to visit II was that his mother was
dead, and his only sister was married and
living in Boston. Take the "women- folks
out Of house, and it never seems much
like homo TO young man. 1Es9
But now, as Thanksgiving Day drew
near, he resolved to give himself brie
release from the bondage Of books. II,
told his partner that he wanted to go homt
for week. He said he wanted to see hi
father and the boys, and his sister, wht
was coming home at that time, but that h
specially wanted to ride old Bob, to tn
brook once moro, and to milk Cher.
again, just to sec how It felt TO DO . farm
cr's boy.
"Join," said the old lawyer, "be sur
you fix up a match with some of thos
country girls; no man is fit for anythin!
till he is well married, and you are nov
able, with economy, to support o wife
Mind you get one Of those country girls
These paste and powder people here aren'
at for young man who wants woman.
'sGovcrnor,n said the young lawyer, lay
ink his boots gracefully up on top Of a pill
Of law books, as II to encourage reelection
by giving his head the advantage of thu
Dwor end Of the inclined plane, Govern
or, II don't know anything about city girls
have given myself to my books. But
must have wife that Is literary, like my
self--one that can understand Emerson
for instance" sf
The old lawyer laughed. "John," h
answered, "the worst mistake you ca
mako is to marryA woman just like your
sclf In taste. You don't want TO marry