The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-11-26
HANNAH BERRY'S THANKSGIVING.
PART I'm THE rooR-HoUsE.
BY OLIVE THoRNE.

PART In THE PooR-HoUsE.
Nor a very attractive place for story d?
Well. know it.. But the fact is | can't
help it, for the story began there, and if l
should leave out everything that could
shock a fastidious taste. | might as well
not begin at all. For it is shocking. all
through. Il tells of common people IN a
common New England village, and there
isn't person of style in it, from begin
ming to end.
So now. dear readers-who care to read
on after that announcemeIft-let us begin
in the Poor-hOuse.
"Next Thursdays Thanksgiving, Han
nah," said old sally Wilder; Lofty went
to meeting last night, and she says the
minister gave il out"
Hannah sighed. and her knitting-needles
stopped for a moment.
"Well, WELL" she replied. Thanks
giving is not for us. We've got nothing
TO be thankful for-that know Off
Not much, know" said the first old
woman, i'm the tone of one reciting a les
son; nothing but a roof to shelter us ;
enough to eat-such as it isl she added in
lever tone, "and clothes TO cover us
mighty coarse ones at that" she added in
the same low tone. i
Yes" said her companion, bitterly
''but if we hadn't been SO kindly cared for
we would have been dead and out of our
misery. For my part, wish was dead in
ditch long ago"
"Dear mei'' said Sally. shaking her
head; Il don't. / kind o. cling to life,
ifit is in the County-house, and | have
not a chick nor child above the sod to
bless myself with"
Much good it would do you if you
had" muttered Hannah Berry. There's
no dependence to be placed on the love OF
children that you've borne and reared.
and worked your fingers to the bone for
in this world"
/" can't feel TO blame you, Hannah"
said Sally, kindly, ''for feeling hard like
toward children you've brought up and
slaved for, who turn you out in your old
age, to come on the town. But there's
one comfort left us, old friend"
What is that? ~ asked Hannah, taking
up her coarse blue checked apron to wipe
away a solitary tear which took its lonely
way down her worn cheek.
at is the Blessed Book that has so much
comfort for U.S.
Hannah's knitting-needles fairly
snapped; her gray eyes-faded with many
tears-sparkled, and her voice grew al
most tlerce as she answered:
"rm glad you can find comfort i'm it,
Sally-God knows you neea it. But for
me | can't feel TO enjoy it. Don't it say
something about the good man, and
his widow never deserted nor want
ing bread? And can You show me a
better man than Captain Berry always
was, and haven't | wanted bread many
and many a time? Don't tell me!
There isn't a speck of comfort for me
in that book. Dear me,' she went on,
letting her knitting drop in her lap, and
rocking back and forth i'm her wooden
rOcking-chair, show my Ben would have
felt to know his little wife, as he used to
call me. would end her DAYS in the poor
house. Who would have thought, Sally,
when YOU and married smart young fell
lows, owners of their own vessels both of
them, and set up housekeeping so snugly,
with everything so nice, that we would sit
together in this place in our old age, and
knit coarse socks for paupers."
"Ah. well-a-day," said Sally, chccriully;
s'maybe it's all for the best"
''All for the best?' said Hannah. "DOn't
tell me! Is it all for the best that my own
children that | brought into the world,
and took care of them when they were
helpless babies, and worked for when their
poor father was lost at sea, and tugged
and toiled that they might be comfortable,
and dress well, and hold up their heads
with the best, and spent every cent could
earn. and sold every stick Offurniture that
their father bought me. even the dear old
cottage itself; and left myself old and
worn-out and destitute-is it for the best
that they should turn me out to starve? or
to come on the town, which is worse? No!
no! it's no use talking TO me, Sally.
know you mean kindly, but you can't un-
derstand the sharpness of it. It's thous-
and times worse than death, " she went on
more quietly, sand as l sit here and knit,
think of it every day, and it cuts deeper
and deeper into my heart, and wonder
don't die, just with the ache oft"
She had stopped rocking now. and her
head. with its snowy hair closely banded
away from her face, lay heavily against the
chair, as though too weary to live.
Don't take on so nOw," said Sally
kindly. ''You aint so bad off as you
might be. S'pose'n | wasn't here to talk to
YOU, and there's Lofty! that child's a real
comfort to yOu-sO kind and thoughtful
for you-now amt she?"
Hannah sat up and resumed her knit
ting. She could not indulge in the luxu-
ry of rest.
Yes" she said, after moment ''you
are comfort 10 me, Sally, and Lofty, too;
only my heart aches for the child having
to begin in this dreadful place. It's bad
enough for us old ones, who have had our
good times, to end here.'
80 wei, nobody knows what good luck
may come to Lofty. She's got a neat and
wholesome look about her, for all her ltal-
ian blood" said Sally. who was inclined to
take more cheerful view of things than
her old friend.
Nothing so good that she'll ever be
able TO forget her life in the poor-hOuse.
I'm afraid." said Hannah, sadly. w
"Well, there's worse than the poor
house for a young girl, said Sally. : p
ssOh. yesi of course there's always some
thing worse" said Hannah. as the door
opened to admit a girl of fourteen. She
was very dark, and her hair, which was
black and very thick, was cut short in her
neck. E
She closed the door and came up to the
fire.
There's a man in the other room, = she
said in pleasant voice, asking for Mrs.
Berry" 49,
Why, that's me!r said Hannah. retir-
ing as quickly as rheumatism and tremb-
ling knees would let her.
"What can he want with me? Maybe
it's Johnny come back after his mother,
after ALL she muttered TO herself as she
hobbled across the floor TO the door.
No repentant sen met her eyes as she
entered the. best room. Nobody but Caleb
Bent, an old neighbor. Her face fell-he
saw it. r1 ~.
How de do, Mrs. Berry, he said
briskly. Amt over'n above glad to see
me, heys Wall, never mind. don't bear
any grudges-l've just stepped over on
business, you see."
Business" said the little woman.
"then you didn't ask for me?" and she
turned togo. s-.--.-
+" Stop 3 bit!-but I ala though, just