Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-03

the turkey so guess VIC "ont Law
none. When | yet home from Miss Scarletfs
I'll Just roll ont little paste, and can mix
up and kind o. stew few cranbries fore go
to bed; and II you'd stone some raisns as
you sit here to day, I'll mix little plum
pudding tomorrow, aud well call that our
Thanksgiving"
The old lady expressed her entire satisfac-
ton; said she should eat no turkey herself, II
they had any; that she thought 1t would be
as much bother To her as 1t would be TO Hep
zibah. And they thus disguised from each
other the truth, which was perhaps wei
known TO both OF them, that turkey Tor
Thanksgiving was as unattaiDable as was
Aladdin's Roc, or a Roc's egg, had they taken
any fancy that way.
At noon the two took another cup OF tea
together and each ate q cold sausage. Hep
zibah said she was rather In hurry To get
round TO Miss Scarlett's, because they would
not be able TO do nothing till she got there
and would be kinder expecting her She
would not get a regular dinner, therefore. at
home, unless her mother particularly wished
IL. Her mother replied that she did not feel
much like eating, and had thought OF sug-
costing that they should not set the table Tor
dinner but have bit Of bread and butter
and cup OF tea. so they were both satisfied,
Or pretended TO be- and Hepzibah went TO
Miss scarletts.
She had not been gone more than half an
hour when the old lady, sitting In that eternal
darkness, was reused from her after-luncheon
doze by rap at the door. She cried Come
INF" as loudly as her weak old voice would
say SO; and Miss Maria entered. chcerily and
cordially. She was no stranger in the place,
and Mrs. Brown recognized her knock, step,
and voice Immediately. Miss Maria was a
little disappointed that she did not find Hep
zibah; but was glad to find she had "got
work" She inquired carefully about Mrs.
Browns health; and, which was much more
TO the point, listened faithfully and
patiently to the old lady's answer--a
thing philantbropists are not quite 80
sure TO do as they are to make proper
inquiries. Miss Maria then said she
thought times were going TO mend, and that
It would be mild winter, and that work
would be more plenty than ever, and that she
thought Hepzibah would have more than she
could do for which opinions ! am afraid
Miss Maria was largely indebted TO cheer
full temper. STILL as she held them, in GER
tain form, am glad that she expressed them
TO poor old Mrs Brown, who certainly needed
all the comfort she could pick up, and whose
means OF knowing the "mind Of the street"
on such subjects were limited. Then Miss
Maria said she could not make long call, and
came TO the proper object OF her visit.
She went TO the door and, with her own red
right hand, brought In the turkey, which she
had waiting there for surprise. All! me.
There was no need leaving ii outside TO sur
prise old Mrs. Brown. Miss Maria might have
brought In feather-bed on her back and the
old lady would not have known 1t In that eter-
nal midnight.
As IL was Miss Maria brought In her plump
eleven FOUNDER and put II on the table at the
old lady's side, and explained that the young
ladies ~ the Bible-class had arranged the din
ner as a surprise for Hepzibah, and made as
II she had herself nothing TO do with the af-
fair. Then she tapped at the. window,
doorway, where he had been wait
ing for the proper moment In the
surprise. with the sugar and tea and cram
berries and squashes, the cheese and apples,
and the bag OF flour. She explained what
these "fixin's" were, and was about To leave
somewhat abruptly, when the old lady, who
was really very thankful and behaved very
sweetly through the whole, asked her If
Phineas would mind putting all the things
into the store-closet, and laying the turkey
on a certain shelf which she described, high
above the highest flight OF the cat in the back
entry, For, she said, 1t occurred TO her that
IL would be very good fun to surprise Hep
zibah when she came back from Miss Scar
let's. ought, perhaps, to mention In this
place that 1t was now forty years since " Miss"
Scarlet had been united In marriage TO the
Hon. lie Fevre Scarlett-she having been
Miss Lillian White--and that the title miss
was merely the form used by the aborigines
In describing the condition OF honorable
wedlock.
Phineas gladly fell In with all Mrs. Browns
Devices and the stores were concealed ac-
cording to her order.
She had relapsed into stoning the raisins,
after knitting few rounds on along stocking
which Miss" flumptre had sent he yarn
for, and which was to be sent to Maori
chicftain when 1t was finished and when Its
companion was finished, when she was
aroused again by the sharp closing OF the
outer door downstairs. There was no room
for question as TO the step on the stairs this
time. Men and angels knew that step as that
OF Officer Fosdick, who was this week
on the day patrol In Lucas street;
and Mrs. Brown, who was neither man MOI
an angel, knew IL as well as II she had been
both at once. Hastily she ran through the
little catalogue Of her sins and Hepzibah's
inquiring which Of them fell within the
category OF crimes prohibited by the law
She was certain that they had not thrown
marbles at an auctioneer, as Harry Griggs did
and was sent TO Marlborough for doing H.
Certainly they had not lifted ribbons from
Mudge's, as that odous Miss Farrelly did, In
the next house, when the neighborhood was
disgraced by her arrest She knew that the
pipes and faucets had not been protected
against the cold; but she did not believe thai
there had been any frost vet hard enough u
catch them, and she and Hepsie were, al
usual, running for luck In the hope that there
might not be. As officer Fosdck stumped
up the stairs Mrs. Brown thus exhausted hei
catalogue OF crime, and with conscious limo
cence uttered severe 81 Come inl"
"How do, Miss Smith " said Officer Eos
dick, civilly enough. Thankee, mum, I'm
pretty well myself. Isn't your daughter to
home 7" SsrTefsM 49,
"No, SIR" said Mrs. Brown, still with con
scious innocence and greatly aggrieycd
Hepzibah Is not ut home.n Was she to re
joice or not ut her absenceY Suppose Hep
zbah were to be arrested at some distance
from home, what would become of Mrs
Brown?
"Sorry, num-" said officer Fosdick; "bnt
It's just as WELL seeing you are" Horrible
suspense to Mrs. Brownl Suppose she were
arrested and hauled to prison, as Paul and
Silas were at Philippi, what would happen
when Hepzibah returnedl
But the suspense did not last many seconds
Officer Fosdick continued, IN tone which
showed that he was well pleased:
"The Captain sends his compliments, mum
TO you and your daughter, mum; and here's a
turkey, mum, for Thanksgiving. There's been
q little subscription at the station, mum, to
give turkeys To them as might not-well, as
might not have thought TO buy 'em, mum;
and the Captain said himself mum, that he
wanted to be sure YOU had one, num-