Ellsworth American., 1876-12-07

|
mothers walk beside them, sweet and SER
ious, and clad In the garment of power
A Story Of Thanksgiving
1t was one of those dead November days
when all the color and sparkle of Nature
seem To have faded out forever. The sky
had a cold steely glitter betokening storm,
while over the landscape was hush
that sort of ready air peculiar
| to the uncertain period which we feel does
| not rank with the golden autumn time,
and which we yet hesitate to call winter.
IL was day when one longs to lose
there could be perhaps, no place better
| than the pleasant parlor of Ellnor Reid'S
home. TO define precisely in what the
charm of this room consisted would be
| difficult IL lay, not Merely In the red
! sunshine of the crate, the Towering plants
| in the bay-windows. the fine old engrav-
ings on the walls the brackets and statu-
J cites. or the numerous dainty specimens Of
| feminine haddiwork and skill; but with all
| these was that indefinable rare atmosphere
| that gives one sense as If receiving an in
| visible benedicton. Other homes may pos
sess more luxurious appointments even
than this; may be filed with all the treas
| ures that taste can command and money
supply and yet remain social arctic re.
gions TO the end of the chapter. But here
was perpetual summer, June days Of spir-
il, though the Almanac said November.
Elnor sat by the front window gazing
idly out into the street. Not a stitch Of
work IN her hands, as live" was the eX-
clamation Of Miss Lodemy Brown, who,
according to her custom, was peerlng out
through the blinds over the way. Won
der what Elinor Reid finds to look at =
There's nothing going on as see
Apparently, Miss Lodemy was justified
In her decision. Nothing was going on
at least nothin. to warrant Elinor's ab-
sorbing interest. Groups OF children with
books and luuch-baskets, hurried, laugh
ing and chatterlng, along the sidewalk. IL
needs rot quick ears TO catch the secret OF
their unusual exultation-'No school to-
morrow! ll's Thanksgiving" All the af-
ternoon. sharp. distinct rifle cracks had be-
trayed the fact that one of those iuhuman
practices known as turkey shoot was in
full operation on a hill just back OF the
town; and now and then a returning loaf
er struggled BY with his gun and game
Clustered round the store at the corner
opposite were several farmers teams wait
Ing for their owners, who were eXchang
ing farm produce for fine groceries, and
lingering in idle gossip by the counter
TIE men file out nova roGgh-coated,
heavy booted procession, and prepare TOR
their homcward ride. The grocer comes
10 the door to take down his long adver-
Using column Of haf-froZen poultry suS-
pended outside, and TO exchange few last
yood-natur-d common-piaces With his Gus
toners Looks kinder wintersh, hey,
Joues2 Going to touch us up on prohi-
bition. pretty soon, deacon? The CHEEKY
voice is not silent until the last wagon
clattcrs down over the frozen -uts in the
road. and winds slowly up The hill toward
home.
where Who can tell OF what hi. neigh
Dor Is thinking while seeming to observe
only-the weather? She looked dcsper-
ateIy tired OF herself And no wonder
There is no torment like that OF heayiness
Of spirit
How shall we describe her to satisfy
those who think beauty special property
OF the teens? She was no longer young.
as girls call young; thirty, il she's day,
had been Miss Lodemy's verdict nearly
wear before the date of our story. An old
maid, How uninteresting. dlsdainfully
exclaims sweet sixteen, 10 whom the term
Is suggestive only OF plain sewing, or be
spectacled, prim-visaged schoo-ma ANS.
But IL is barely possible that sweet sixteen
may lind some day that the mature, cnlti-
waited, refined woman has a charm beside
which crude girlhood suffers in compar-
ison.
Elinor was neither handsome nor pretty.
She was simply attractive. You could not
pass adverse criticism on n single feature,
and vet YOU could not love her Tor any one
alone She had Il pure blonde complex
ion. gray eyes. and fine dark hair In which
was AN incipient curl. You would not call
her tall aud vet, owing TO sweet. SIM
pie dignity, her own peculiar possession,
she seemed to tower above other women.
| Yoi thought your best thoughts in her
prescnce. She never talked TO you with
wondering eyes, nor anticipated your halt
uttered expression by yes She WAS new
/ er guilty OF a mean satisfaction AT anoth-
! er's weakness. She impressed one as hav-
! ing strength and nobility of character; as
| beng capable of standing alone.
She-but, after all. there is no use con-
tinuing the subject. She cannot be put
down on paper. From this scauty outline
| the reader must make such portrait as
best suits his Imagination.
We have said that Elinor looked desper-
| ately tired of herself as she sat looking
out of the window. Her modes were not
born of the weather; something more
than the dreary day was evidently the
canse OF her depression. The truth is,
Elinor was having the struggle which,
sooner or later, comes to all women when
called upon to place girlish fancy beside
a deeper, richer, more fervent feeling
Girish fancy? She remembered the time
when she would have scorned this imputa-
ton.
Eyerybody in Thorndale knew that the
new minister, Gilbert Palmer, was in love
with Elnor Ried. Everybody in Thorn
dale strongly suspected that Elinor Ried
was in love with her cousin John Douglas.
As usual everybody was right, and every
body was-wrong. Elinor and her cousin
had been devotedly attached to each
other. They were just the same age, and
in childhood had been inseparable com
panions.
John was, by nature. an artist. His
tastes however, met with no encourage
ment from his father, who had other de
signs for the future OF his only son. There
had been passionate quarrels between the
two. and finally, after stormier scene
than common, John resolved TO go out in
to the world and seek his own fortune
From his mother and cousin Elinor, he re
ceiyed sympathy and loving appreciation
The former assisted him by all the means
at her disposal, while the latte r fed his am
bition by her belief in his genius and ultl
mate success.
"A partner in the wool business? Thinl
of 1t Nelly. bitterly exclaimed the young
man, as he came to bid his cousin good
by. Keep OH with your brushes and pain
: pots, If YOU choose, and-starve. Not {
penny will / ever give to help you, wer'
fathers last wOrdsjithis morning. l d.
, choose to keep on. He shall acknowledg
, some day the value OF the despised brush
, es and paint pots. And, Nellie, mind yo'
don't lose faith in me, and when com
back
1 These sweet significant blanks in the lov
er's dialect! Who needs to fill them up
/ Certainly this boy and girl Of eighteen un
derstood oach other. And SO they ha,
parted The years passed on, and sti
8 John fingered in Germany, hard-wOrk
0 ing, lonely student Success had not com
t to him in q full tide; he had been refresl
ed only by an occasional scanty ripple
. Absence tries the worth Of our friends 81
e yerelv; but at the end of eight years. Joh
: Douglass had no reason to complain OF hi