Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-11-30

loving embr.cs.
Thanksg;visg le1eries.
Kind reader. vs probably ssv,,
saw you. don't know you. but he,..
our hand and there'sa chair: ana
now for . fee-a-sese about old TIM.
The last time You were ct hon.
Thanksgiving Day-do you remen-
BERT whsn the boys" came hous
and the married sisssr, Ann, or jam
or something else came too, q proud
Of the little vhite-A flannel bundle
with blue eyes. - queen of her dis-
dem? And wasn't that baby q nov.
city in the old homestead And
was il not you that rummased the
garnet for the old red cradle thev
lulled us in when, fast to the moor.
ings of . mothers love, We rocked
on the bither shore of time. And
who brought down the high chair"
that, in turn. bad been lie throne Of
half-a-dozen of US, in turn, rs Ne
grew old enough to WELD the wea.
pons Of table warfare! Ard Who
does not remember where that
was tucked away? Over behind the
spinning-wheel that used to accom-
pany the sweet song that mother
sang, years and years ago. And
there's the distaff now, in the chink
of q rafter. Do you rememble Q
fine morning we went to the woods
| after it, and bright black-eyed boy
of four went too? There be sits
now, on the opposite side Of the ia.
BILE, "i in the old place" with wits.
kers and a beard, and q voice that
would mock q nor'wester!
That song! How we tried to get
mother to sing the old song we loved
so we'll! "Boys, I can't sing" said
the old lady; "my singing days ate
over" Rut she was over-persuaded,
as she al,oays was-for to which Of
US did she ever refuse boon ?-and
how still it was when she began!
Her voice was like q fast-failing
fountain. She faltered as the old
memories came thronging back upon
her, and somehow her glasses were
a little dim. God bless the old
fashioned mothers forever! Who Of
us didn't say it theuf Who e US
does not breathe it powP
Well, then came the dinner-ths
Thanksgiving Dinner. How the
pantry and poultry had suffered to
furnish that marriage table-the
marriage Of the Present and the
Past. It was the old table with the
fall-leaves, that had succeeded the
little predecessor, when there were
only father, mother and one baby
The old strife to I" set the chairs up
is renewed. We are all seated-eve'
ry chair is filed. FillsdP Erers
chair? All! but one. two or three
God grant it be but one! God gram
it be not one! That one vacan
placed All see it, all remember
There is o pause; thought and
Sigh for the absent, and the battle
begins. How old "reminiscences arr
revived over the steaming turkey and
homemade mince pies! and we al
get years nearer the purer realm o.
childhood and heaven.
! The afternoon wears away. APP
Piles from the trees that we're planted
when each Of US was born, were
brought from the cellar. And
among them is an apple from Fred''
tree, and Fred is Nobody car
say it, 90 everybody is silent.
One look at the rooms; the mo- .
room, the south room and the sass
room. Here are So-and-so's emf
tials on the window-oasing. They
look dim, but maybe the dimness ia
nearer the eyes. after al.
The sleigh-bells (there used to be
snow in old -fashionsd Thanksgivings)
chime impstiently ct the door. Such
bundling and mufling and good-by'
ing-ths old lady urging us. every
one in turn. TO keep warm and tying
our " comfosters"-thst's the word
over again. and al that. Away We
60. one after another, and the old
homestead n Quiet again. The