The Worthington advance., 1878-11-28

AUNT HARR'ET'S sANP PUDDING (.
/ Good Yankee Thanksgiving Story.
II declar. fort" sighed Aunt Harriet
sinking wearily into the splint. bottom
cd rocking chair, setting her felt-slipper'
ed feet upon the stove-hearth and clasp
inc her hands in front of her knees-"I
aeclar' fort, if don't think this maxim
Thanksgivin' Day a matter of cookln'
and eatin' is the most foolish OF oil our
New England notions. Every year since
can remember the program has been
The same. The whole month of NoveIn-
her spent in preparin' for this grand gas
tronomical exhibition as Parson Pendp
ton used to call it l have never in my
life been away from this house on a
Thanksgivin' Day; and ey'ry year we've
been overrun with company. Father
wouldn't think twas Thanksgivin', I
s'ooso, if the house WASN'T full. For my
mart l should like change; either to go
som m'ers, Thankegivin' Day, and DC wait
ed on. or stay at home by myself"
80, Harriet, ! wouldn't talk So" re.
monstrated grandmother, who was tax
ing off her false front and putting on her
white muslin night-cap. "You know tho
work of prepariA' for dear ones is pleas
ant work. Our social family gatherin's
make us all better and happier. Your
father would feel oreadfully cut up to
hear you run on IN this complainin' way
about maxim Thanksgivin'. OF course
you are tired tonight, but don't think
about that; count over your marcies, and
think how much you have to be thankful
for"
"Hum,' went on the wearied spinster
in her peculiar nasal tone, II could make
Thanksei7in' in my heart so that it would
sing for Joy without maxim such an ado
about my stomach"
Reaching down and opening the oven
door, q suggestive and delicious odor as
Of baking fowls and browning pastry
bust forth, filing the roomy kitchen.
She peered inside theoyen for moment,
turned around one of the pans, using q
corner of her long, straight. blue print
apron for q holder, and then, shutting in
the culinary wonders which were to
grace to.morrow's dinner, she'continued.
~ have spent three weeks in house
cleaning, only to get everything in sp:
ple-pie order just in time to be turned
topsy -turvy. Every room is full tonight
and must stretch my tired frame on q
lounge. 1t never makes any difference
where Harriet sleeps; she can be tucked
anywhere. Last night was up until
eleven o'clock to get the pound cake all
baked. Night before last it was the
1
will be eleven before these chicken pies
are Drowned fit to be seen, and tiat mid
night before can get to bed. I am tired
and sick Of the great National stu6ing
day, and for my own part shan't want u
mouthful Of the nice food that the :ntry
shelves arc groaning under. would far
rather have 8 bowl of samp and milk,
and day Of leisure along with it,"
The bedroom door just behind the
speaker was unlatched, and John and his
wife, who had, late in evening, driven
in from the west part of the the town, so
a. to be at home to breakfast on Thanks
giving morning, and who had been put
into Harriet's room, heard every word of
this TRADE.
"Wc'll have them all next year if we
get the house fixed over" whispered Jane
under the blue and white covirIid, John
nodded assent, whispering in his turn
lit is hard on Harriet to be sure
The subjcct was broachc;l next day,
was agreed to by all hands, and through
out the year it was talked of as a settled
thing that their next Thanks giving re.
union should be held at Johns.
Father and mother are 10 como over or
Monday" said Johns wife, as the fcsta
season drew near, land on Wednesday
when the preparations are nearly OF quite
complete, VIC will send the team fol
Harriet"
"lll not make that amount Of trouble
for anybody replied the maiden sister
who was in fact the mainstay at tn,
homestead. III I conclude to Join il
your dinner, I will,on Thursday mornin'
walk over through the woods in time t
60 to meetin' with you"
Grandpa Buxton's farm consisted of
long strip laying between two rivers, witt
awoodcd mill about midway of1ts length
Grandpa lived in the old tarlnhous.: il
the eastern meadow; and John had fittet
up an elegant new residence on the banl
of the west river. So the old couple wcr
not to leave the ancestral acres, although
it was four miles from one house to th
other around the point Of ths hill, sne
two mile, G7 the fno. ar! t:ii:
path across the woods.
On the sunny, smoky 5Ioutlay r,orc n:
preceding Til@n living, grandpa a,it
grandma started witt; old Dobbin and th
chaise to jog around the mountain roa,
to Johns. And on that same Monda,
morning in the far West g pretty plum
little woman, with her husband end fiv
children, started in an OK x-cart to 60 til
fifteen or twenty miles to the nearest rail
way station, where six Of them were +
take the cars for the East to spen
Thanksgiving, while tho father retracc
his wear'sone way to the lonely log cabi
on the forest prairie.
1t was rather dowdy and old-cas},
ioned company, as might have been ex
pccted, 30 far as clothes were concerned
but attractive in their rosy healthy, buoy
ant good nature. They were ali as han
py as happy could tc-fro!n twelve Jca1
old Johnny to Baby 1Iat-for were the
not journeying to the wonderful home
stead where mamma lived when she wa
little girl? and where the scenes of al
mammas stories were laid--''mamma
splendid stories, which were better tha
any fairy stories, or any stories printe
IN books or papers
On, on they whirled. twas Wednes
day afternoon; yet these children, wh
had never in their lives been five mile
from their own clearing, were not eros!
or sour, or out Of patience, although the
were dreadfully tired, and oh, so hungry
tor the sizable lunch basket, well file
when they started from home, had quit
given out, and the reinforcemcnts bough
in haste at wayside restaurants not y
filling.
only fifty miles from grandpa's now,
and the plump little woman marsba,le