Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-11-13
TUE HERALD.
GETTING READY Foa THANKSGIVING
BY NJ. E. wINsLow

-
said Amanda, plaintively as she
threw her dinner basket and hooks
in a corner aud J. epa,ed 10 ca the
supper, which she and nea y 81 read
for her, on her ret RI from be school
hOnse, two long NJ es Pwa,
what possesses you to think OF
Thanksgiving in May? sad Jake,
scornfully. You sight as well talk
about Fourth OF J when he pond
is sll frozen up tn. grC ind GOV.
cred with snow
SO / would, ii j. would max. me
warm to think alb 1t it, So a the lit.
tie girl, looking ost over he broad
meadow land aud reer swses hich
/ lay between her Tile bro IN home
and the black, jag ed noun ain ridge
which had bounced the horiz OF
her whole lite. Oals one housr lay
/ between her ana The mountain,-a
long, low iarmhonse,-where dwclt
her companion, CYNTHIA, with whom
she daily walked those long two
miles 10 school These we're in the
other direction, where, half hidden
in clunp 81 trees, stood the white
church, the black school house, the
/ store, and the five houses composing
the village Not another human
hsbitation was in sight, and, though
there were other farm houses scat
tered here and there in solitary spot.,
even the thought Of this scattered
population did not tend to make one
feel Crowded.
Sits so dull, pursued Amanda
there's never sny thing to do but go
to school, nor anybody to see, nor
anything to hear sbout, except when
the folks come home for Thanksgiv-
ing. just wish we could be getting
ready tor it all the time
so we can, little daughter, said a
gentle, tired voice, as the worn, faded
looking farmers wife placed upon the
table the smoking hot pork, potatoes,
corn.bread and tea, which bad only
awaited the arrival OF the little school
girl Every day of our lives may be
made a preparation for Thanksgiv.
ing, by counting up our mercies, and
thanking the lord for them as we 90
along
'Pshaw : said Amanda, Il didn't
mean that way meant doing some
thing. IT, always so gay and lively
when you're choppng apples and
making pies and all that; but we've
got to wait six whole months for
that, and it's SO dun
Suppose We begin to day, Mandy
said the farmer, an he took bis place
at the table, and you and J Ike spend
your spare time all summer getting
ready for Thanksgiving; hat ia, of
conrse, when lessons are over
Wondering 10, ks crossed the ia
bic, but no more was said fo the
farmer was Just .rady % lay grace,
and after that III. busine g cf the
hour absorbed ey y ones ittei ton.
When tea was over and he farm
lay IN the shadow Il tn gr at noun
tain, whila Slant elbow ra O. sun.
light still rested 81 tt vi lage and
further down the hey, t fs mer
untolded his plan, md be rst rep.
arauon for Thsnl giving az iaade
by the chddren's ons on into the
garden patch AIT n the c alter OF a
great open spac Or >pDi Y hree
squash seeds into n OF On lle il the
70 - Ia D, 7
/ beginning, but Ar10da at one. be.
gan b take Al tere,t il. ga. len
work which she ad never expert
enced before. The next day was
Saturday, AMI Der mother ale her
into the barn yaro and pres ante her
with two setting hens, a brood of
downy little chickens, AND . flock OF
young turkeys
These are all to he yours, daugh.
ter, as long as you tee1 them regu
larly and take care of them All the
turkeys and chickens Won can raise,
and all the eggs you can store, will
be for Thauksgiv ng'
Meanwhile, Jake went with the
farm hands to plant corn, aud under
took to drive the cows TO and from
the pasture every night, and to learn
to milk, that he might help to make
the golden butter, which would be
needed by aud by, to spread Thanks
giving bread aud 10 make the Thanks
giving pie crust
No one heard the children com
plain Of dullness now, for the poultry
and the cows took mp great deal o;
the long, light evenings, and the
shouts of delight with which Aman-
da announced the discovery of shin
ing white eggs, were only equalei by
their Joy at the sight of the little
green squash vines that in time
peeped mp above the dark brown
earth. Then Jake begged for an
other bit of land, in which TO plant
little purple potato-eyes and his
father promised that, it they came to
anything, those potatoes and no 9th
ers should be cooked for the Thanks
giving dinner. Even vegetables can
not grow without care, and potato
ard squash bugs had to be picked
off carefully, while in the long weeks
of July drought the children carried
many tin pal Of water, with which
to keep moist the roots OF their pre-
cious vine and the onion beds, pars
ley beds, and beds of sage and sum.
mer savory, which were to help dress
the Thanksgiving dinner, were kept
by those little Fl gers as free from
weeds as any one conll desire. What
delightful berr, ieg exped lions
Amanda and Jak and Cyl thia had.
during the hot j " al / Angus at
ternoonsl They arkei as the, had
never worked b ore, for hey had
an object in their icki q; ma when
the mother ,hov he lit, d ngh-
ter how to dry tie huo klel erri,s on
boards covered it'll viii D per
and how to NAL bet utif DC ol