Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-28
A THANKFUL THANKSGIVING.
PART t.-oN THE HILLS.

hands.
"This is whet think, you most precious o
All mothers There is no game In the woods
there is nothing, or next to nothing, to ca
mere In the house. Hector knows the first a
well as |, and you the rest; so wemake a ver-
respectable majority, you see"
Hector, hearing hts name called, lifted h
huge sell from the floor and came over to ioiI
an the conversation. II you will add togethe
all the best dogs you ever saw or heard of
and then multiply by two, you have Hector q
the life. I'l not attempt to describe him al
over, Tor couldn't do it, He was not hand
some dog, but oh he was Just splendid "in
side" If you know what mean, and I'm sure
you do. But l musn't skip the top of his
head Such soft, silky hair, parted straight
down the middle. just the place exactly that
baby hands would love to pat.
Hector,h said Harry, 1--WE went hunting
this merning didn't wei'
Hector looked up at the gun over the door,
and then be sneezed,
Right, old boy, f" said Harry "Any squir.
At the word "squirrelsm Hector nearly
went mad. Then he seemed to remember that
ne hadn't seen any at all that day, and he
sobered down at once.
What No squirrelsl" asked Harry.
NOW, Hector, boy If you saw single one,
want you to tell us the truth; but IL you
didn't even see tail, Just roll over twice.
over went Hector in a twinkling,
ANY partridges, Nol That's right. And
now | really don't suppose we have seen
hare for a long, long tirle.n
Hector hung his head.
III we have seen hare in a long, long
time, | want you to sneeze."
Hector sneezed; but it was very sad, slow
sneeEe, and his tail and head were hanging
very low indeed.
Then, if we saw hare, why didn't we
bring 1t home for supperln
Hector didn't move.
Perhaps the little mite of hare got
away from great big dog.n
Hector started for under the bed
Come, come, Harry, Tll not have YOU
make that dear old dog feel so bad,n said his
mother; and Hector gave the littlest wiggle
OF his tail, just to show there might be a
small pit OF happiness way at the tip end.
nGet up In the chair, SIR" said Harry.
Hector meekly jumped up, stood on his
nina legs, and folded his front paws.
80 ho'S AFRAID to look his master in the
tight. 'D ~
20 "oPen your eyes, sir, and look me in the
The dog blinked and tried hard to obey
hard work. '
"The next time we see hare (whcre are
your eyes, sirO-l say, the next time we see
hare, what's going to happenln
rector Slowly opened his mouth-wider,
wider still, until you couldn't see his ewes at
all and then he shut it with snap.
~ you are going to catch him, are you2n
beaS neGeSF aS gave sneeze that almost shook his
1t all up. '''0
Over went the chair, and Hector bounded
TO his master the happiest dog in upper High
Lands.
1t was going to be an early winter even for
upper Highlands. The leaves said so, as they
tumbled and rustled through the long gullies
OF the wood; and the wild geese said SO too,
as they Hooked southwark, in long, wavering
lines, looking like black, crooked arrows hig6
up In the sky. But, surest of all, the children
IN the valley said so as they bundled off 10
school, trying to think OF lessons which.
somehow or other, wouldn't stay lessons, but
would change into skates and sleds before
they knew II. Back on the hills, where Harry
and his mother lived, winter was surely com
ing. The bleak winds whistled about {, e lit
Tie house and roared down the large chimney.
Inc forest gave up plenty of branches, which
the trees generously shook down, so that the
fireplace was always roaring with plenty of
warmth and to spare. But food was scarce.
The little farm had refused to do its share
ana the harvest had been small indeed In
Che woods, too, where game had always been
so plenty, this year it had failed, and Che III.
Tie household was sorely pressed
There's no help for IL, my boy,n said ifs
sistance.n -0- 40
Not to begl"
moth
er, cheerfuly. "But, see here.n
Harry took In his hand the little white box.
In lts soft nest of pink lay pair of tiny dia-
mond earrings. The setting Of gold was old
ana dlngy, but the stones sparkled brilliantly
81 bought those, Harry, when quite a younp
before" -i' u '''eNi
And you shall not think of them now,
InDtner. Why VIII you not let me go to the
village and get work. Hector shall stay with
yon, and every night will come backh
No, Harry; no. You wouldn't come back
over the hills at night, and couldn't have
you away. There must surely be game in the
forest, my boy; and in the meantime we will
oTiuge over this Improbable season with sup
pnes from the village below. Why, all tile
associations Of these earrings have been tear
1ul. cried before / got them, and | cried
aIterWard TO think how foolish 1 had beenn
They sat and talked far into the night.
Tor the mornings fire, and the rather unnec-
doors.
WHATS the matter, Hectore Want to
nave little racing before turning in for the
The dog was standing with his fore.paws
upon the latch, snutiiing at the crack. Harry
opened the door. Whew They had been SO
busy talking that they hadn't noticed the
rising wind nor suspected the snow that now
Mother" said Harry, with his arm on her
sho9ldeTI"m mother, the snow has come"
That was all they said 1t wasn't Ques-
tion OF snow balling aud eoasting with them
~ II meant bitter struggle against poverty
this coming of the snow before it's time.
But, whatever the others thought of it, Hec-
tor was as jolly as a school boy. A whistle
brought him back 10 the house. His shaggy
coat was covered.
perhaps, Harry, it's only another hurry~
"Flurrtes don't take three days TO gather
dear mother; and when they do come the snow
isn't like this"
He rubbed his hand across Hector's back.
and the fine, dry snow fioated out as light as
wool. Nextmorning the snow was still raging.
An DAY long 1t showed, beating up against
the low doors and windows. Now the fence
Is up 10 its neck in the drifts, aud now there
Is no trace of the rails. Hour after hour the
biting wind whistled around the cottage
lnch by inch the snow crept up its sides--high
ABOVE Lhe record OF any former year-and the
long afternoon wore on.
Mother, Pm going TO the valley.n
g. NOT tonight, Harry; not tonight Wait
Bee, we have plenty.n
1t WAS loving mothers "plenty." Enough
for one, and that one not herself.
FOR the nrst time since early morning they
opened the door. solid bank of snow tell
hall across the floor; and outside, as the storm
luiled, could be seen over the tree tops the
broken, trackless waste, stretched far down 10
the valley below.
See, my boy. 1t would be impossible
more"
ga man never risked more than you would
do, were you 10 risk your life on the hills 10
nightn
He knew her meaning. he knew that his
nie 70 her meant everything In this world.
de closed the door. There by the fire lay