The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-12-15
THREE THANKsGIVINGs.

;. Thanksgiving, Judge Cleveland
3 house Of Co., n. H. was th
scene of unusual festivities. Th
most extensive preparation had beer
made for the comfort and pleasure
ofsome thirty or forty invited guests
for the judge was an old fashioned
host and liked to entertain sumptu
ously. Rodney, the judges SOB wa'
home from college for week. and
had brought with him a few friends
whose homes were too far away tc
enable them TO gs ana return in the
short time allotted for a vacation.
Mrs. Cleveland was a delicate lit
tie lady several yearS younger than
her husband, who delighted to please
him by keeping open house, second
ing his desires and his whins with
astonishing patience. for Judge
Cleveland was known to be some
thing of an sutecrat. and had been
heard to say that his will was always
Law ia his own house. The geotle.
mans will vas always law on the
bench and while very generous 70
the poor and suffering, was sure to
give evil doers the seyerest penal
ties The statutes afforded. Judge
Clevelaud's father had always had q
sideboard in his Il use, and the judge
insisted on perpetuating the custom,
although his wife by persuasion, and
even tears, had constantly used her
influence against it Judge Cleve-
land believad in wine at dinner, and
a drink Of brandy whenever he felt
like it. "a man with a mind" be
was accustomed to say, knew when
to leave off. and man without a
mind would get drunk anyhow"
The judge frequently boasted that
he was sure his son would never i'm
bibe any bad habits with the wine
he drank at his fathers table. Wine
had always been as free as water in
the Cleveland family, and from first
to last there had never been
drunkard by that name. The judge |
was accustomed TO close his remarks |
on this subject by declaring that III
such 8 thing should happen that
Rodney should ever become the
worse for liquor, and he found it out,
then Rodney and he parted compa
NY for the rest of their lives" Mrs. /
whe knew that her boy
would be banished at once and for
ever, if an accident of this kind .
should occur, which. under the cir
seemed to the anxious
mother mere than likely, was always
i'll a. ease during The time Of any
extraordinary festivities. just be.
fore sitting down to the sumptuous
Thanksgiving dinner, Mrs. Cleve-
land took advantage Of a spare mo.
ment. to give her son the usual
warning. What a funny little
mother !" laughed the young man as
he put his arm about the slight fig
ute and looked down into her eyes
with uuu,terable love. Il shall
drink only the mildest Catawba, ard
only just enough Of that to keep up
the good will Of the establishment.
wonder if [ were to get little top
heavy" he continued in the same
tone of bandinage, ''if father would
turn me out as he has always threat.
ened - Rodney. he would r' Mrs.
Cleveland replied, with more empha-
sis than seemed necessary to her
laughing son. II have suffered more
with nervous horror about that pos
sible circumstance than with every
thing else have had to bear put
together. Oh! my boy, you will
never know how cruel and wicked it
seems to me to put temptation be
fore young man and then threaten
to disinherit him if he succumbed TO
it. Oh Rodney. for your mothers
sake be careful" At this moment
dinner was announced, and Rodney
led his mother to her seat, and then
leaning over her said softly: Il
wouldn't do anything to hurt you
for all the werld. mother. Trust me.
for I'm a Cleveland, you knew" +
This last quotation was from his
fathers eft.repeated words. and Mrs.
Cleveland smiled faint little smile
at her sons exact reproduction Of
the judges manner.
There is nothing sure but the un
foreseen." says an old French pro-
verb. and it certainly seemed true in
this case. Dinner passed off in ex
cellent style, Rodney's behavior be-
ing as usual entirely satisfactory.
AS the young man never touched /
anything from the sideboard, Mrs.
fears were quite lulled
to rest. One of Rodney's friends
seemed little flushed after dinner.
but after all Rodney's friend wasn't
Rodney, although Mrs. Cleveland t
would have shielded frem tempta-
tion every young man at her table