The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1880-11-20
The Carver Thanks giving

1t was Thanksgiving day. Folks were
preparing to enjoy it. Even in the poor
est household of the neighboring village
OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT, and it was a village
OF Observation-Disclosures, the fat gobbler was
at thai time lying trussed in his warm
bed in the family even, while close at
band the russell yellow pumpkin pies
were ranged on the shelf, awaiting their
coming fate in sober silence. "Eat.
drink, and be merry" was to be the act
ing and acted proverb of the hour. In
the old Carver homestead the first part
OF the saying was to be fulfilled to the
letter, for such h i'd been the custom
there ever since the institution of
Thanksgiving had been established in
that neighborhood. 1t was a foreign
thing, imported from New England, but
had taken root and fourished. The Car
vers had been originally Of the Society
of Friends. The father of Phineas had
married "out of meeting" and had
deepened the offense by suffering "a
hired priest" as the brethren termed the
Methodist circuit-rider, to celebrate his
nuptials. Having cast his lot among
"the worlds people," Jedediah Carver
adopted their feasts, in a moderate way :;
and his son Phineas followed his ex-
ample in that respect. The Carver
homestead had remained in the family
since the coming of its first owner,
nearly two centuries before, with Will
liam Penn. 1t had passed always to
the eldest son, the other children being
otherwise provided for; but now was to
pass out of possession and be the Car
yer farm no more.
Phineas Carver was ifty-ive years
old, tall, gaunt, angular of form and
heavy of feature. He was a man Sc
verely pious. Just, true and upright in
all his practices, and even liberal in his
dealings with his farm hands and his
poorer neighbors, he lacked charity.
He found no excuse for the slightest
fault in another. He followed the prin-
ciples of the Greek lawgiver, and con-
sidered the smallest offense worthy of
the highest punishment known. He
believed very much in himself. In re-
gard to the character of others he con-
sidered his judgment to be infallible.
He thought no man could deceive him
and generally he was right; but his
perception had been ~lamentably at fault
in one instance, and he vas about to
pay the penalty. He had become one
of the sureties of Jacob Skinner, the
county treasurer. Jacob had gone 10
unknown parts, and a part Of the public
money had gone in his company. The
other bondsmen turned out to be worth
so much less than they had been when
they signed the obligation that they
were almost worthless. Nearly all the
deficiency would have to be furnished
by Phineas. Now, he had some per-
sonal property-perhaps ten thousand
dollars worth: but that was not
enough. The farm would have to 60.
It was true that it was desirable prop
| erty, and there would be competition at
the sale. There would be enough sur
plus to enable Phineas to buy a small
place in the neighborhood, or, as be
determined to do, go West and begin life
over again. Friends offered to lend him
the money on bond and mortgage, but
he rejected these offers. "The place
had v been mortgaged." he said
land it never should be while he hac
it," In truth, since he had to leave tn
old homestead, Phineas Carver wou.6
rather live elsewhere. 1t was not sc
much the loss of property that shamee
him, but the sense of humiliation thai
he, so keen of perception, should have