Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-11-17
[From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.l
MISS CHERRY'S THANKSGIVING.
BIZ OLIVE HARPER.

Miss Cherry was an old maid. That
Is, she was called that by all the very
young girls that went to all the church
festivals, singing schools, mite societies,
and Sunday school picnicsand other very
mild amusements and designations in
vogue In the little mountain town at the
head of the Wyoming valley. Miss
Cherry was nearly thirty years old, and
she was not married; therefore, those
young girls who were just donning their
first long dresses were not far out of the
way. but still, If you judged only by
Miss Cherry's face you would not have
called her old You might have paused
to look a second time In the still girlish
face, and try to read the meaning in the
deep eyes and the slight droop in the
corners of the pretty mouth, but you
would surely not have called her old.
Miss Cherry lived alone in little
white cottage, where her mother had
gone happy bride, and where she had
been born and grew up the sole darling
of her parents, and where that fair young
mother had died, leaving Miss Cherry
alone with her father, who too went the
long journey TO the echoless shore when
she was but fifteen years old. The poor
forlorn child lived on alone there, and
could not bear to leave the little home
that was endeared to her by so many
sweet though sad associations.
She was staid and sedate girl for her
age, the neighbors said, and they were
all willing to give her spinning to do.
and so, day after day. the hum of the
wheel could be heard as she toiled to
earn her daily bread.
There was 8 little plot of ground be-
fore the house down to the white palings
of the fence, and this was filed with
bright flowers that she planted and tend
ed with love and pleasure for theirs sweet
companionship. They were just COM
mon plants marigolds, sweet williams.
Glove pinks and bachelors buttons most
IL, but she had few choice rose bushes,
among them one was white. all but
faint blush LII the center.
Miss Cherry had an unsupported. IN
formed vein of poetry la her nature. and
she somehow felt that this tender flower
was Like her own undeveloped heart.
One day she went up into the little
garnet TO get some feecy lambs wool
that had been whitening in the east win
dow, and Der eyes CHANGED to fall upon
IVA Clldt iIdst SuOp-t LII IOIhtI Of0E SLICE
she could recollect, but watch she had
never opened. She wondered why she
had never before thought to look In it.
and she lifted the lid to find it flll of old
books. 1t proved Pandoras box to
her, for it brought all of the evils into
her Life leaving only hope.
She sat down on the floor, and with
hands and lap full, never stirred until it
grew too dark tosee. Then she gathered
all she could gather and took them down
to the little sitting-room, and from that
day on there were no lonely hours for
her, for she peopled them all with heroes
and heroines from out the old romances
and poems. She lived not In the pres
ent, but the past. They were all there,
the brave and the fair, and she was one
OF them and longed for her prince beauti-
full, who was to come and take her by
the hand and choose her from all the
world for his bride Her wool and fax
seemed now but the means of weaving
the warp and wool of her Life, and the
flaments, as she spun them, were the
invisible chains that should draw him to
her.
Summers heat and winters SHOWS
passed all unheeded by her, for she did
not live where climate is felt, for she
lived in dream, where all was gold and
silver and light and beauty. She was
transformed into a sort of celestial exist
ence, and she could not even comprehend
the prosaic duties which she mechan-
ically performed. She spun and worked
In her garden; she cooked, ate and slept
as she had done before; she went to
church on Sundays, and she sent for her