The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-11-16
A MEMORABLE THANKSGIVING.

The beils ring out Thansgivinq Dayl
A MEMORABLE THANKSGIVING.
Thanksgiving week was always n
busy week at the Gates homestead, but
il seemed to bear that il was buster this
year than ever. She couldn't quite un-
derstand it, either for as they were
coming home from church on Sunday
she heard her mother say to Aunt Mar
garet, with little break in her voice.
that she had mo heart for Thanksgiv-
inc this year" Dear knew why, and
she thought they would have a sorrow
full Thanksgiving, or, perhaps, no
Thanksgiving at all.
But Tuesday mo ming there could be
no doubt that they were to have Thanks
giving this year, for there was what
Tiptop called a ''bonlire' made in the
great brick oven in the kitchen, which,
since Dear remembrance, was opened
and heated only during Thanksgiving
week. Tiptop mounted chair so that
he could see into the oven, and shouted
"Firer' and danced in ecstasy till, for
getting that he had only a chair-bottom
for door, be danced OIL, and bruised
his nose, and had to be cOmforted by
Dear just when she was so busy seeding
raisins.
Roundtop and Squaretop counted it a
great privilege to bring in the long
sticks Of hickory wood TO heat the oven,
each holding an end, tugging it along
with great gravity and an occasional
fall on their toes, and, if they were al
lowed to thrust q small site into the
oven, their satisfaction was complete.
Dear paused, in her hurried trips through
the Kitchen, to look into the blazing
depths and think of Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednegos
Then they all-stood around to see the
Goals drawn out and the oven swept; and
when their mother. holding her hand
far in to test the temperature, solemnly
declared il was just right, they
watched breathlessly while the lOaf-caSe
and spice-cake and cookies were care
fully put in, and breathed a deep sigh of
relief when the oven door closed upon
the good things committed to its keep
ing.
Wednesday morning the oven was
heated again, and hlled with mince-
pics, which came out so delightfully."-
brown and so delic;Ously fragrant that
the Gates children grew desperately
hungry, and thought Thanksgiving
never would come. And then such
pumpkin-pies, and apple-pies, and
tarts, and ut last, rs the evening drew
on, great patches of brown bread and rye
bread and wheat bread filed the oven
to the door.
When the chicken-pie and turkey
were ready for the oven next day, the
tired mother dropped into the low
rocking chair. and taking TiptOp on
her lap, looked YEARLY into the fire.
LET me hold HiptOp, mamma,
eaS1 hr,Vr ti~aH hnr MT h
er was; but her mother made answer
only by holding Tiptop with closer
arm The children gathered around as
the twilight came on, and sitting there,
waited for their father to come. Grad
ually silence fell upon them all, broken
only by the subdued roaring of the fire
in the stove, and the loud ticking of the
clock on the mantel-shef.
AS Dear listened, how wildly came
back that sorrowful night when she
stood and heard the clock ticking loud
er and louder, rs Tiny gently breathed
her life away; and it seemed to Dear
that she would never again hear the
clock ticking in the night without think
ing of that scene. She glanced at her
mother, and did not wonder that she
had no heart for Thanksgiving this
year. Indeed, she thought they all had
more cause for complaint than thanks
giving.
Half blinded by tears, she started up,
and, going to the window, looked out
II was frosty, starlight night. There
was no snow on the ground, but here
and there patches of ice were forming
over the pools of still water left by the
heavy fan rains.
why don't papa comeP'' said Tip
top, fretfully.
1 a.
soothinglv, and, in obedience to an old
habit, began absent-mindedly humming
Greenville, the one tune she knew, and
by whose aid she had year after year
hummed the Gates babies to sleep.
is papa at the shOpP" asked Dear,
in the first lull in the humming.
mo; he went down TO the cotton
mill with a load of bObbins, and he
ought TO be here by this time"
May l go a little way and meet
him?" asked Dear.
Yes, "-remembering that Dear had
been in the house all day only first
light candle and make the tea, and
put more wood in the stove, and bring
me Tiptop's night-d and unite the
boys shoes, and wear your hood, and
Dear had closed the outside door
ready to start on a run, when she heard
old Fans whinny in the direction Of the
barn. Papa has come, and is unhar-
Messing Fam" thought she. feeling a
little disappointed that she could not
meet him and ride home. Instead, she
turned TO the barn.
At the stable door stood old Fan,
steaming rs if she were having a vapor-
bath. "a Papa had load home, -
thought Dear, as she went up to pat
Fan. But what was that she stepped
on? a thillP Yes, a broken thin, still
hanging TO the harness. Startled,
Dear glanced around the yard. The