The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-11-30

thanksgiving week was ALWAYS a
BUSY week at the Gates homestead, but
II seemed to Dear. that it 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 Thanksoiv-
Ing this year" Dear knew why, and
she thought they would have o sorrow
iul lhanksgivng, OF, perhaps. no
Thanksgiving at all.
But tuesday mo ming there couid be
no DO bt that they were to have Thanks
giving tn 3 year, for there was what
llptop called ''bontire" made in the
great brick oven in the kitchen, which,
since Dear remembrance, was opened
and heated only during Thanksgiving
Wee. IiptoP mounted n char so that
he coul see into the ovon, and shouted
'Fi:e: and danced in ecstasy Till, for
getting Tint he had only n chair-bottom
Tor Il too", he danced OIL, and bruised
MS nose, ana had TO bo com m:orted bv
lear just when she was SO busy seeding
raisins.
Roundtop and Squarctop counted it a
great privilege TO bring in the long
sticks OF hickory wood 10 heat the oven,
each holding nn end, tugg;ng 1t along
with great gravity and an 0ccas onal
fall on their toes, and, ii they were al
lowed to thrust q small sticz into the
oven, their satisfaction was G mDlcte.
Dear paused, in her hurried trips THROUGH
the kitchen, to loot into the lln. mo
depths and think of Shadrach, MeshacR
and Abednego.
oil
Goals drawn out and the oven swept; and
when their mother. holding her hand
lar III to test the temperature, sO,emnly
declared it was Just right" they
watched EreatElessly while the loaf-ca q
and spicc-ca cake and cook ~ were care
fully put in, and brcathed deep SIGH Of
relief when the oven door closed upon
theg Iod things committed to its keeping
Wednesday morning the oven was
heated again, and filed with IN nee
plcs. which came out so delightfully."-
brown and 80 delic:ously fragrant that
the Gates children grew desperately
hungry. and thought Thanksgiving
never, would come. And then such
pumpk'n;pies,. and applc-pies. and
tartS, and at last, as the evcnino drew
on, great batches 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, tho
tired mother dropped into the low
rocking chair, and taking Tiptop on
her Jap, looked wcarily into the fro.
Let me hold Tiptop. mamma"
said Dear, thinking how tired her moth
or was; but her mother made answer
only by holding Tiptop with closer
arm. The children gathered around rs
the twilight came on, and sitting there
waited for their father to como. Grad
{, ally 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- shelf
AS Dear listened. how vividly came
oack that sorrowful night when she
stood and heard the clock ticking loud
er and louder, rs Tiny gently breathod
her life away; and it seemed to Dear
that she would never again hear tho
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.
IL was frosty, starlight night There
was no snow. on tho ground, but here
and there patches Of ice were forming
over the pools of still water leftby the
heavy fall rains.
WHY don't papa COZ P" said Tip
top, frctrully
" He will come soon," said the mulmr.
so0thngly, and, in obedience to an old
habit began absent-mindedly humming
GreenVille. the one tune she knew, and
3y whose aid she had year after year
H3mmod the Gates babies to sleep.
I" Is papa at the shopP' asked Dear,
IN tbe first lulu IN the humming. WY