The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-11-29

lhannSgi week was always
busy week at the Gates homestead, but
il seemed to Dear that il was buster this
wear than ever She cOuldn' quite rn'
dcrstanl il, either, for aS they were
coming home from church on sunday
she heard ncr mOlhcr say to Aunt Mar
garrl. with little break in hcr.voicc.
that she hal ''no heart for lhankSgiv.
inc hi. year. Dear knew why, and
she thought they woali have sorrow
ml Thank sgiyng. ~ perhaps. no
Thanksgiving II, AL.
ilt tuesday mo n,ng there could b.
no do.ht that thcy were ohavc Thanks-
giying thS year. for there wa, what
1iutop called Il "honlirc' made IN the
great brick oven in the kitchen. which.
Since Pear remembrance, was opened
md heated culy during Thanksgiving
wee. Tipto2 mounted Il char so that
he cnul see into the oven, and shOtiCd
"filc" and danced in ecstasy till, for
getting that he had only Il chair-botlom
for y nuor. h danced oil, and bruised
his nose, and had 10 be- comtorleI bv
Pear iuL when she was 20 busy seeding
raiSin5
RomdtOp and s'puarctop counted 1t
yrca' privilege 20 bring III the long
sticks If hickory wood 10 heat the oven
each holding an end, tuggng it along
with great gravity and an occaS onal
fall ON their toes, and, if they were al
l.wrl to thrust q small site into the
oven, their satisfaction was e mplc,c.
Dear paused, in her hurried trips through
the Kitchen, to look into the llnlng
depths and thin, of Shadrach, Mcshach
and Abcdncgo.
Then they ail stood around TO see tho
Goals drawn ont and the o,cn swept; and
when their mother, holding her hand
far in to test the temperature, So'cmnIy
declared il was lust right, they
watched reatElcssly while the loaf-ca o
and spicc-calc and cook cs were care
fully put IN, and brcathcd Il deep sigh OF
relief when the oven door closed upon
thcg Jod thirgs committed To lis keeping.
cdncS,lay morning the oven WAS
heated again, and lied with IN nee
pies. which came out SO delightfully."-
brown and 70 dclicously fragrant that
the Gates children grew desperately
hungry, and thought Thanksgiving
never would come. And then such
! pumpkin pies, and apple-pics, and
tartS, and ut last, as the evening drew
on, great patches OF brown bread and rye
bread and wheat bread filed the oven
When The chicken pie and turkey
were ready for the oven next day 'h'
tired mother dropped into the low
rocking chair, and taking Tiptop OF
her Jap, looked wcarily into the ire
LET me hold liptop, mamma,
said Dear. thinking how tired her moti'
er was; but her mother mnde ahS"e
only by holding Tiptol with close
arm. The children gathered around
the twilight came on, and sitting the'I
, waited for their father to come. Hrao
ally silence fell upon them all, broke
l ONLY by the subdued roaring OF the III
in the stove. and the loud ticking oil IN
clock on the mantclsh
As Dear listened, how vividly can
I back that sorrovlul night when sl
s stood and heard the clock ticking lout
er and louder, rs Tiny gently breathe
1 her life away: and it seemed to Dei
G that she would never again hear Il
: clock ticking in the night without thIn
: inc of that scene. She glanced at h
g mother, and did not wonder that 81
/ had no heart for Thanksgiving tn
c year. Indeed, she thought they all M
9 more cause for complaint than thank
l. giving. - .,
n Half blinded by tears, she started II
i and, going to the window, looked OF
1t was frosty, starlight night. lhc
l. was no snow OH the ground, but lie
y and there patches OF ice were iorn''
u over the pools of still water lcftby t
sc heavy fall rains.
lc "Why don't papa coi P'' said II
)t top, tretIully.
le ale will come soon, said the nlo,"'
al soothingly, and, in obedience to an .
Sc habit, began absent-nindedly humm
I'd Greenville. the one tune she knew, a
al by whose aid she had year after ye
10 hummed the Gates babies to sleep.
OF ais papa at the shopp" asked De
In the iirst lull in the humming.