The Dawson journal., 1883-01-11
A Stranger at the
Board.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.
BY MRS. ANNA A. PRESTON.

1T showed the night before
Thanksgiving thatyear. Through
the evening there was half-de-
fined mist III the gray air that
seemed like the ali pervading
chilliness taking form, and every
body who was going away, or who
was to have company (and that
took Ill nearly all of New England) J,
went to bed with a dim forebodina
of disappointment on the morrow
"There is four inches of snow
at least" said farmer Draper on
| Thanksgiving morning, as he came
in from the big barn, stamping
his feet vigorously upon the stone
floor Of the back porch. "Four
inches at least, and that is not the
worst of it, it is covered with a
crust as thin and sharp, almost, as
window glass. [ declare here is a
hole in one of my rubber boots
already"
Il don't know what to do about
cooking the turkey" said Mother
Draper, setting large platter Of
steaming stewed chicken upon the
breakfast table. 81 don't see how
Aunt Catherine and the girls are
to get down here to-day; OF Frank
and his wife, or the boys either,
for that matter
1T is a bad morning for horses
to travel, to be sure" said William,
coming in from the barn just then,
''but Thanksgiving is never post
poned on account Of the weather,
SO l will tell you what [ propose
to do; I will tackle up the steers,
all four yoke, and hitch them to
the long wood-shed and so for the
company. 1t will be great fun,
besides showing my good DISPOSE
ton by breaking track for my
neighbors.-You can go, TOO, sis, If
you nave a mind to; we viii start
right away after breakfast"
at will be pretty cold, - said her
mother.
"And that amt the worst Of it, :"
put IN her father Il expect she
viii be needed about the chicken
fxens."
Mother viii get along until
Aunt Catherine gets here; she is a
whole team and a horse to let. So
put on your waterproof old maid,
and come down and help me tack
lie. You need not be afraid OF
your beau getting here before you
return, for certainly, if he has to
walk, he can't make great head
way this morning"
Jennie bright, handsome,
Trim little body, being the oldest
Of the Draper children, was al
ways teasingly called "the old
maid" by her four brothers, who
delighted in Joking her about an
expected lover who never came.
"Jennie's beau" was a sort OF
mythical scapegoat in the family
t. whom all imaginable, absurd
bluHdors and mishaps were attri-
buted.
So now she made some laugh
ing response, and when her brother
marshaled his team, consisting Of
alternate yokes of red and white
steers, two yokes Of each, she took
her place upon a bundle of straw
in the center of the huge sled.
"Th2re, sis" saiCt William, tax
ing his seat upon the neap of the
sled and brandishing his long
whip, you look like the genius Of
Thanksgiving going round on a
tour Of inspection among the brick
ovens, and your team is almost as
fanciful as the reindeers Of st.
Nicholas
1t grew more and more fanciful
momentarily, for it soon began to
rain, and as the fine pelting drops
froze as they fell, the whole turn
out was transformed into an exhi-
bition of ice newly frozen for the
occasion from the Arctic region.
After having been round the
square and pieked'up all the Ora
per blood IN the township they re-
traced their steps, stopping at
nearly every house for a merry
interchange Of greetings, Just t.
break the gloom that the storm
had cast over everything" VII.
liam said. But at every house i
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