The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-12-05

IL SPLA . 49, sNS '~
For the tokens of Thy presence
Within, above, abroad;
For Thine own great gift of being,
thank Thee, oh, my God.
Lucy Larcoma.
GOOD CAUSE FOR THANKS.
A THANKSGIVING SKETCH.
The last week in October!
As a general thing Nature is not boun-
tiful with her smiles these short, dreary
DAYS. when the world stands ~shudderlng
on the threshold of winter. But this par
ticular Monday was full of balm and sun
shine: the air sweet with the lndescrlb-
able perfume of the colored leaves which
were drifted up along the roadside, ana
collected in rustling layers under the
stone foundations of Eynouth jail. over
head the sky was blue as sapphire; and
here and there along this woodpath a
straw wild-fower lifted its purple eye, the
last, lingering relic of the golden Sep
TENDER glow.
Doctor Fitch rode along the lonely
bridle-path, the sound of his horses
hoofs on the dead leaves reminding him
vaguely of the days, long, long ago,
when he was a boy and secured these very
woods in search of nuts, and hunted
squirrels and chipmunks with a delight
which moose and red deer would not
give him now. :.
IF one could only be a boy forever"
said ROYAL Fitch. Halo. who's that!
as his horse SHE'D slightly at sight of a
slender figure, sitting on a fallen log, a
few feet back Of tbe road. "Oh, it's
you Mary II You got your dis
charge this morning"
Mary Trefoil looked up-a dark-eyed.
pallid-faced woman, of two or three and
twenty. Doctor Fitch knew her very
well. She had been in Exmouth prison
three months for theft, and during two
of these three months she had lain nearly
Mt the point of. death, in the hospital
ward, with a low, lingering fever. Doc
tor Fitch was rather proud of the skill
which had rescued her from the jaws of
death. He stopped his horse and looked
at her.
eyes, sir" said Mary Trefoil, spirit
lessly. 'I'vc got my discharge"
"And where are you going now"
II don't know, sir"
"Where are your friends?" he asked,
not unkindly.
~ have none, sir"
s'Butthis won't do" said Doctor Fitch,
noting the troubled light in the girls eye,
the deadly whiteness of her brow and
cheeks. "Look here; you must 60 some
where, you know. You can't sit here.
Can't YOU think of any place where they
would give you food and shelter for 4
few days until you get strong!'
Mary Treioil shook her head. She did
not seem to be at all interested in the
question. Doctor Fitch's horse reached
up his head and browsed on the still
green leaves of a wild grapevine, which
the boughs of a cedar had sheltered from
the early frost. Doctor Fitch himself
sat like a statue, and looked at Mary
Trefoil.
GA social problem, he said, inwardly.
"And she must be solved, somehow"
MARY" he spoke aloud, lean you
walk a mile?"
~ suppose so, sir"
"Then walk along by my horses side.
know a good old lady who wantsa girl.
Perhaps you may suit her. She need not
know who you are, or whence you came"
"Id,dn't put myself in Exmouth JAIL"
s~ullenly retortcd Mary. "And l have
told one story from the beginning-that
1 had nothing to do with the silver. l
don't know how it came into my trunk;
l didn't know it was there, until the
officer dragged it out before my eyes,"
"The law thought differently" said
Doctor Fitch, who, as prison physician,
had heard these protestations of inno-
cencc from scores of lips before. Glow
ever, that is not the question we are dis
cussing just at present. Will you try to
deserve my recommendation, if | give
you cne!!"
"Heaven helping me, sir, l will" said
Mary Trefoil, evidently affected by his
kindness.
She walked beside the horse for some
little distance, until. down a side road.
which seemed to plunge directly into the
woods, they came to an old gray-stonc
house, all mantlcd with scarlet creepcrs,
witha background of gnarlcd applc-trceS,
and the whir of Il gristmill sounding
somewhere in the background like the
ceaseless hum of some gigantic insect.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Glover" said
Doctor Fitch. "Havc you suited your
self yet with a girl?'
Mrs. Glover, an apple-faced woman of
sixty, looked at them through a pair of
round, silver-rimmed spectaclcs.
"No, nor l amt like to-" said she.
"Betsey Keene, she has gone in the mil
linery trade, and Lucy Hovcy, She
well, I'vc brought you one" said
Doctor Royal Fitch. Come here, Mary.
This is Mary Trefoil," With quick glance
at the silent girl. II know who she is,
and l can answer that she will do her
best to please you and make herself use
full"
"Indeed, I will, ma'am," said Mary, in
a low voice.
"Folks. live about here ~ said Mrs.
81 have no relatives" said Mary. 81
come from the northern part of the coun-
ty."
"All the better" said the old lady,
briskly. "You won't have no followers.
Well, Mary, l won't deny that I'm awful
glad to see you, for I'm pretty nigh tuck
cred out with doing all the chores myself.
To be sure, my son Daniel helps memorn-
ings and. evenings, before he goes to
teach deestrick school-for hess scholar,
my son is" with conscious pride. "And
father, he does what he can; but a man
can't do much beside tendin' grist-milli in
a place like this. You look a little white
and peaked, but"
e"Oh, she'll be all right in this pure
air, with plenty of your new milk and
homemade .breadw said Doctor Fitch,
cheerily.
And with a whispered word or two of
encouragement to Mary Trefoil, he rode
away.
On Thanksgiving day, nearly a month
later, he came back.
teHello!" said Dr.. Fitch. "Why,
Mary, you look like a different creature"
Mrs. Glover had gone to church, with
her sou Daniel and "Father," all undis-
mayed by the occasional fakes of sno
which were beginning to futter through
the air. and the bowling Of the wind
y y : - ~