The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-02-04
A THANKSGIVING STORY.

There never was yet such prosperous
little town rs Brookvnlc. II was lust What the name
Implied, vale between two high hills sheltered
from Fierce Winds aud storms, Through the quaint
quiet streets mcandcted n wide. noisy brook, green
where II rltriod over the messy rocks, white and
slyety whefo us bod was the shining, water worn
pebbles, and brown tho life blood OF tho dead leaves In
thu forest dripping damp, soRgy ground to the
brook on rs course through from the springs In the
heart OF the hills. Then under the picturesque stone
bridges II was dark and deadly, polished as mirror,
and children, pcepng over the rail-, their sweet
faces reflected In tho depths below There even
tradition that careless wight gazing fascinated
into the stream, lost hcr balance and fell hcadlong
anu was drowned. Children know tho story, oft re-
peated by anxious grandmaS and many tine sweet
faces grew sad aud rosy lips rcmblcd asan older child
related rs they crossed the bridge hcwNy shool
how little Gretchen Kohlcr the pet and darling on her
parents, their only child had lost her swcet life In
the dark water, aud takcn ont white and dead,
hdcous look ~ fear In he' hunhV blue eyes and her
yellow hair heavy with TIM black mud OF tho river
II was on Thanksgiving day, too, hut there never
could he snct,rt Thanksgiving In the lonely farm
house, Whe'e us life and sunlight forever gone,
1hctu was lltto grave In the churchyard, the elder
chrcn would toll astone Of rurest marble ornamented
with little lamb. that was Grctchcn's.
Brookvalc Is somewhere In Ohio. " isaGerman
settlement. Years and years ago party VI cmlgrants
from the Fadcrland settled there They called It a
derman name, but IN time thswas changed 10 BROOKE
vale. Wisely, too, for the American could never
master the gutt9ral sounds one might he IN some
town near the Black Forest, wandering through Its
queer, crooked streets, noting the odd fnregn lUok
lug houses throo-polnt roofs, and aabio windows.
The people, too, preserved their na,'oHaMy the men
were pondetous, fair-halte, and ford OF bcer; the
women fat and comfortable l6oklHg, wearing tho
white caps 81 tiN HERMAN traU, and leading quite
peaceful, domestic llNej, In the long stretches of
well -rnlnVa'ei land around the village there were
RcfetuNN patches planted with cabbage, Tor the
villagers stil chung tu their Sautkrau cold slaw, aud
other delicious vnuds In which cabbage played a
prominent part. No vegetables sold In the hig city
OF Madison, only eight miles away, found so ready
purchasers rs those raised at BroOkvae. Rrookvalo
eggs butter, milk, and garden stun always brought
the highest market price, and IN fact brought the
same prices all tho year around. from wealthy aud
lttle town was prosperuus2 Its old people lived
their own farms happy, we'll rounded lives, aud its
young men would not have dared 10 cutter the portals
NJ tho church to wed the maiden Of their choice had
they not farm paid for aud well cultivated to take
her To. The schools were excellent, and children
We're uhlld'on III they were men aud women grown.
There WIS only church, and therefore ono
,sllG,ous sect, tho Lutheran. It's PASTOR parson
Won was exactly MS old as the church, ahl y white.
haired old man loved and fcvetcd In every home In
the town, one ct tho pillars of the church old
Jacob kohht, When he and his bride came to the
town, then agreen Held by the hahbiing stream, ho
! was rom Getnan universally and an lnndcl but
! She piOus, sweet soul, who would have been a
/ puus heather VI she had never known what Chris
/ tlaniy was. Goodness was horn In her By her in-
nucnce and that OF the good pdrson jacob went to
inc little church ON the hill; them when after ten
years uf wedlock his twin daughters, Gretchen anil
liildh, came he entered the church rs MomNer,
came Thanksgiving Day--a,u Mr. golden. haired
Gretchen, merry laughing thili, was bidnght home
dripping with tho icy wt,or 81 the brook, to he laid
on her white hc-t, ~ white and pure q soul as the
angels we,c wheo she had gone. Jacobs faith
wavefrd, hut iitda, with her wonderful violet eyes
and te'i pch hair. threw aside her paythlurg, and
to his wonermentfor she was never nu airectlonae
! cfnd-ctept TO his arms. He was comforted and
/ trusted IN the all Father. Hut why ana not Inc
school children know OF lilda They said there was
only Gretchen. They were too young to know Of the
story OF SIN aud shame that turned the loving father
INTO BITTER dark-bfowed, uuCharltable man, living
only for his wife and himself and never even attend
ing het atetlng steps the steep hill to the church,
Msixteen sweet iiilla rode one day to Madison with
her iancf' Ihefe man, one uf tile tuhest In the
city, saw the sweet, wild rose boor, the wonderful
violet eyes, and the face burned III his memory like
aplcture of hfe. Why repeat time-wnr story, and
| the old history Ut aman's desire, his selhsness
his treacbery, aud hts success. Gifted with the
beauty that wins such simple hearts lls took IIildn
captive. She did not know that he was married; she
was not SO base as that, though her father accused
her even Of that knowledge her father mad
home. left the white haired, lowing old mother who
had never crossed her slightest wish, left the tender
proud old father who loved her with love that ant
mated MS heart TN he was young aud hopeful rs
when he stood his arms about hts htile gazing Mt
the fast reGedng shores of the Ola World or looking
across tho blue seas III the New Worhl before him.
why are daughters so cruelY lisa ltotin,e Vt lOe,
and care amt Of tender watchiulness TO he thrown
aside fot lover kisSp AaEpuur nilda and alas poor
father aud mother rheic wee plenty to tell the old
man tcursing amt waiting over the tear. bloted little
note OF farewell sighed Hilda in such tremulous
letters) that there had been dark, handsome
stranger seen with her In the fields at twilight.
They had not told him at the time. now 1t was too
lhe ana he drove them away In frenzy. Still In u
wild dc'itunl of passion he destroyed his daug
clothing, her books, even the few little trnkcts she
tntllNlltl, 1Nth tileW To MS trembling old
wife, on her knees In the little sitting room. her face
hidden In the chair In which Iida used to sit IN ali
| her sweet grlish beauty:
| ''Where are the two lOckcts, mother, we kent I'm
the case--the chains and ockets marked with theit
names? ''
''If they are gone from, the case our Hilda tool;
| them, - quavered the old voice from below.
My pure, innocent ufetchen,'' grouned the
father " An, had SHE lived aud the other died. -
1hen he went out from his home, desolie second
time. And worse than death had been this child +
late The brook was kinder than the world, and the
| soul " had taken was pure and unsulied. Jacob
kohler came home at nighia. with set, stern face
and he forbade In terms that there gansaying
any further mention Of his willfu daughter name.
Years rolled: ten Thanksgivings passed. II was
the eve Of the eleventh Notunce all tile ten weary
years had jacob Koher mentioned his daughter
name: not once had lie entered the meeting house
| the bill. And lIilda, who shouM know guess her
| fate? Not awOrd OF atnmor had reached Brook vale.
Down the valley cn THIS bitter night fierce lev wind
was blowlngi TIM turbd brook was iecked with ice:
| hoar frost lay heavily on the meadows, and on the
wintow-pancs the frost king traced with marvellous
mower p'ctues of scenes In eliland fairy bowers.
Ky bright. snapping, cracking open fire, in cheer
inl and old fashioned room where the heavy crimson
curtains were draped about the windows, shutting out
| all cold Jacob koher In the comfort of dressing
gown and slippers sat oaSiing his feet by the fire.
us wife sat by the table reading the Bible by Tie
hickerinE cande-lght. Jacob humored her In this
custom: he had ceased 10 he u believer In God. lie
| had gone back To his inldety with fierce, vim
dlctlVe hate toward all In the past lo had loved.
The world wasa wilderness. But he liked hear his
vile read: her voice was low and SOFT an excellent
thing In women.''
| Jacob, ~ she said, looking up from the Bible
'how strange It Is that to- morrow, Thank
| Day. we hap not one being Of kith or kin To eat q
dlnner with us There " poor that we could
ASK then to leave their dinner To share ours
The old friends who used To dine with dead and
gone Only two weeks ago old Granny Dietrich died
anu she was tile last of the circle Of friends who have
met with us at Thanksgiving for twenty years past
rue cupboard Is fun of good things, our turkey ~
large Zone as ever we raised. | never made better
pies. Tile last ten years have been plentiful ones
and we were never better oiI'' She paused, hal
trembling. She seldom made so long a speech
Jacob looked at her kindly. He had been thinking
how fair She was even In her old age, and how til,
pink flush her withere, cheek became her an,
what true aud II faithful wife she had been.
We'll, frau, what would you have do2'
am AFRAID to say, yet here the good book Seem
10 point out the way. was reading, you know, tn
parable OF tho marriage Of the King son. | though
all the time of my plan. have had II in my hear
what we might do. eco ye, therefore, into tn
highways and as many as We shall hnd bid To tn
marriage
% So those servants went out into the highways am
gathered together all, as many as they found bot
bad and good, and the wedding was furnished wit
guests
sine closed the book and went up to his chair LAWN
her trembling hand on his shoulder. ',Jacob, don
ASK many tayors of you, but I want you To do on
now. Last Time went To market with you saw p
many ,hlldfeh-poor starved, pitifnl little faces
rhey We're so ragged and cold. You know the ale
ny the market. Wen, I've always seen Them there
Ihe boy sells candy on = tray. Don't you rememhe
bought some once, and how bright and smart Ia
was? Then there Is the lttlo old woman who zoe
around ~ the market begging Tor half -decaycd fruit
I've often talked with the good old soul while yo
were busy. She has an idiot daughter, an acires
woman-don't irown, Jacob. She fell, poor thing
from way NJ In the air somewhere, and struck on he
head, aud her poor mother has taken care of her eve
since. Then there IL the old man with the fur cap
lie sells sate-pencils on the corner by the market
Healways takes his cap of To mo, and do you know
Jacob there Is look on his face always like ther
was on my fathers when You and said good by for
ever on this earth To him. Then there Is the porte
at the bank ON Commerce street, woman at tn
market said his old wife had died and no was alone Il
the world. Wemlght ask him. You would be lonely
perhaps " this old wife were gone ~
Jacob put his pipe from his mouth, looked at
solemnly, then at her. - should indeed he said
| earnestly. "Who eIse?'
''Thats all the table will hold. - she answered
INIT there might he one more seat added II 20
would not say no.''
90 WhoY" asked Jacob, grown suddenly hard an
cold.
"rarson WOLF the dear man. rs lonely indeed, no.
the young niece IL marrled.'
lie wouldn' come where there was BiCh u gather
ing"
''oh, he would Jacob. There WAS one create
than he could ever hope 10 be who sat with the lOwl
and made them his friends.'
Well, ~ said Jacob, rising TO 20 10 bed, "if Ii
wont tax any religion 10 me I've objection To h
eating u meal Of vCtuals In the house. ~
The next day Jacob harnessed mp his horses 10 h
roony, tlree-seated wagon and drove into Madison
During his absence his wife and the deft handmai
Lisa, not quite three months from her German hoi,
prepared glorious old ksgiylng dnuer--turkey