West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-11-26
Day at Grandpa
\ n AshtOn'S.

How quickly joy treads upon the
aols of sorrow, or uice versa!
Tever was this truism more fully
Illustrated than on certain
Thanksgiving day at Grandpe Ash
All the young and most Of the
iddle-ased people of their church
nd neigh borhood called Mr.. and
kirs Ashton by the endearirg title
+ Grandpa" and Grandma" SO I
n taking no liberty whatever.
The day before the one sppoint-
&d by tire Governor as national
Holiday was bright and cold, and
NTH lust snow enough on the
|Eround to make fair sleighing and
fnerrily indeed the sleigh bells
Fingled.as the good people OF Rush
kille went hurrying about on
thoughts of business or pleasure.
Grandpa and Grandma Ashton
|were old and poor and sad, 1t is
kurely bad enough to be old and
|poor without having business wor-
Eies besides; but Grandpa Ashton
had been dreadfully worried about
a certain debt that he owed, until
every thing looked blue enough to
/ the dear old man; and Grandma,
Inspecting something wrong, was
beginning to sigh very frequently,
|and watch Grandpa with tender,
sOrrowful eyes; SO the business
trouble was really taking all the
quiet peace from their old age, and
1 il not actually unhappy, they were
&likely to soon become SO.
Wher Grandpa came in from
! milking the COWS on the"morning
before Thanksgiving day he
brought big rooster &nder his
Farm, and on opening the kitchen
door said as cheerfully as4 could be
Ito Grandma:
"See here, mother? Il 'spect
| we'd ought to make little prepar-
alton, hadn' we nowf \Nothin'
| great, of course, fur jist US two,
| but suthin' little out OF the ordi-
nary rHn-and with Que Of your
trtra nice cream pies, and few
other little fxin's, 1 guess we'll
|do."
,".sighed Grandma, II don't
care much any way; but as you
|say, we'd. ought to take some kind
|of notice of the day seenin' the
Governors been and appointed it.
Il hadn't made no calculations
about the Adinner, father, oaase [
felt so certain some one or other Of
the children would insist Ga US
comm to eat with them. Yeu're
sure there wasn't no letter in the
|post-office last night, amt you,
|father?"
eyes, sure; but l reckon l'dhbet-
ter chop this. young feller's head eff,
now I've got him safe and souad.
Tain't so easy catchin' 'em when
you're stiff with rheumatism and
hard on to seventy, as twas forty
pear ago, | kin tell ye."
The simple breakfast didn't-see1G
70 taste good to Grandpa; he nib
oled at one thing and another, and
FEpped his tea, sad finally he said ;
1--WE got some bad news foe YOU
mother, and I ,Gunno' when I've
mated to Tell anything as L do
this"
Grandma RAISED her head SO sud
denly that her snowy cap border
stood straight out, framing pale
lace, and she raised one hand as if
Ito ward off a blow.
(which one is it, father?" she
asked, her thoughts, mother-like,
|nylGg to her children. 81 thought
something was wrong somewhere.
L Jest felt it someway."
The children's aid we'll and hap
Ply, tue as l know" replied Grand
pa, happier by a long sight than
their old father, who's got to be
|nIurned out of houFe and home.
|r,r,etty hard, mother, amt it, after
al the ssvin' and pinehin' we've
|uone fur the last fifteen years or
more ?"
Grandma began to sob in a weak
for' OF way, She asked no ques-
Eions, knowing well enough what
[le referred to without further ex-