The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-12-10

tune IN nndlng TWO Sucn pledSaht ou IaHAeS
for travelling companions.
After we had done eating, / again searched
out the CONDUCTOR and learned that we were
likely 10 be detained several hours longer and
could not expect to reach Detroit till the next
morning.
Nv lady friends received the unwelcome
tidings with a becoming show of patience, and
we resumed orr conversation, which naturally
fell upon railroad accidents and incidents OF
travel. Old ladies are apt to be good story
tellers, and these two were by no means eX-
c~eptions. From railroad accidents the transi-
ton was easy and natural to other casualties,
and a thrilling story of a church that fell dur.
ing services and crushed more than a score OF
people, related with graphic force by one OF
the ladies, was followed by this question from
the other.
"Mrs. Garland, did l ever tell you of the
misfortune that bcfell US on Thanksgiving day,
sixteen wears ago."
mo, I am sure not. Please tell us about ii,
Mrs. Castle"
Mrs. Castlc"-what a revelation! 1t must
be that she was Elias mother. Surely, If
could have had the pick OF all WomanKlnd,
could have no selected a sweetcr, kinder look
ing old ladr mDtherin-laW than the one
sittiu? to- But possibly it might be
some . Castle, and l'deCidcd to wait
| and he. l3rv, which would doubtless set.
tie the { ,uuI uf identity, after which | could
declare ny self, if my surmises were correct.
Mrs. Castle was afraid I would be bored with
a long story, but | assured her that | should
be glad to listen for a thousand and one nights,
making, however, the mental reservation that
| should want Elias company, meantime.
MRS. CASTLES STORY.
Eighteen wears ago, Mr.. Castle bought a saw
mill - a small village in Western Michigan,
and Immediately went west to take charge OF
it, leaving me and the children in New York.
George was then about thirteen years old, and
Ella, three. He remained nearly a year TO
build a house and get everything in readiness
for our reception, and then came east and took
US back with him,
Arrived in Michigan, l found my husband
had provided a house nearly as large, and
quite as comfortable, as the old homestead at
Syracuse but | must confess that | was not a
little homesick for the first few months. There
was a plentiful lack Of cultivated society, few
church privileges, nowhere to go, and nothing
TO see. | made few acQuaintanceS till the
spring after we got there, when | had a severe
attack of fever. The women in the neighbour
hood promptly came to nv assistance and
nursed me with much care and kindness till |
was fully recovered, after which | called up
on all Of them aud formed some warm and
lasting friendships.
Mr.. Castle had a steam saw mill and Single
mill and usually kept from twelve to fifteen
men in his employ. Most of them were single
men, and about the toughest set of men |
ever had the fortune to meet. Yet they were
uniformly polite to me, and Mr.. Castle professed
to find in them a great many sterling qualities.
Our first Thanksgiving Day in Michigan
came soon after we arrived there, and before
we were fairly settled, so that we were unable
to devote much pains to its observance.
The next year we talked the matter over
| several weeks before hand, and decided to
give a famous thanksgiving dinner and invite
all Mr.. Castles employees, with the families or
those who were married. / believe | first pro-
posed the plan, but there We're a few of the
| NOR fhot I would GLADLY have omitted from
the invitation.
Uncle luke was living with us then, aud
both he and my husband insisted that we
ought to invite all if we invited any. The
subject came up one evening, after tea, whe"
we were all seated in the parlor, and we Lad
what Uncle Luke called quite a council of
war; over it.
"As to Mr.. Jones and his wife, with their
raft of children as Mrs. Jones calls them, /
don't object TO them" said ], ''nor to Jim
Cross and his wife, though | am afraid it will
be the first time she was ever invited to dine
with respectable people; but there is Tom
Lover, do you think 1t possible, my dear, that
he can keep sober twenty-four hours when he
is not at works'
81 will answer for him. said Uncle Luke.
81 viii send him out hunting with George,
who can manage to keep him in the woods till
about dinner time.n
stMr. and Mrs. Smith, and Mr.. and Mrs.
Carter | continued, ''are nice people. ] am
always glad to see them. John Cobb and his
sally Mariar' and daughter Jane, are as good
as a show it viii be fun to watch their per-
Torrance. Mr.. Bell, Mr.. Brown, Mr.. Reed
aud Mr.. Mason can all behave like gentlemen
when they try, but John Lick ard Paul Toms
are so noisy and quarreisofae; l am really
afraid of them.'
Il don't believe they win dare to air their
profanity at my table, said Mr.. Castle, land
as to their noise, we can certainly stand that
for a few hours
"Well then,' said /, 'let us have them all,
aud try to make the occasion as pleasant as
possible for hem, / remember that was your
fathers custom In Vermont. He always had
from twenty to fifty people at his table Thanks
giving Day.
Yes said my husband, cit win seem like
old times.n
we were deep In our discussion Of ways and
means, when George, who had been playing
with Ella, teaching her to build houses with
her new letter blocks, suddenly interrupted
our talk with a somewhat startling inquiry:
mamma, are you going to ask Johnny
Driver?"
This Johnny Driver was a boy OF nearly
Georges age, who sometimes packed shingles
at the mill: the most troublesome boy In the
State, and the scapegoat Of the village. He
had no parents, no guardian, aud no regular
home, and stopped first at one place and then
at another till the people got tired OF him and
sent him away. II was reported that bis
father was q prominent grain dealer in Phila
delphia, and a very rich man, but he died in
solvent, and being a self-made man and an
orphan educated at a charity school, left nc
relatives to take charge Of little Johnny, hi:
only child. His wife was q delicate woman,
and died when Johnny was but a few months
old, after which the little fellow had the besl
of care that money could procure, but / fear
not much real love aud attention, save from
his father, whose business cares left him little
time to spend with bis boy.
johnny was eight years old when ht
father died anc left him, a frieudless waif, Ii
the mercy of the world. Hesfound some kim
of d home, but when he was twelve years ole
he ran away with a circus company and nevei
returned, though he soon became so trouble
some that the manager gladly dropped him ii
our little village, where he seemed determin