Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-11
AN OLD-TlMG THANKSGIVING.

indeed, pressing invitation from an old col
lege friend to go with him to his New Eng
land country house and eat my Thanks
giving dinner.
In the first place" he said, :" l want
you to meet my wife I want good long
chat on old times, and I wish to tell you
the history of my place. 1t is our summer
home, but we seldom, in fact never, go
there in winter have, however, an espe-
cial reason for taking our Thanksgiving
dinner at the old place. My wife has asked
some of her cousins, and I, whose family
or what is left of it, is, as you know, scat
tered to the four corners of the earth, want
you, as my oldest and best friend, to be
with us"
readily agreed met my friend the day
before Thanksgiving and started. His wife,
probably on hospitable thoughts intent,
had gone before. The journey was quite
long one, for the house lay in western Mas
sachusetts, and some ten or twelve miles
from the nearest station, but the road was
delightful, the air pleasantly cold, and the
drive more than made up for the rather
stufIy cars.
The house was large and handsome
modern dwelling, the lower story of red
brick and the upper of wood painted dark
olive green, and was surrounded by veran-
das at least twenty feet wide. The situa-
ton was magnificent. Perched on the sum-
init of a rough, rocky hill, an outlying and
isolated spur of the mountains family visi-
BILE in the distance, it overlooked an evil
IDENTIFY rich and lovely valley, through
which ran one of the smaller tributaries of
the Connecticut.
This is beautiful, indeed, said, in an
swer to a look of my host, but from what
you said of your place, l expected moss
grown farmhouse of Puritan days, not this
modern chef-d Duvre of, should Judge
some Bosronian artist architect.
Well, thereby hangs a tale" he an
swered, land that tale | shall tell you after
your Thanksgiving dinner, which dinner l
hope my wife has been able to improvise
but fear, poor girl, she will have had a
hard task to accomplish at this season. But
come in, come in, let me introduce you,
and if you have any poetry or sense of
beauty left in that old head of yours, you
will forgive such woman if she gives US
dinner of cold potatoes with tepid water to
wash them down, and without even salt for
a seasoning Besides, there are know
some pretty cousins, and we must, at this
season. take all this as a sort of camping
out picnic
The poor girl who l knew had been a
reigning belle in the most exclusive of Bos-
ton circles, and had brought halt million
or more to add to her husbands estate,
here came flying out bareheaded, and fol-
lowed by two children of six and eight, to
greet her husband, and gave to me, as his
friend, so cordial a welcome that | felt at
home at once She was both lovely and
charming the cousins were fully up to
descriptions, and the house an ideal coun-
try home for rich and cultivated people.
There were plenty of books, pictures and
pretty things, but the place was not
vulgar curiosity shop as are SO many now
adays.
Thanksgiving Day dawned brightly,
passed happily. faded into the evening and
at 6 we assembled in the dining-room for
our Thanksgiving feast.
The dinner was perfect | particularly
remember some Chateau Yquem with our
fish, a salad dressed by our host, and GER
tain red BordeauX-a Chateau Haut-BriOn,
! think-just judiciously warmed, which
were delicious enough to make an epoch
in mans short journey through this vale
of tears. At its close a servant appeared
with lighted candle and a salver contain
ing cigars, and our hostess gaily said :
" Ladies, | hope none of you object TO
smoke These selfish men must be in
dulged, and you know they prefer their to-
bacco to our society-when they cannot
have both. l generally run away and leave
them until my attractions-or the coffee
they know will be awaiting their coming
draw them to the sitting-room. To-day
Robert has a story to tell, and, as these
lords of creation cannot do without their
cigars, propose we let them smoke while
we listen"
1T is true" said our host, Il have de-
liberately gotten you all down here, where
knew politeness would prevent your run
ming away, to read you-don't be alarmed
it's not my new poem, nor the lonS-de-
sired original American play, no, it's not
hope, quite so bad as that Indeed, be-
lieve YOU all know l am as incapable of
such freachery as l would be-of writing
any kind of a play or poem, which is say
ing much. | win acknowledge this; You
see that little woman there at the other end
of the table? Yes2 Well | have for the
first time-except when deluded her into
marrying me-most outrageously swlndled
her. | have told her q cock-and-bull story
about what am to read to you, but the
fact is, it is all about her, or, rather, her
people.
Probably you, who are of her blood,
know that this house stands exactly upon
the site of the home of her ancestors OF
some six generations ago. Some, as, for
example my friend sitting there on my
little gife's right, do not know even that
much. For the benefit of the latter l will
saw that the place came to me in the very
prosaic manner of bargain and sale. found
Il could be bought, purchased it. and, find
ing the old house had entirely disappeared,
built this one beside the great spring, and,
as nearly as possible over the spot where
the former dwelling and its dependencies
had stood.
Owning the place where the people Of
my wife and children had lived some two
centuries ago. have tried to find out the
details Of its history, and have discovered a
most charming story. The marked event
refers to a Thanksgiving dinner eaten on
this very spot in 1893.
Now, am not New Highlander and,
l fear. much less good q churehman than !
should be- but think have reason to give
thanks
. This house was built nearly four years
AGO The first Thanksgiving day after its
building we were abroad two years ago l
had not learned its history: last year at
this time that little woman over there who
bulIes me dreadfully and rules me with a
rod of iron " (satiricsl smiles from the com
Danvl hut whom ! am foolish enough to
he rather fond OF, lay SO i'll that 80 that l
almost feared-I mean l almost hoped
was about to regain my freedom" Here
there was z rapid, loving glance shot down
the table, a rather suspicious tremble ID his
voice and most undoubted moisture in
her eye.) Before py wife was out OF
danger both of our little ones were taken
will scarlet fever and, to add to the trouble,
my business affairs became involved ana q
lawsuit threatened considerable part OF
our property. Well, to begin at smaller
end / won my lawsuit; my business mat
tiers righted themselves into better condi-
ton than ever before; the children came
out of the fever unscathed, and as Tor nay
small tyrant over there, you can see t1a I
she is blooming like rose ia ) une ana a l
know has to-day done iun Jusuce 70 tiIe
traditional turkey and mince-pie OF her
own providing. Now for my story oil TWO
hundred yesrs ago. 49,,
Among the early Immigrants TO Massa-