New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-11-24
it for me?" She was almost frighten-
ed as she looked up and met stern,

it for me?' She was almost Tighten
ed as she looked up and met stern,
white face
cts your bedtime now. Lucy" in
terrupted her aunt. We'll think it
over till morning" And Lucy was
glad to retire to the adjoining room,
wondering what she could have said
to make Uncle Jerry look $3.50
dreadful
An hour later Jerry Winters broke
the silence, which was already becom-
ing oppressive.
II suppose we. must do something
or the child will he homesick."
EYES," answered his wife.
'Don't see how can stop chopin
day, with that contract on my
hands, and Jake and Steve have both
begged off for Thanksgiving. I wish
there were no such days. / suppose
nothing less than aturkey will satisfy
the child?"
mo; but we can well afford it. Who
is going to have our money after we
are gone? We may as well make the
child happy and have a god time
once in our lives
"she might be happy anyhow. It
seems a waste to me, must confess. :"
"Well, Jerry, we never wasted very
much that way, and it strikes me that
if we had had more holidays and had
made the old farmhouse more con-
genial to q young, lively spirit we
would have had our son with us in
our old age
"EstherW
IL know we havn't mentioned him
for years, jeremiah, but, for all that,
neither OF US has lived day without
thinking Of him."
"Well, did my duty by him, if ever
a father did by his child"
''We did what we thought was for
his best good; but / fear we made
some mistakes"
"He was wild as young colt; moth
ing could tame him" The fatherspoke
impatiently and scowled hard, lest his
face might show the love and longing
in his heart.
He was full Of life, and fiery, too;
and, instead of guiding him gently in
traces which could not gall, we bound
him, as it were, so tightly that he
broke the letters and disappeared.
We wanted him to be old and steady,
and his young spirit could not be sub
dued. see it all now. There were
no companions for him, no Jolly
times, as Lucy says, and nothing
about the old farm worth staying
for"
No answer but O. smotherel groan.
'There, Jerry, I amt blaming you
more than lido myself. Wewere wrong
and the boy was wrong. too. If we
only knew where to find him we might
make it all right before we die. war
rant he has longed to return, but
pride and fear have kept him back.
He can't know how we long for him,
for he never knew how much we loved
him; we never told him!''
ooh, Esther"
''Well, father, won't say any more.
All these thoughts have been crowd
ed down in my heart so long that I
had to speak, and think it'll do us
good, after all.''
She drew nearer and laid her head
on his shoulder, while tears rolled
down her wrinkled cheeks, and thus
they sat far into the night.
The next day among the families OF
the neighboring farm houses, there
was but one topic of conversation:
The invitation to spend Thanksgiving
with jeremiah Winters.
The eventful day came at last. Lucy
with a dozen boys and girls, made the
rafters ring with their glad shouts.
Down stairs the best room was filled
with the hum OF elderly voices recount
ing "old times while in the sitting
room the young people were eating
apples and counting the seeds, with
much jest and laughter, sly chances
and bushes.
In the kitchen long table was load
ed with good things, while Aunt Esther
with plenty OF help, was completing
the preparations for dinner.
Uncle Jerry excitedly went from
room to room, trying to appear as if
this sort Of thing was OF common oc-
currence in his house. For the first
time in her life, his wife had asserted
her right to entertain her friends, and
now he felt glad that she had perse-
vered. He was surprised to find what
pleasant neighbors he had.
1t was night, and the merry making
was at its height. The walls echoed
laughter and song, and from every
window lights cleaned far out into
the darkness.
From the village depot, five miles
away, q traveller was walking over
the lonely road as if eager to join the
Joyous party; but when at length he
came in sight of the many lights, he
stopped in amazement. Nearer and
nearer he came, till through the un-
shaded windows he saw the friendly
scene within. With a glad smile on
his face he turned away, and, stand
ing in the deep shadow OF pine, he
watched long and patiently.
At last, after a host OF thanks and
pleasant '.farewells," all was still,
and only three sat in the deserted
rooms.
A hush fell over them, and they
looked thoughtfully into the Pickering
fire. Lucy, climbing on her uncle's