The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-11-25
Grandma's Wedding Gown.
A THANKSGIVING SKETCH.

.cdiS ago tudC we OIL TIT
Lldred family, both old and young, were
invited to spend Thanksgiving Day Al
the old homestead, away up in the lake
region of Western Maine.
The invitation was accepted promptly
ana with pleasant anticipations, that were
heightened by the fact that we were moi
only bddcn to the fcstivisies of Thanks.
giving but also to celebrate Grandma
LloredS seventy-ffth birthday, which
happened to fall that year upon the an.
nual holiday.
10 grandmothcr's room, we young
folks all turned upon our arrival, sittipe
there dozlng and dreaming before tho
great fire place, under the drowsy influ-
ence OF our long, cold ride.
The sharp tap of grandma's cane, and
soft thread of her list shoes a, she
trudged across the floor, soon aroused us
from or rcvcries.
"Grandma, why are you so choice of
that blue wool quilt" asked Netty Full
Ter, as the ola lady carefully spread a
large newspaper over a portion of the
bed on which the afternoon sun was shin
ing brightly.
"Beeause, child, it was once nv we'd.
ding gown" said grandma, smiling
cheerily. 'It was homcspun, yet |
tho'ght it very fine looking at the time,
though it was not quite so attractive to
my griish eyes as the one 1 had first
made for the occasion"
"But whit became of the first onc2n
inquired SUSIE Garland.
"Icll us about it, grandma!' cried
cousin Katy. "Was It silk or stain, and
did any guilty, unprinciplcd rival: anv
unlucky maiden overcome by envy, steal
it out of sptcl"
1T was neither silk nor satin, and #
wasn't stolen at least, not in that way :.
and got it after wasd, and wore it ont %
'Do tell US what happened to it,
grandml!" we all urged.
"Well, it was nearly sixty-one years
ago, my dears, that l was married to your
grandpa-it was in 1916, tie wear when
we had no summer. Some people thought
the cold weather was lad sign, and
tried to have us put of the wedding: but
did not have faith in signs, neither did
your grandfather. 50 we very frankly
told them that we did not believe our
intentions had upset the weather, and
we should therefore be married at the
time set
"But wasn't there any summer that
year?' aske Susie.
,'lt could scarcely be called summer for
there were frost and ice every month in
the year. May came in with snowstorms
and there was .ce an iuch thick. The
planting was put off till the last of Nav.
Then about the miidle of June snow
came to the depth of seven inches and
Killed all the CON that had sprouteJ
and nearly everything else that had been
planted.
"Such cold weather had never been
KNOWN In any summer before. Some
folks were afraid that tie sun was cool
ing Off There was a good deal of anx.
lety felt among the fearsome ones on that
account. Winter clothes were wor,
through the simmer, and so late as the
1st of July there were days when the
men and boys went about tn .ir work
with ovcrcoat5 ard mittcns on.
u ather sheared his sheep as usual and
turned them out TO pasture; but during
the month of June nearly half of them
died, and scarcely lamb was raised.
/ All the fruit was killed, and it seemed
time Of general destruction.
"July and August were both cold
months, and those farmers who had re-
plan,ed their corn oft the big snow
storm saw it destroyed by the frosts. In
fact, nearly all the corn planted that
year was unfit for use except for fodder.
Squire Hobs y, our nearest neighbor.
who had several acres of burnt lard
planted in ON, set large fires about it
on the edge of the woods every cold
night, and the Leat and smoke seemed
to keep off the frost in measure. Many
night we young folks in the neighhor-
hood glthtred about that clearing in the
woods TO watch the fires and cat roasted
ears. The squire had the only corn that
was laiscd in the whole town, and the
next spring ia mcrs for miles around
came 10 him fer .ced, and paid HIM at
the rate of five dollars bush.l for it.
You may be sure thc.c weren't m ny
johnny cakes that year.
well, On account of this failure of
the crops father felt poor. and saw that
if I'had wediing-g' WI l NUT earn it.
Squire Hobson's wife always hired help