Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-11-25

on MS honest Ola lace. he Is tOOk1n
through the winder at the Holyoke
hills over yonder, and can guess he's
thinkin' OF the time when hewuz boy
like me an Amos, an useter climb
over them hills an kill rattlesnakes
an hunt partridges. Or doesn't his
eyes quite reach the Hoiyoke hills?
Do they TALL kind o. lovingly but sad
ly on the little buryin' ground jest
beyond the village-ah, father knows
that spot, an he loves it, too, for
there are treasures there whose mem
DRY he wouldn't swap for all the
world could give So, while there is
a kind o. mist in fathers eyes, can
see he is dreamin' like of sweet an
tender things, and communin' with
memory-hea, in voices never heard,
an feelin' the tech OF hands never,
pressed--an' seem fathers peaceful
face find it hard to think ola thanks
givin' sweeter than fathers is.
The pictur' in the freight changes
now" said Ezra, "an' seems as if |
wuz in the old frame meetin' house.
The meetin' house is on the hill, and
meetin' begins at hall pas 10. Our
pew is well up in front-seems as If
could see it now. 1t has a long
red cushion on the seat, and in
the yearbook rack there is a
bible an couple of psalmo-
dys. We walk up the isle slow, and
mother goes in first, then comes Mary,
then me, then Helen, then Amos. and
then father. Father thinks it is Jest
as well to have one o. the girls set in
between me an Amos. This meetin'
/ t,yN 80 t,.1I 60. -
| meetin' thanksgivin' day. The minis
ter reads the proclamation an makes
prayer, an then hegives ont psalm
an we all stan up an turn round an
join the choir. Sam Merritt has come
up from Palmer to spend thanksglvin'
with the OF folks, an he is singin' ten
or to-day in his ol'dplacein the choir.
Some folks say he sings wonderful
well, but i don't like Sans voice.
Laura sings soprano in the choir, and
Sam stands next to her an holds the
book,
Seems as if / could hear the minis
ter's voice. full of earnestness an mel
ody, comm from away up in his little
round pulpit. He is tellin' us why we
should be thankful, an, as he quotes
scriptur' an DIR. Watts, we boys woa-
der how anybody can remember so
much OF the bible. Then get nervous
and worried. Seems to me the minis
ter was never comm to lastly, and i
find myself wonderin' whether Laura
is listenin' to what the preachin' is
about, or is writin, notes to Sam Mer-
rift in the back of the tune hook. /
get thirsty, too, and Ifidget about till
/ fa To- ~ nd ut hpr
Helen and Helen passes it along to
me with interest,
can then" continues Ezra in his
revelry. "when the last hymn is given
out an we stan up agin an join the
choir, am glad to see that Laura is
singin' outer the book with Miss Hub
bard, the alto. An goin' out o meet
in kind OF edge up to Laura and ask
her if | kin have the pleasure OF seein'
her home.
''An' now we boys all go out on the
common to play ball The Enfield
boys have come over. and, as all the
Hampshire county folks know, they
are tough feIlers to beat. Gorham
Polly keeps tally, because he has got
the newest jack-knife-oh, how slick it
whites the old broom-handie Gorham
picked up in Paekard's store an
| brought along Jest to keep tally on.
i Its is great game of ball; the bats
are broad and light and the ball is
small and soft. But the Enfield boys
beat us at last, leastwise they make
20 tallies to our 50, when Heman
Fits knocks the ball over into Aunt
Dorkas Eastman's yard and Aunt
Dorkas comes out an picks up the
ball an takes it into the house an
wehave to stop playin'. Then Phineas
Owens allows he can flop any boy in
Belchertown, an Moses Baker takes
him up an they wrassle like two tar
tars, till at last Moses fuckers
Phineas out an downs him as slick
as whistle.
'sThen we all go home, for thanks
givin' dinner is ready. Two long tables
have been made into one and one OF the
big tablecloths gran'ma had when she
set up housekeepin' is spread over en-
both. We all set round-father, moth
er, Aunt Lydia Holbrook, Uncle Ja-
son, Mary, Helen, Tryphena Foster,
Amos, and me. How big an brown
the turkey is, and how good it smells!
There are bounteous dishes ofmashed
potato, turnip, an squash, and the
celery is very white and cold, the bis
cult are light an hot, and the stewed
cranberries are red as L&ura's
cheeks. Amos and | get the drum
sticks; Mary wants the wish-bone to
put over the door for Hiram, but Hell
en- gets it. Poor Mary, she always
did have to give up to 'rushin Helen,
as we call her. The pies-oh, what
pies rother makes; no dyspepsia in
'em, but good mature an good health
an hospitality Pumpkin pies-mince
an apple too-an' then big dish of
pippins an russets an bellflowers, an
last OF all. wa!nuts with cider from
the Zibiina Dickerson farm. tell you
there's a thanksgivin' dinner for yel
That's what weget in old Belchertown,
an that's the kind of livin' that
makes the Yankees so ALFRED good
an SMART
"But the best OF ALL" said Ezra,
very softly to himself, ooh, yes, the
best scene in all tie pictur' is when
evenin' comes, when the lamps are lit
in the parlor, when the neighhors
come in, and when there is music an
singin' an games. An it's this part
O. the pictur' that makes me home
sick now and fills my heart with q
lnngin' never had before-au' yet it
sort O. mellows an comforts me, too.
Miss Serena Caldwell whose beau was
killed in the war, plays on the melo-
deon, ard we all sing-all on us; men,
womenfolks, an children. Sam Mer-
rift is there. an he sings tenor song
about love. The women sort OF whisper
round that he's goin to bemarried to
% Palmer lady mex spring an |
think TO myself | never heard better
singin' than Sans Then we play
games buzz clap-in-clap-
cut, copenhagen, fox an geese, button
button who SCOT the-button, spin-the.
platter, go-to-Jerusalem, my-ship's-
come-in, and all the rest. The oil folks
play with the young folks just as nat
raj as can be, and we all laugh when
Deacon Hosea Cowles hez to measure
six yards of love ribbon with Miss
Hepsy Newton, and cut each yard with
kiss; for the deacon hez been sort o.
purrin round Miss Hepsy for goin' on
two years. Then, afr while, when
Mary an Helen bring in the cookies.
nutcakes, cider, an apples, moth
er says: Il don't blieve we're goin'
to hev enough apples to 90 round;
Ezry, / guess I'll have to get you
to 90 down cellar for some more
Then says; All right, mother, I'll go,
providin' some one'll 90 along an
hold the candle. An when say this
i look right at Laura an she bushes.
Then Helen jest for meanness says:
, fEZry / s'pnSa Won amt willin' RI