The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1888-11-24

tne Gay before InanKSglVln, Salu MIS. l1Itle.
"Well, don't think twas, nuther. didn't
see jest what Sam meant by it.
Ann Mary was dumb with admiration. -
When the turkey was laid on the board shelf
in the pantry, she went and gazed upon it. In
the afternoon there was great enjoyment seeing
it stuffed and made ready for the oven In
deed, this day was throughout one of great en-
joyment, being full of the very aroma of festiv-
ity and good cheer and gala times, and even
sweeter than the occasion which it preceded
Ann Mary had only one damper all day, and
that was the non-arrival of letter. Mrs. Lit
tie had invited her son and his family to spend
Thanksgiving, but now they probably were not
coming, since not word in reply had been re
ceived. When Mr.. Little said there was no let
ter in the post-ofice, Ann Mary's face fell
"Oh, dear, said she, don't you suppose Lucy
will come, Grandma?"
NO." replied her grandmother, II don't.
Edward never did such thing as not to send
me word when he was comm, in his life, nor
Maria neither. l amt no idee they I'll come"
"Oh dear p said Ann Mary again.
"Well, you'll haveto make your mind to it, !"
returned her grandmother; she was sore over
her own disappointment, and so was irascible
toward Ann Mary's. 'Its no worse for you
than for the rest of us. l guess you can keep
one Thanksgivin' without Lucy"
For while it almost seemed\to Ann Mary
that she could not. Lucy was her only cousin.
She loved Lucy dearly, and she was lonesome
for another little girl; nobody knew how she
had counted upon seeing her cousin. Ann
Mary herself had forlorn hope that Lucy still
might come, even if Uncle Edward acdS always
so particular about sending word and no word
had been received. On Thanksgiving morn
ing she kept running to the window, and look
ing down the road But when the stage from
the village came, it passed right by the house
without slackening its speed.
Then there was no hope left at all.
"YOu might lest as we'll be oaSV," SAID her
grandmother, 81 guess you can have a good
Thanksgivin' if Lucy amt here. This evenin'
you can ask Loretta to come over little while,
ifyou want to, an you can make some nut
candy"
"Loretta amt at home"
Shell come home for Thanksgivin' | guess.
1t amt very likely she's stayed away over
that When get the dinner ready to take up,
you can carry plateful down to Sarah Beams,
an that'n be somethin' for you to do, too. l
guess you can manage"
Thanksgiving day was a very pleasant day,
although there was considerable snow on the
ground for it had showed all the day before
Mr.. Little and Ann Mary did not go to church
as usual, on that account:
The old man did not like to drive to the vii
lage before the roads were beaten out. Mrs.
Little lamented not little over it. 1t was the
custom for her husband and granddaughter to
attend church Thanksgiving morning, while
she stayed at home and cooked the dinner
"It does seem dreadful heathcnish for nobody
to go to meetin' Thanksgivin' day" said she;
''an' we amt even heard the proclamation
read neither. 1t ralned so hard last Sabbath
that we couldn't 60"
The season was unusually wintry and severe,
and lately the family had been prevented from
church-going 1t was two Sundays since any
of the family had gone. The village was three
miles away, and the road was rough. Mr..
Little was too old to drive over it in very bad
weather.
When Ann Mary went to carry the plate of
Thanksgiving dinner to Sarah Bean she wore
q pair of her grandfather's blue woolen socks
drawn over her shoes to keep out the snow
The snow was rather deep for easy walking,
but she did not mind that. She carried the
dinner with great care; there was large plate
well filled, and tin dish was turned over it to
keep it warm. Sarah Bean was an old woman
who lived alone. Her house was about quar-
ter of a mile from the Littles'.
When Ann Mary reached the house, she
found the old woman making cup of tea
There did not seem to be much OF anything
but tea and bread and butter for her dinner
She was very deaf and infirm, all her joints
shook when she tried to use them, and her
voice quavered when she talked. She took the
plate, and her hands trembled SO that the tin
dish played on the plate like clapper why"
said she ove5joyed this this GSSadn,JJ Looks Just like
"Why, it Is Thanksgiving day." declared
Ann Mary, with some wonder.
''What?' asked Sarah Bean.
''H Is Thanksgiving day, yow kno~.' But it
was of no use, the old woman could not hear a
word. Ann Mary's voice was too low.
Ann Mary could not walk very fast on ac-
count of the snow. She was absent some three
quarters of an hour; her grandmother had
told her that dinner would be all on the table
when she returned. She was enjoying the
nice things in anticipation all the way; when
she came near the house, she could smell roast
ed turkey, and there was also sweet spicy odor
in the air.
She noticed with surprise that sleigh had
been in the yard. "I wonder who's come" /"
she said to herself. She thought of Lucy, and
whether they could have driven over from the
village. She ran in. 'Why, who's Gomez
she cried out.
Her voice sounded like shout in her own
ears; it seemed to awaken echoes. She fairly
startled herself, for there was no one in the
room. There was absolute quiet through all
the house. There was even no sizzling from the
kettles on the stove, for everything had been
dished up. The vegetables, all salted and pep
pered and buttered, were on the table-but the
turkey was not there. In the great vacant
place where the turkey should have been was
piece of white paper. Ann Mary spled 1t IN
a moment. She caught it up and looked at it.
It was note from her grandmother:
We have had word that Aunt Betsey has had
ner is all ready for you. If we amt home to-
night, you can get Loretty to stay with you-
Be good girl. GRANDMA
Ann Mary read the note and stood rejecting,
her mouth dropping at the corners. Aunt
Betsey was Mrs. Little's sister; Llzz was her
daughter who lived with her and took care OF
her. They lived in Derby, and Derby was
fourteen miles away. 1t seemed long distance
to Ann Mary, and she felt sure that her grand
parents could not come home that night: she
looked around the empty room, and sighed
After while she sat down and pulled OF the
snowy socks she thought she might as well
eat her dinner, although she did not feel SO
hungry as she had expected. Everything was
on the table but the turkey and Plum-pudding.
Ann Mary supposed these were in the oven
keeping warm; the door was ajar. But, when
she looked, they were not there. She went in
to tbe pantry: they were not there either. 1t
was very strange there was the dripping pan
in which the turkey had been baked, on the
back of the stove with some gravy IN 1t; and
there was the empty pudding-dish on the
hearth.
andsthe plum-pudding?" said Ann Mary
aloud.
She looked again in the pantry then she
went down cellar-there seemed to be so few
places in the house in which it was reasonable
to search for turkey and pl,lm-pudding
Finally she gave it up, and sat down todln-
ner. There was plenty Of squash, and potatoes,
and turnips, and onions, and beets and cram
berry-sauce, and pies; but it was no Thanks
giving dinner without turkey and plum-pud-
ding. 1t was like great flourish of accompa-
niment without any song.
Ann Mary did as well as she could; she put
some turkey-gravey on her potato and filled
up her plate with vegetables; but she did not
enioy the dinner She felt more and more
lonely too. She resolved that after she had
washed up the dinner dishes, and changed her
dress, she would go over to Loretta Adams's.-
1t was quite piece of work. washing the din
ner dishes, there were so many pans and ket-
ties; it was the middle of the afternoon when
she finished. Then Ann Mary put on her best
plaid dress, and tied her best red ribbons on
her braids, and it was four o'clock before she
started for Loretta's.
Loretta lived in white cottage about half a
mile away toward the village. The front yard
had many bushes in it, and the front path was
bordered with box; the bushes were now
mounds of snow, and the box was indicated
by two snowy ridges.
The house had a shut-up look; the sitting
room curtains were down. Ann Mary went
around to the side door; but it was locked
Then she went up the front walk between the
snowy ridges of box, and tried the front door
that also was locked. The Adamses had gone
away. Ann Mary did not know what to do
The tears stood in her eyes, and she choked a
little. She went back and forth between the
two DOORS and shook and pounded she peek
II ~, N oor,,ar Of tba curtain infO the