The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-12-19


BIGwIG, Dec. 4, 1888.
DEAR FIDoLA: haven't written to
you before, because i wanted to wait
until we were settled down, and then
thought I'd wait till after Thanksgiv-
ing, 80 l could tell you something of
our prospects. AS / told you before |
moved. determined TO have a grand
opening on Thanksgiving; but, oh,
Fidola, my heart aches to have to tell
you how it all turned out.
You know told you it would be a
splendid chance TO show folks what
style we could put on when we had q
mind to, and so three days before
Thanksgiving / sent Sophia Jane out
to invite the bigbugs of the town, and
/ am sure she must have invited them
right, for she had a slip of paper, on
which L had written the exact words Of
the invitation to look at. 1t read as
follows:
Mrs. - Your presence ia sophistically I'm
vited TO DO a. the residence OF Mr.. and Mrs.
Tryphena Higgins on Thanksgiving, at such
time as you may see At in your coHdescenston
To desire
1 used two big words, you see, which
l found in the back part of the spelling
book, among the long, hard words, be-
cause / wanted the invitation to sound
heightened, and as though we we're ed
icated, for knew they wouldn't know
the meaning of them any better than l
did.
Well, Fidola, Sophia Jane and I
worked like horses TO get everything
slicked up and things baked. l bought
hn laF L
L determined TO have enough, if it took
all we possessed on this earth.
The guests came stringing along
from ten o'clock till three, although
they might have known L would not
expect them till afternoon; and o, FL
dola, only, only five came, and L had
invited plump DOZEN When they
began coming / was h al and ears in
the work of cleaning that hateful old
rooster, which l had nearly finished,
but instead of sending Sophia Jane in
to entertain the company / went into
the parlor myself and left her to fin
ish the fowl, and I'll regret it to my
dying day; but of that hereafter.
Well, Sophia Jane had the rooster on
TO roast when / came back, and so at
three o'clock we had supper, for was
determined TO have it cary, so that if
any of the neighlors were intending to
slip II jus, in time 10 see what We had
to eat AM get asked to supper, they
would miss their calcul ltions. We all
sat down, and after Phyletus had asked
tn blessing | told George Washington
to carve the turkey, for it was such "A
large rooster that Sophia Jane and l
male up our minds We could PASS il
Tor turkey just Gs we'll as not; and
! there is where we sinned like Sophia
! in the bible, for i had int II led 20 carve
it before bringing it on the table, but
it looked SO nica and was done 50 brown
that L yielded TO Sophia Jane AMI
brought 1t on whole.
l forgot to tell YOU that one of our
guests was Il young |. dy, and IS
/ George began to carve that hateful
old rooster, | saw her looking az him
with sheepish eyes, and l thanked
the Lord FOR Thanksgiving, for knew
she was love stuck. l began thinking
OF wedding, and of being a grand
mother, when L looked st George, and
O, horrors! my heart turned sick at
! the sight, for that Needless Sophia
Jane had left the craw in that rooster
and George had cut right into the
middle Of j.! And O. the smell was
such that 1 began TO mortify III my
very victuals. Well, l didn't look
around, for l hada't the heart, nor |
didn't want to, bat Sophia Jane said
some Of the guests went out doors and
liked 70 have spewed their insides out
and poor George (he always was SO
basaful, YOU know just gave one look
Mt that black-eyed lady and then upset
the gravy all over the table, after
which he stumbled out of the room.
Poor Phyletus just sat still and said
words which l wouldn't write on paper
for the Price Of "ths world of vanity
and vexation of spirits, as the preach
er saws When | finally took courage
to look around / was all alone, for the
company had gone, and neither of my
children nor the old man were TO be
found
l finally found Sophia on the back
stoop nearly frozen, and | do believe
Phyletus had been in the saloon, al
though he denied it, for his breath
smelt awfully, and L am certain il
wasn't the turkey that made it smell
neither.
George didn't come home till ten
o'clock and l don't know yet where he
was. None of us had the brass to eat
that rooster, and so / yanked out the
craw and took the bird over to one OF
our poor neighbors and gave it to them
with my compliments. George heard
since that they said they didn't thank
me for such compliments, but / can
wait for my reward in time TO come
for if ever / gave anything without
grudging | did that.
L haven't been out of the house since
not even TO meeting, but | will try &c
go next Sunday ii l get my new dress
finished, for if do the folks will all be
so taken up with looking at it that they
will forget the tuTkey-roost er scrape.
George AMI Sophia Jane still go il
single harness. I've heard that the
men say Sophia is too feshy, and the
girls say George is too spare, and sc
I'm in spondarv, q think that's the
right word, bat will have them mar
ried by spring, or I'll burst with try
ing.
George has founl good place Il
spend his spare time now, for there il
q Blue Ribbon saloon here. 1t agrees