Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1888-11-28

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THREE THANKSGIVINGS
ny 3EFElE fORnUsH HANAFORD.
II was Thanksgiving Eve. The sni
had disappeared, and one by one tn.
stars were opening their bright eye
in the great, blne vault above. and th,
moon looked down, serene and holy.
1t had showed little during thu
day, coming down in soft, feather,
flakes, and covering mp the still, dead
lace of nature, and now for miles
around was nm nnbroken surface oil
VIII te. Over the hills wound the main
road from the city, now almos. GOV.
cred from sight BY the snow, and mol
far Rom II stood q large, comfortable
farmhouse, much superior to the ma
10 ity OF dwellings Of its class. 1t wal
the only cheering feature al the whole
landscape, aud the bright lights from
its windows streamed out warmly into
the night,
The curtains were mp, and IL one
could have locked into The cosy little
sittingrroom they would have seen the
owner, q man OF fifty years, James
Hubbard by name. commonly called
The Deacon" sitting in his easy chat,
III front III the old-fashioned fireplace
As he sat with his eyes fixed on the
glowing Goals, his liIs firmly com.
pressed, and an expression Of pain on
his face, his thought, were full oi
suffering, for he was living over aga d
in memory another Thank giving eve,
when all hearts should have Lean calm
and happy, but, instead, his had passed
though time Of such intense misery
and suffering that it was agony to re-
call it.
Three years ago ta-night! How
wildly it all came lack 10 him now.
There rose mp before his memory the
outlines Of fair, sweet face, framed in
brown curls, and q pair OF bright brown
eyss looked into his with a steady.
burning gaze, fail of such wistful
pleading that they made his heart ache.
Pretty Madge Hubbard, with her
glorious voice and penchant for the
stage, had first incurred her fathers
displeasure, while visiting friend in
the city, by taking part in some private
til sasricals unknown to him.
When he was informed by one Of his
brother .leacon's Of his daughters i'm
prudence he was furious. and said a
great many things that should have re;
manned unsaid. He forbid his daugh-
ter to ever sing again in public; if she
persisted in doing $, he would disown
her, and never willingly look upon her
face again.
Madge was nineteen, and possessed,
to certain degree, her fathers quick
temper; 30, without an instant's hesita-
ton, she replied that she was fully de-
termined to make name for herself,
and would leave home ut once il her
father so desired.
There was an instant's pause, during
which her fathers face grew stern and
hard, and not feature softened rs he
looked his beautiful daughter full in
the face, while his voice trembled with
passion Us he uttered but one word,
Sol" Then turning, he Ii It the room
and the house.
When Madge thought Of her mother
her eyes flied with tears, and she al
most decided to follow her father, inn
plore his forgiveness, and give up her
wild longing for professional life.
The next instant she shut her lips
firmly together in straight little line,
and shook her brown curls until they
danced about her head in pretty con-
fusion.
No! she would remain firm; her ia
Their was unreasonable, and she would
not alter her determination.
Tomorrow was Thanksgiving Day,
and what delightful time she had an
ticipated, but by tomorrow she would
be far away from the dear old home.
Just then her mother entered the room,
and Madge told her all that Had passed
between her father and herself.
DO not try to prevent my going,
mother dear" she said, in her pretty,
coaxing way; my heart longs for mn.
sic, and some day you--yeS and father,
too-shall be proud Of my one great
gift, my voice.
Silently her mother folded her in her
arms and commended her to her Heav.
emily Father. She realized that words
we're useless Madge was determined.
Some day, perhaps, he will be sorry
and ask me to return, then / will glad
" do so; until then, dear mother, trust
me and do not worry. l will go direct
~ to my friend, Madame Sevelo, the
great singer; she has promised so many
times to cultivate my voice, free. if
will make my appearance in public
only under her directions, and l shall
gladly consent to do so. She is pure,
good woman, mother, and you can
safely trust me under her care"
After Madge had gone, things went
on pretty much the same at the old
farm house, and now three years had
slipped away. and James Hubbard had
not relented and sent for his only child
to return, as many supposed he would.
He had remained Arm, and outwardly
appeared never to think of her, or miss
her bright presence. He had forbid
den his wife to even mention her name
in his hearing. She was to him as one
dead.
He was thinking Of all this as he sat
before the warm fire this chilly Novem-
Der night; the old-fashioned cuckoo
clock ON the mantel above his head
kept up constant ticking, and the fire
blazed mp cheerily in the open Are
place, yet the room seemed gloomy,
and James Hubbard had just made up
his mind that he would 60 into the
kitchen and seek his wife, when all Of
: sudden there sounded through the
stiffness Of the night = cry, clear and
shrill, like the wall Of an infant.
The Deacon was on his feet in an in