The Arizona sentinel., 1888-12-08
PILLS THANKS-GIVING.
Little Boys Interpretation of the Mean
ing of the Word


for Phil to spend Thanksgiving there.
/ am sure see -iIe- reason why we
should be continually sparing the boy
to him. when he refuses all our invita-
tions and lives like a hermit. :"
p, But Phil likes the old place, and
Uncle, Max, too; Kith all his queer
ness,n answered Mr. Shepherd, l6ok=
ing up iircrtt his magazine. !'Whe1f te
begins himself to TebeI against these
yearly visits, we will put ali epd to
them at once; but, Helen. l doubt very
much if you would deny that lonely old
man the bit of brightness our boy
brings into his life"
SO Phil went-a "bit of brightness"
as his father had said-into the dreary
old house amongst the mines, where
Uncle Man watched, day after day, the
great masses Of black coal come forth,
Knowing that each lump nfeant more
gold to add t0 the pile he kept so safe
What had drawn the cid man; who
So persistently summed all companion
ship, to the merry, light hearted boy;
no one could tell. Perhaps it was that
the light in Philips brGwti eyes, or the
ring of his merry laughter, Carried
him back to days which no one gave
him credit for remembering-day
when Thanksgiving meant more than
q comfortable, old-fashioned dinner, in
dining-room lar tc o large and empty
for one old man.
Philip came on Tuesday morning.
The cold afternoon he spent down by
the shafts, hunting up his old friends
among the miners, and poking in and
out Of the most Inaccessible places
with the new engineer:
"Mike," he said to rough WORK.
man who had stretched out his hands
to help him over dangerous passage,
''has it been good year?"
"Ay, ay!--for the master, young
sir; but it's hard work and poor pay
for the men, and no end on it either"
But" continued Phil, stopping to
rub a bit of eoal=dust off his Norfolk
jacket, .'when the mines make more
money, don't you get more pays
Hear the boyr' laughed the miner.
''It's no divide work; laddie: We're
no in partnership wi the master"
can it's well for ye," spoke up an
old man standing near, his shoulders
bent with the heavy work the years
had brought him, ''that ye ken little
o. it all. Ay! it's the place that
brushes the life out O mon. I've
seen laddies like yourself come sfngin'
into the mines, but it's ia Use; the
song dies out! There's ma singiI' wi
hungry mouths at hame to fill.n
Come, come, Sandy; it's not the
lads fault that it's weary world"
broke in Mixes cherry voice. MAS
ter Philip, as ye start towards home,
stop at my door, and my Woman will
gle We the queer stones Eve been saw
ing for ye this year. Ye must ma mind
Landy's words, boy" he went on in
lower tone: '.He's hard and bitter
since the fever-time last winter, when
we saw them go just O. hunger and
cold. He buried two fine lads then,
and it's kind O. dazed him since; but
it's bright world for ye, laddie, and
ye belong to that half of it.
1.-TWO halves to it," Phil wondered {
over it as he walked home in the gath
ering twilight over the barren fields.
His half-and theirs! He had stopped
4 minute at Mikes door, to have his
pockets filed with fossils and crystals.
Through the open door he could see
into the little room. Even in the dim
light it looked cold and bare. Mikes t
crippled boy sat by the fire, and three
oale-faced children were playing on the
1oor. This was the other half of Gods 6
world! J
That night he sorted his specimens
as he sat by Uncle Max after I
ea.
"Tm going to send Dick some by L
nail tomorrow. He'll like them for a
Agassiz.' Got bit OF paper. Uncle i
Max? Mrs. Dent gave me box. 1 b
hink I'll write on the outside: From t
Phil. A Thanksgiving present. i
The pen scratched on few minutes, v
md Uncle Max read his paper without S
Suddenly Phil's hand Fl
vas laid on his arm. t
'Look, Uncle Max! never thought Ii
# this before. Thanksgiving is really a
wo words, isn't Misunderstanding a
did you ever notice the giving part,
Jncle Max? | wish l had lots to give. :,
guess my halt of this has to be just :.
he thanks part, though, until I'm :
ig. You could do the giving y
ouldn't youP 1 suppose" he added, =
1.-The first part of the g
Tord means we are to thank God for -
That He gives us, and the last part ~
neans we must be giving to somebody !,
lse."
The box had been directed now, but 9
hills busy tongue wandered on. =
Eyes, I'd give those miners of yours
real Thanksgiving Day-the whole
7ord, Uncle Max. And 1 don't see b
Iow it could be done, unless we gave +
to be thankful for first p
like said belonged to one half of the /:
world, and he belonged to the other. h
was awfullY glad, when l saw his a
ut tonight, Uncle Max. that l got in P