Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-29
GOOOELL'S THANKSGIVING,
OR,
On the Road to the Emersons

I'm afraid you won't get ready for meet.
In, father, more'n nothin'"
Hiram Goodell was shaving around his
mouth, and he could not speak. Not q
muscle of his face moved. still he looked
irascible. He stood before the kitchen.
glass and shaved cautiously and slowly.
He was always afraid of cutting himself
when he shaved.
Hiram Goode0 was very cant GUS man.
His wife stood by and held his vest ready
for him to put on. Her hands tWitched as
she watched him wipe his razor painstak-
fngly with bit of paper and then hold it
up to the light and squint at it to see if it
were clean enough. She felt like snatch
ing the razor and shaving him herself
For mercy sakes, father, don't be so
1ong-windedp' said she. She was a sandy
haired woman, tall and broad-shouldered
and lean. Her blue eyes were weak, and
she narrowed them and wrinkled her
broWs when she talked. Hiram carefully
scraped around his mouth and held his
lips firmly pressed together. It was quite
time before he spoke, and then the words
came out with the added impetus of re-
preston. 81 wish you'd lay down that
vest, an go long bout your work, moth
err" said he, can not stan there watchin'
me-"
STAN here watchin' you'd like to
know if you'd ever get anywher father,
If didn't foller you up. I'd jes like to
knew what you would do"
''The bell amt tolled yet"
1.-THE bell amt tolled That's lest the
way you talk, father What if it amt,
you can't walk down there under twenty
minutes, an you know it. AM it's time
for it to toll now. This clocks ten min
utes fast. But there you STAN as deliber-
ate as if you'd got week before YOU"
The cid man muttered something. His
wife laid the vest on the table and the but
tons ratified.
We'll, you can swear if you want to-"
said she, "a man Us old as you be an pro-
fessin' what you do"
She turned herself about with majestic
air
II want swearin'. You say pretty hard
things, mother" The old mans tone was
suddenly humble, and conciliatory.
i know what hear. I've got ears"
"If it's got SO anybody can't speak with
out bein' told they're swearin', 1 guess I
might as well keep my mouth shut all
the time. think you go most too far,
MOTHER
Hiram now went to the sink, and washed
his face long and thoroughly: his wife had
turned the water into the tin basin for
him. She eyed him sharply when he had
dried his face on the roller-toweI
"Stan' round here, father" said she.
She dipped corner of the towel in wa
her, and dabbed energetically at his ears.
The old man stood still with his face
screwed up, finally he made break away
rom her.
las for standin' this, amt goin' to!"
said he, Il dunno what you think Pm
made of, mother!'
He glared at her resentfully.
She emptied the water from the tin basin
and put the soap back in the dish
81 guess you amt hurt very bad" she
returned. "Fd like to know what kind of
a figure you'd cut to the folks that sit be-
hind you, if l didn't look out for you
little. You don't have any more thought
Tor your ears than as if they didn't belong
TO you. Now don't STAN round any long
lr, father, for mercy sakesl Your great
coat an your hat are on the settin' room
lounge, an I've brushed 'em. Seems to
me the bells tolIin' now"
But the bell had only just begun to toll
when Hiram Goodell had left his own yard
and was fairly out in the road. The long
bell-tones came sweet and clear through
the frosty air. 1t was very cold for the
season, and there was no snow on the
ground. The road was frozen in great
ridgea The rough ground hurt the old
mans tender feet, and he stepped gingerly
and toed in to save them. He was large
and numbering, and could not walk easily.
The church was half a mile away, aud the
Emersons' quarter of a mile. Before he
came to the Emersons he passed the house
where the Lord sisters lived. 1t was q
square white house with four windows in
front Two belonged to the sitting-room
and two to the parlor. At each of the sit
ting-room windows head with a black
lace cap and spectacles was visible. The
heads were bent down in peering atti-
tude so as to clear the Instructions of the
sashes, the spectacles themselves seemed
to squint curiously.
The old man, passing close under the
windows, looked up and bowed gravely
and stif11y.
Always peelzin'l'' he thought to him
self, with slow masculine disapprobation
OF curious women. Hiram had never in
his life looked out of window to see who
was passing, so far as he could remember.
Down the hill, and beyond the Lords
with no house between, was the Emer-
sons. That was one-story house, large
IN the ground but very low. 1t had been
PAINTED white but it was now gray, the
roof was lurchy with loose shingles. In
the wide side-yard were struggling wood
pile and an old farm-wagon. Hiram did
not look squarely, but he took it all in.
AS he passed, he held up his head quite
high: and toed out firmly in spite of the
frozen ground. He did not appear to be
looking, but he saw quite plainly figure
come to one of the front windows, then
start back; he saw the front door open q
little way, then close with jerk
"They saw me comm, an went back"
thought to himself.
When he was well past the house, the
door opened again, and an old man and 8
young woman appeared. They came out
of the yard and proceeded down the street,
behind Hiram. who dumped along with
solemn deliberation. The bell had now
nearly stopped tolling, and the Emersons
felt in haste. They sat well toward the
front of the church, and were abashed
when they went in, if it were late. But
they could not quicken their pace without
overtaking Hiram, and they did not want
to do that.
Foster Emerson had weakly nervous
gait. He walked with alacrity, but when
he swung himself forward, his knee ap-
peared to weaken under him. 1t was al
most like slight lameness. His daughter
Fannie walked like him. Fanny was thin
and sharp-featured and pretty. She had a
lovely color on her cheeks, that deepened
as she went on in the frosty air Her stiff