Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-11-29
WHY THEY KEPT THANKSGIVING.
BIT VIRGINIA FRANKLIN.

N ONE III. Dedrle. NO, l. nave not
W gone to bed yet. When have
young girl like you visiting
me, like 10 sit up till she comes
home and maze sure that there is
nothing she wants before retiring.
Then, too, / want TO know II you had
O pleasant time. can see by your
face that you did. | am glad you
could go 10 the Bainbridges' this even
ing. Sit down in this big chair by
my fire, and let the old lady have IA
little OF your sweet society for few
minutes.
How cold it is! We shall have n
bitter Thanksgiving tomorrow!
! Yes, Kate, | am glad that you like
my little Mrs. cambridge You know
she was, as II girl, one OF my pets
just as you are, child. 1t was at my
house that she met her husband, then
only first lieu, enant, and | have al
ways said that il was case of love at
first sight. ierhaps we elderly army
women are TO fond of match making
/ confess that when Naomi Rude con
sen ed 20 spend several months with
us at or. Clark, thought yes
may as we'll knowledge it-I hoped
that Bourke Bainbrdge would at least
like her. And he d Behold the
happy result, and medi ate thereupon
before that nice, infatuated Lieut..
Rumrill calls again. He is gentle
mao, and belongs to an excellent fam
ilv. Believe me, there are worse lots
laf ~ 90 u,ffa
even if he is stationed away out here
on the frontier. We always have our
own little colony, and never lack for
congenial soc iety.
And, by the way, Kate, / have in
vited Mr.. Rumrill 10 dinner to-mor-
row. Nonsense! don't thank me,
though that blush is very becoming
or is it only the glow from the fire?
Young peop.e like 10 be together,
and am glad to have such a charm
ing man dine with me. ! invited the
Bainbrdges also; but, OF course. they
will not take Thanksgiving dinner
anywhere except in their own quar-
tiers. Why are they such stubborn
'adherents 10 that old custom? Is il
possible have never told you? Put
another stick of wood on the fire, and,
even if it is late, must tell you OF
what Thanksgiving means TO one
couple.
A. you know, Naomi Rude was q
Yankee girl. Not one of the cold i'm
paSsi G sort. but as warm-hearted as
If she had never seen Fanueil Hall or
heard of lymouih Rock. Neyerthe-
less, she was a stickler for time hon
,ored forms and anniversaries peculiar
to her home and race. 10 neglect the
proper observances OF Fast Day and
Thanksgiving would have hurt her
conscience as much as would going 10
the thea err on Sunday Many people
are brought up with belle that seem
to be iron-clad, but going about the
world soon knocks OF the casing and
loosens the bolts. Not so with
Naomi!
When the Bainbridges had been
married four years they were ordered
to this post. We were delighted at
having hem SO near Us, and their
three-year- old daughter, Ruth, was
the pet OF the entire garrison. She is
q little cherub, and her father and
mother are simply wrapped up in the
child.
AS far as / could Judge. there never
had been sky in their cloud until last
November. q day or Two before
Thanksgiving. OF course | do not
mean that Burke and Naomi never had
difference. That would be too alb
surd-for sensible people cannot live
under one roof and eat three meals a
day in company and not disagree
sometimes. How fat and navorlc IS
life would be II they could Yet there
is a great difference between sun
shower and a thunderstorm.
But where was in my storyp Oh,
yes! remember.
As ] said, there was never thun-
der storm in that family until last No
vember. 1t so happened that few Of
the people stationed here were in the
habit OF observing Thanksgiving, and,
indeed, they rather ridiculed Naomi's
notions on the subject. Though
piqJed, she was still determined in
holding in their own lit lie home, the
usual festivities. For days before
hand she was preparing citron, rails
ms. etc., for pies for the great event.
1t was wonderful how much she man.
aged 10 make of the material che could
obtain in such an out-of-the-way place
as this. She did not tell her husband
how extensive were her plans. think
ing TO give him a pleasant surprise.
But for several weeks she had been
as much excited over her
dinner menu ard dainty dishes as
she would have been had she expected
the entire garrison 10 dine with her.
On Wednesday morning went over
to sec how Naomi was progressing in