Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-11-28
Miss Hannah's Thanksgiving.
BY HARRIET PRESCOTT sroFFoRD.

by HARRIET PRESCOTT sPoFFoRD.
The governor of her state had issued an
uncommonly stirring proclamation, one
that met with quick response in the hearts
of all people who loved merrymaking, and
made many an urchin smack his lips over
his prospects; and the President of the
United States himself wrapped, to Miss
Hannah's mental gaze in the White House
clouds and splendors, had so far conde-
scended to household and human affairs
as to issue another of nearly as much
worth. Miss Hannah Patten, sitting by
the fire on the evening before the day in
question, was perusing the two documents
with an equal eye of displeasure toward
both. Her gown was folded back over her
knees, her cap strings were thrown back
over her shoulders, her. -gold-bowed spec
tacles were tilted at defiant angle, and
her cat sat looking up into her face, evil
IDENTIFY aware of electrical disturbance.
"'Tisn't consistent, and tisn't right" she
muttered, looking from one to the other.
II can't see how governors of common-
wealths established to set Church and
State apart can meddle in the NATTER and
as to the Presidents meddling it seems to
me it's treading very close on the skirts of
state rights, though / can't say that / re-
member the issuing of THANKSGIVING proc
lamations being one of the rights reserved
to themselves by the states" And she
went on with her reading, politics having
taken the place with Miss hannah of both
family and religion. Anyway, if there
was anything to make it worth while, it
wouldn't so m1ch matter" her thoughts
ran. "But every year, and year after
year, the same eteral iterations about
nothing! And few people have more than
they've right to have; and the idea of
giving thanks for your rightsl And what
have l got worth giving thanks for, 1
should like to know" she crled out savage
ly. ''The house that I've earned with my
own hands, and the cat, and Asenath Ann.
Don't talk to me about Thanksgiving-a
lonely old woman without klth or kin, with
neither chick nor child, husband nor happi
ness With nothing in life but just dull
comfort! 'Tisn't enough that nature made
me plain and sour, that life left me alone
in the world, but fate has to make me
grow old and takes away from me even
hope. For my part, I'd give thanks if I'd
never been bornw But this not being
feasible, Miss Hannah meant to compro-
mise matters by giving no thanks at all.
''No, Asenath Ann" she exclaimed, as
that pretty young woman opened the door
from the kitchen, 1--WE will not cook that
turkey tomorrow. It's good catching
weather and the bird will keep; and if he
doesn't, my appetite will, and yours will
have to. You can put him by for Sunday,
and we Il have toast and tea for dinner to-
"My, Miss Hannah! 1 neverlD said
Asenath Ann, who, never having kept any
at all till she came to live
with Miss Hannah, had the zeal of all new
converts. ''Toast and tea on Thanksgiv-
ng! It's flying in the face of Providence.
And what if the neighbors ask"
"You can tell them, then, that we had
ay-over for meddlers," said Miss Hannah,
growing more good natured over the fancy
If saying an ill-natured thing 'Shut the
loor, Asenath Ann" And Miss Hannah
occurred to the proclamations. ''Perhaps
hpr hot har II -
more gently. "But I'm not one of them,
md I'm not thankful; and eating turkey
Won't make thankful. Thankful for WHAT
That | sit alones that I'm just the opposite
If all that husbands care and the love
hildren would have made met that
md here Miss Hannahs thoughts were
back into a past so damp with
ears that she shivered. The past, it was
where Silas Wheeler walked with her in
he moonlight and drew her hand through
rs arm and held it-hOv many. many
ears ago! 1t seemed to her, as she saw
he moonlight now in he thoughts, as if
he had been walking in dead white ashes
yer since. They had cen talking of their
1edding day, when life seemed to stretch
efore them as rosily as it now Law gray
ehind her; and the il, ' of it all was a sur
rise to her even the Al; for she and Silas
ad all but grown Up together, and she
'as so well acquaElt ed with her own plain
ace and tall ungI inliness that she had
ever dreamed oil his choosing her from
mong all their red checked, white -toothed
nd laughing cocn panions. Why he SEEM
to have done she had meyer known to
his day, unless he had an eye to her
ither's bro ad farm and little hoard of bank
tock-tho, farm and bank-stoek that had
II melte' 4 away, and left her to earn an
ther h ,me and support herself in it by the
ork If her hands, till a piece of growing
oo' Land that nobody lad thought of, up
N ong the hills, had suddenly come into
.arket and enri ched her, when long past
middle life
But here in her recollectons Miss
lannah stopped She could never bring
erself to dwell moment on the dreadful
me when that pretty little Ann Burns-a.
1sebud, blus h and a smile and dimple,
voice like cooling doves, an armful OF
ovelincss-c; ime to the place; and after
ne wild, sho rt struggle, everything ended
'ithout a ord, and Silas married Ann
nd went a, gay to the far distant South
'est, and eft her alone to her fate. And
be had ne yer heard word of him since
be day he went And then had come
rostratit n with grief and shame, follow
by her fathers discontinue and loss.
nd then hard, grim taking up of life
18th he heart against the world that had
sed h'r SO i'll. Since her fortune had
lende j, she had improved her home some