Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-11-27

. w. J <I..z..=
HE TONE OPEN TIE NOTE AND READ.
| to the comfortable, he cleared it OF the
! gay litter of cards, photographs and
knicllknucks that bestrewed it, and
began to uupacIz the gifts from home
Aftcr several layers of wrapping
paper had been removed, a tempting
vision rewarded MS eager gaze. Repos-
Ing peacefully on Il bed Of parsley lay
fat. juicy. tender young turkey in
golden brown state of absolute perfec-
ton. whose internal structure was COM
posed of Il delightful compound of dress
ing and oysters: and as John placed
this bird on the table very tender
thoughts arose in his heart of the
mothcr-lovc that had planned this sur
prise for him. \ little jar of cranberry
preserves glowed and glistened like
rubieS IN the light as it was unWrappCd
and placed by the side of the turkey.
! And what was this that sent forth such
! juicy. appetizinr OdOrS as it was lifted
UP int the light? What, indeed, but a
mince pie, rich and tempting, with a
crust that was ready to melt in ones
mouth. Ind then, of course, next came
out d pumpkin pie-a beauty Of 4 pie it
was. too. with its rich golden face sur
rounded by the border of white crust,
| like 4 jolly old woman in u cap.
As John Williams placed the pie on
the table he fell to thinking how care
fully his mother used to choose the
| pumpkins for the Thanksgiving pies.
Through the hot, scO"ching days OF sum-
mo-. and the dewy nights and frosts of
autumn, the great yellow globes grew
and ripc2ed, and drank in the sun
shine and the dew, and when they were
| gathered in, the whole family looked
on while the mother chose the biggest
and the ripest pumpkin of all for the
! pies that graced the GROWING feast of
! the year.
| Turning again to the box, he brought
! out doughnuts, SUCH as no one but
| mother ever can o. ever does make;
| cookies, delicate ana tender; and then
great slices of yellow pound cake, and
| fruit cake whose dark sides were store
| of delight for the one so fortunate as to
taste them. Three little glass jars of
fruit preserves, whose transparent sides
revealed the beauty and richness of
/
carefully unwrapped, came out next.
Then, from out it's many wrappers.
the young man drew a glass of CULVER
| ing, amber ounce jelly, with it's Won
drously delicate color and flavor.
Johns fayorite dainty! A mother
never forgets the tastes of her children,
and though he would never know Us
! history, his mother could have told
quite story of the infinite pains and
trouble she had taken to get that jelly
| for his Homecoming at Thanksgiving.
The ounce crop had been q failure that
year, but she had succeeded in procur-
| ing a few gnarled little ounces. and,
! by the utmost care and patience, had
made from them that one glass of jelly
! for John.
He nearly overlooked a paper bag
| crammed with nuts-nutS from the old
| walnut trees down in the big pasture
whose crop he had gathered for many
successive years i'll company with the
! boys of the neighborhooG. There also
! were hickory and butternuts, and they
| recalled the days of autumn and the
nutting frolics with the CAV com
! panions of his childhood. and the long
! evenings around the hearthstone. eat
| ing apples and cracking nuts, while the
| circle that sat in the light of the big
wood fire sometimes widened until all
| the older brothers and sisters and their
! little ones sat with them, and again
narrowed down to three-the dear old
| mother with her knitting on one side,
and the father with his newspaper on
| the other, and he himself, little boy
| on low stool between them, eating
nuts and looking into the burn ing en-
| bers, and dreaming OF the days when
| he should be grown up, and should
| leave that hearthstone to seek his fort
une in the wide world beyond.
| For the last time he reached down
| into this wonderful box and brought
| out apples from the old orchard. There
were several of each variety that grew
on the place. and, yellow and green and
| red fragrant and lovely, they brought
! the smile of spring. the sweet breath
of summer and the vigorous life of
! autumn in their golden hearts. With
! them came the vision of the cid orchard
in the spIing-time, with its wealth OF
! pink and white blossoms showering the
green grass beneath the trees with
| fairy snow; green and cool and shady,
| bright with golden promises of coming
| pleasure through the hot summer days;
| and then in autumn, when every tree
| became as gay as Christmas tree,
| decked in brigh t-colored balls that
danced In the wind and sunshine and
were gathered in with shout and
laughter and stored away u help make
merry the long winter evenings around
| the tireside.
| The moments went by unheeded.
while the young man sat and gaZed
upon the table heaped high with the
tokens Of his mothers love and thought
fulness and toll. His dark eyes were
| soft and dewy, as he unused long and