The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-12-02

with it, and-you know how quick Jack
is, auntiea'
eyes, ready to 60 off the handle at a
minutes warnin' an then too proud to
own that he's in the wrong"
"And he wouldn't give me a word of
| satisfaction as to whether she had told
the truth or not, only that if 1 had COM
menced distrusting him so soon we might
as we'll part first as last, with other
speeches which cut deeper still. Oh, it
was so hard, Aunt Hespie, when I loved
him so. BE accused me of being jeal-
! GUS, but it was not so. I only thought
it best if he really cared for her, to have
the matter settled rightly before it was
too late"
"My poor little girl; and that widder."
| with detestation in every tone, ''she's
| been after him thicker'n mush ever since
she took off her mournin'. an all her
| grievance is that he would have nothing
| to say to her."
eyes, I know that, now that it is too
late, Aunt Hespie, but there's no use cry
ing for split milk" a bright tear trem-
bled on the long eyelashes, "and I will
try and not spoil my Thanksgiving with
tears"
For the next few hours the discussing
| of the measuring. weighing and beating
predoninated in the large kitchen and
spicy doors filed each nook and Granny.
penetrating to the diring-room, and even
to the parlor beyond.
"Seems sorter useless to make pumpkin
| pies when Jack amt here, to eat EN-"
remarked Aunt Hespie disccnsolately,
"'pears like there never was q boy loved
pumpkin pies like he does"
perhaps that young minister who is
| visiting Horace will eat Jacks SHARE"
suggested Marion. ministers usually
have a pretty fair appetite for good
things, I've noticed"
81 s'pose now Horace will be anxious
to show off his relations in pretty good
style to his college friend, "rejoined Aunt
Hespie, r~ehectively. "When he told
me he was coming, he said, laughing
like: 'I've been Dragging on your cook
ing, auntie, and I want to show Sammy
Holland what a real Thanksgiving in
the country is like"
At length the cooking was all done,
the big turkey dressed ana ready for
stufing, and the rows aud rows of pies
and rich, plummy cakes, the pan of
doughnuts and the heaping platter of
cup cakes and another of jam tarts sug-
gested q large gathering on the morrow.
In Jacks room alone, no preparation
was to be made, for Aunt Hepsie would
use the room for no one but its owner;
but Marion went in there with a lonely
feeling in her heart, the song dying upon
her lips as she did so.
She fingered about the little dressing
table, absently pushing in the pins
which spelled "Jack" upon his pin.
cushion, and thinking of him with such
longing that JACK could not have re-
NAMED angry with her could he have
seen her hungry eyes.
Suddenly a thought came to her-she
would prepare Jacks room, too, as if he
were coming with the rest, and with
nimble fingers she busted and arranged
everything in the best possible order,
pinning q spray of dried ferns and sumac
upon the window curtains that the close
ness might be dispelled by the clea.,
keen air of a perfect November day.
The window opened out upon the broad
yerandal, and Jack had often climbed
its supports and gone to his room and to
bed without awakening the family, when
at home.
She would have been his wife now,
had he not gone off in SUCH hasty, I'M
reasonable anger, and she sank on her
knees by the bedside when all was done.
'sOh, Jack, come back. Come back to
me" her heart cried out, and if spirit
voices can become audible to each other,
Jacks spirit must have heard the earnest
appeal wherever he was.
The house began to ill with a merry
crowd of relatives at an early hour on
the morrow, for a Thanksgiving dinner
at Aunt Hepsie's was a treat to young
and old. Mrs. Barber herself looked
careworn and old.