The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-12-12


Perkins sat in her grandmother's kit.
chen, sideways, upon her chair, chunky
little feet crossed over each other, hair
in her eyes, a great tear rolling down
one fat cheek. and her entire self a
picture of despair. A very unhappy
little girl was Priscilla Bancroft Per-
kins this Thanksgiving Day. Aunt
Patience, who lived two miles away
upon a snowy road, had invited all
the household to Thanksgiving din
der, which meant turkey, and chicken
pie, and all sorts OF vegetables, to say
nothing of pumpkin and apple pie,
and cranberry sauce. Aunt Patience
knew how to get up Thanksgiving
dinner as well rs any woman in the
land.
The entire Perkins. family, and their
relations on both sides, numbering
some thirty persons in all, called
themselves poor; that is, they lived in
bleak New England region, where
people had TO work, hard early and
late to support their families; they
were farmers, and had plenty of turk
eys and chickens and eggs and butter
and milk and vegetables, but no very
good market for any of these things;
80 money was scarce, but provision
plenty, ~
City-bred people, who had to sup
port themselves by their daily earn
ings, would have thought the Perkins
family wild il they had heard them
say they were poor; but it is a curious
fact that the good things which were
SO scarce in the city, and so plentiful
in their country homes, they did not
think OF much account; and because
they had not great deal Of money
with which to go to store and buy
what they fancied, believed themsel-
yes poor. You wonder what Prissy
cared for all this, and why she sat and
wept on Thanksgiving morning, with
such splendid prospect for dinner be-
fore her. The trouble was, it was not
before her. s ,A
On that particular morning it had
been discovered that the stout little
shoes which did her such good service
in stamping over the farm, had given
out, and leaked SO badly that there
was really no such thing as allowing
her to walk two miles in the freshly
fallen snow. No new ones could be
bought, because the nearest store was
four miles away, and would be closed
for Thanksgiving; and besides, there
was nobody to go. "And besides"
said GRANDMOTHER Perkins, as though
another reason was needed after these
good ones had been given, 1--WE really
haven't an extra pound OF anything
to get shoes with. / let Patience have
all the eggs we have to spare; Thanks
giving doings take such q sight of eggs"
You wonder why they did not take
money with which to buy shoes; but
money was the scarcest thing the Per-
kins family knew Of.
Why couldn't Prissy ride to her
aunt's?
Well, it did seem strange that she
could not. It seemed strange to
GRANDMOTHER Perkins. "It does beat
all how things happen sometimesl"
she said in a vexed tone.
Only the day before, the faithful
hired man, who was not only hired
help, but good friend, had driven
away with the spnn OF strong farm
horses and the spring wagon, in which
the Perkins household went to church
every Sunday--driven gaily away
with many nice thing tucked into
the wagon for his old mother, who
lived miles away. He was going
to stop in the village and
get his sister Sarah Ann, her
husband, and her five children, and
her husbands sister, Aunt Betsey,
who lived with her; and every one OF
thar, WAS ooiuo in atate In enend the
day with the mother.
F. II hain't had Thanksgivin' in five
year." said Jonas, beaming on them
all round, "nor Sarah Ann hain't,
neither. There. never was . better
man to work for, this side Celiforny,
than Deacon Perkins," This was the
conclusion ct which he always arrived
after that, when telling the story Of
bis Thsnksgving. And the Perkins