The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1891-11-26

prevail She had followed father and
mother 10 their grtye- ou Il long past
Thanksgiving day. she had q3arreIed
with aud parted from tho only iaau -nc
had eyer truly loved on thai gala da4 If
thu year she had married .Jatae- Grr,
when, the next year. the song Of tnanK-
giving and praise CAME from grateful
hearts She dreaded each return Of the
day, fearing lest 1t should BRING her sG1np
new sorrow She looked al thu flushed
checks Of her little boy with a SHARP
pam. What if she We're 10 lose her only
delight and Joy on her fateful day, But
WHEN he opened his EYES aud declared
himself rs hungry as Il bear her fear-
vanished
81 say, mamma" he cried. "let4 BE-
gin Thanksgiving tonight Lets hape u
NICE supper. I'm so hungry Tneu let-
have some popcorn and he paused Il. #
| TRYING to originate some new dissipation
lets make some candy You know
mamma, we haven't made any on the
new stove yet. and maybe we cant do
that I'm So tired Of not dong anything
nice-aint YOU
g dear, Im more tired than can
tell, and sudden tears dimlned her EYES
Don't cry. oh. don't cry, mammal
Plra-e don't really think" added the
wl>e little fellow that yon need little
more fun-don't YOU
81 think | do You are wiser than
you know. my dear
Then lets have some molasses candy.
Ruth laughed at the childs logic. She
needed fun, therefore she needed mo
lasScs candy Then she resolved that
the dear child who found his sunshine or
shade in her eyes should have his fun.
though memories heavy and dark We're
thronsing upon her SO they made
jolly supper. The wonderful stove baked
the sweet potatoes to "A turn: they made
no demand upon it to which it did not
respond.
Then the lamp shone with unusual
brilliance; mamma had brushed her
pretty hair till the little sunny rinss lay
all around the fair, white forehead. and
She mad, just to please Ned put on the
pretty cardinal wrapper, and Ned dc
clared there wasn't Il prettier lady IN the
land
Then came the candy making and
corn popping. Again the little stove
proved itself Il success.
"llow Jolly il is. isn't it mammal
cried the child
VERY Jolly dear" said the brave lit
tie mother. remembering an evening ten
years agone rs gay as heart could wish,
followed by II day the darkest she had
ever known She had never seen John
Sherman since the hour when she had
sent away from her the strong arm and
the strong true heart.
Bnt III spite of the heartache, she told
over and over the stories she had told
Thousand times before, and sang the lit
tie songs Ned liked to hear. until As the
clock struck. She said: "Do you know,
my dear. that it is 8 o'clock, and must
run down to Mrs Green's with her
dress. She couldn't keep Thanksgiving
without it. half her praises would be
left ont if she could not sing them in "a
velvet gown.
so You just sit right here in this
chair Will not be gone more than
twenty minutes, You can stay alone
that little bit of awhile, can't you:"
1t was a brave little voice that an
swered 'Of course | can. I'll just think
about the farm and the horses. | think
Iii have gray horses, anyway"
Ruth threw II long black cloak over
her bright gown. 1t covered up her
shahbiness, did this friendly wrap. when
from her work she had to run to market.
and now ii covered her unwonted gay
attire. She had a passion for color. rio(i
warm hues thrilled hrr like music. She
said she felt like another woman when
dressed i'll the glowing, rich, warm
cardinal wrapper with it's flowing folds
Always when Ned wished some inlul-
gence which she felt obliged to deny INN.
he would say. Il know you'd say YES,
mamma. il you had on pretty dress or
pretty ribbon at your throat.
As she FASTENED down the street with
her bundle. IN the face Of the keen No
vember wind, she thought of all her
broken dreams, of the weary years
passed by the side of the man who made
every hour torture. of his wreiched
life and more wretched death, of the
one who. somewhere in the world-in
world widely different from her own
lived forgetful of her
She thought Of the years TO come
weary. lonely years she thought they
must be. yet she wanted to live them.
For the sake of the child she prayed to
live. She prayed, too, that her trials
might not make her hard or bitter.
On the way home she stopped at the
grocers and made various little add
tons to their prospective Thanksgiving
dinner The fresh air inyigorated and
exhlarated her. and by the time she
reached her own gate she raised CRATE
ful eyes to the stars that shone SO bright
ly above her They are always there,
she said revcrently. "however dark ii
seems God is good His tender mer-
cics are over all his works and what is
best for me he will not withhold.
She went up the walk saying softly To
herself that restful poem of Burroughs
The stars come nightly To the sky,
The dcw@ fall on the thirsty lea,
Nor time nor space nor deep nor high,
Can keep my own away from me.
What matter II stand alone'
wall with JOY the coming years
My heart shall reap where il has sown.
And gathered up the fruit of tears.
The room looked very pleasant to her
as she opened the door~-the bright light,
the brighter fire, and sweetest, faircst
sight of all, her boy curlrd up III thu
rocker fast asleep. He reused at hen
coming She had inst loosened the
fetcy crimson cloud around her head
and unclasped the cloak. when there
came II rap at the door Quick as "A
flash came the thought, There's some
thing WONG with the dress "A button to
move oil scum to take in the hundre,th
part OF an inch.
She opened the door No package was
thrust in her hands, no small boy was
there with disa-recahle errand ON his
lips. Instead, tall man, bronzed and
bearded. stood without
Come in, She said, in reply to his in
uuiry il Mrs. Gray lived there.
In he stepped, tail. strong and broad
shouldrred; the room seemed smaller for
his entrance Even Ruth, who WAS Il
tall woman, looked slight and, girlish
beside him How lovely she looked rs
she stood waiting, wondering. Tn"
fresh wind had brought a beautiful color
to her CHECKS and blown the rings OF
sunny hair into charming disarraN
around her forehead. The bright light
shoue on the warm hued dress. and the
man who stood gazing at her thought
that for many a year he had not seen So
fnir n siubt II MAS only "a moment bni