The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-12-31

C1uG. WELL, xm sLnAukluA alu6U SuGH
things don't trouble me, and I'm glad
stuffed the old gobbler with sage, as
glad asI can be, for Mrs. Heath, dear,
good soul, will get him by the means,
and when the box is packed ! will slip
in q little note of mysown, and tell her
just how ii came about.
Mrs. Heath, who with her husband and
her children lived in q narrow, tucked
up fat in the city, had SO many knick-
knacks to buy for the little ones, that
they might not be disappointed in their
gifts, that she couldn't afford q turkey
for Christmas, and decided cheerful1y
to tide over the day as well as she could
with . plain roast Of meat andSa pnd-
ding. The parents trying to lay
by something for their children's school
ing, but any small lack in the din
lei should not spoil the festival for
them.
christmas in Massachusetts, wasn't
made much of when ! vas SMALL" she
explained to the children as she went
on with her simple preparations. Sand
now / believe more in the Christmas
spirit all the year round than do in
the hurrah of one days special observ-i
ance. To my mind the best thing about
the day now is that at Christmas, sem
sitive, poor, proud people can receive
things they really need without feeling
hurt. To be sure I have never been re-
membered much in that way. Thank
the dear Lord, however, we are above
real want, even if we have few luxu-
ries, and we have no relatives left on
the earth to think of us at holiday time.
1t vas different when I was young and
lived at the dear old roomy homestead.
in the country. But Thanksgiving was
then the day of days." and the good
mother gave the children, who were
greatly interested, a detailed descrip-
ton of the observance Of that festival at
the old home.
20 what focks Of fowls we saw there
last SUMMER" said the oldest little girl.
sHow fine it would be, mamma, should
they remember to send one of them to
you. and it would never be missed
among S many" H..
They have a great many things to
think Of" replied Mrs. Heath, ssand SO.
did my grandmother, for that matter,
but she always thought Of those who
had less than she had herself, and in
vited her guests accordingly. Iremem-
Der, as if it were only yesterday, how
she used to stuff the turkey two or
three days beforehand, and set it away
in a cool place SO that it should be
thoroughly seasoned through"
just then Mother Heath was broken.
off from her pleasant retrospection by
an expressman, who set a large covered
basket into the neat room, saying with
as pleasant a smile as il the gift had
been from himself: S"An charges paid!''
with Cousin Jarvis Whitman's COM
pliments," it said ION the label, and
when with eager, trembling fingers the
lid was removed there was the plump
est, yellowest turkey Mrs. Heath had
set herspatient brown eyes upon for
many a day.
TiedSto one of the skewered legs was
q fancy card on which was written:
Owing to the old-fashioned ignor-
nee of yours truly, in putting sage in
the ~dressing!"
On the opposite side under a wreath
Of blue forget-me-nots was printed in
gilt letters: MARY Jane Titus"
Mrs. Heath laughed a little, and then
she cried a little as she took out the
turkey, finding beneathit a bag of cram
berries, a ball of golden butter, and all
the chinks filed in with big rosy apples
and plump hickory nuts.
81 don't care" she said, 'if it did
come about through a mistake of Mary
James. / am just as thankful as I can
be to the Lord, and to my cousins, and
to Mary Jane Titus. 1t was the most
wonderful thing it's being brought just
as it was when we were talking about
the old farm. / will make the most of
il that Lean in every way, for it is the
first time in my life that I have had a
turkey on Christmas"
She did indeed make the most of it.
She showed it to the neighbors, and
told them it came from the very farm
where she grew up, and that the dress
ing was seasoned with sage from her
grandmother's bed of herbs. But Mary
James card she kept carefully ont of
On Christmas morning she put her
in good season into the oven,
and set her doors and windows open 50
that any passers in the narrow cross
street might know that one family
dwelling there was getting up 9 Christ
dinner.