The Press., 1893-01-05
w. C. T. U. DEPARTMENT. (Mabel Clifford, in The Union Signal.)

w. C. T. U. DEPARTMENT.
 (Mabel Clifford, in The Union Signal)
 Thanksgiving Time or "Cussin' Time." "Are there any beginnings at our house p
 Into the general dinginess of sky ant wall and pavement in Dunn street bios somed something white.
 It was lowery November afternoon when everything is at it's dingiest. A dingy little bunch on the curbstone was looking in blank way at it's dingy toes It had been looking just that way for z long time. It face was dingy in streaks it's hands were darkly dingy, and it's clothes were the dingiest of all.
 1t had heard and seen and felt so much that it had cried out and tired out, anG was empty and numb.
 The something white that had blossom ed into Dun street was moving toward this bunch on the curbstone. Suddenly the sweetest sound the bunch had ever heard broke the heavy silence-a child's rippling laughter.
 The bunch looked up with startled face at the sweet sound he looked UT Dun street, and there he saw little lad all in white, striding along in soldierly fashion.
 Little Dingy saw the white swan's-down on the Blessom's white coat, though he did not know it was swans-down, and he saw yellow curls bobbing between the white coat and white cap; he saw a white face all alight with dimples and smiles, and very wide open blue eyes.
 At first sight Dingy had mind to re- sent Blossoms importance, but it was so sweet and white and merry he only tuck ed his head down where it was before and became brown bunch again.
 Blossom, nothing daunted by this cold reception, though curiously surprised, walked quite up to the bunch.
 Do you like to sit there? Ain't you afraid of getting" he was going to say, "dirt on your clothes," but paused, lit tie embarrassed by the sudden realization ol the Doy'S grlmy condition.
 If the white face had not been so very sweet and the childish voice so silvery, Dingy would have been enraged with this little questioner. As it was he only eyed Blossom with sullen eyes, not moving from his crouching position, but looking up sidewise.
 "Say, little boy can't you talk? Are you foreign boy?"
 Still a blank and sullen gaze was the only answer
 ''Oh! you're deaf and dumb; poor lit tie boy"
 You-lie l ain't."
 Blossom jumped back step at this unexpected explosion, but came forward the hext instant crying gleeful1y,
 "Oh, you can talk; do talk to me some more. Whats your namep mine's Os- car"
 s'Mine's Dan"
 'sDan; that's a nice name; Dan was a very smart man, you know" Blossom was looking with an Investigating air into the streaked face. 'Say, ain't you a pretty big boy to cry?
 "When folks cries they cries, reckon, whatever their size"
 'I guess that's the way of it, Dan; but you surely mustn't cry to-day, for it's most Thanksgiving"
 "We don't have no Thanksgiving time to our house; it's only cussin' time."
 My! what's that ?"
 Dan looked up; he had faint con- sciousness that it was not fitting to tell this little white boy about 'cussin' time 9
 "Have yer got parp?"
 "A-what ?"
 "A parp; father"
 "Oh, yes, indeed I have"
 "Does he ever cuss ?"
 ''I don't 'zackly know. Is it disagree able?"
 ''Don't know nothin' 'bout that; but my parp cusses all the time an Thanks givin' time he cusses worser."
 "Dear me! cussin's pretty bad, guess. And don't you have plum-pudding for dinner, and turkey?"
 "No; nor nothin' else."
 "And don't you have big fire in the fireplace and lots of company and sing songs and roast chestnuts ?" ..
 "N-o-r! we don't have no fire at all cussin'- time, an mi, not much any time,' said Dan.
 "Dan, what makes your 'parp' like that?"
 "IRunn."
 "What's rum ?'' -s.. .:.
 It was Dams turn to be surprised. Didn't never hear tell O that ?'' .....
 'Never."
 "Well, it's somethin' to drink, and there's somethin' in it that makes you keep wantin' more an more an more. An you keep buyin' it until your moneys all gone, an then you sell your cloze an your mothers cloze an your boys cloze ;; then you sell the furniture. An then you don't have no money to buy anything to eat"
 "Why-y e-e! it must be nicer than chocolate. have chocolate Sunday mo1n- lngs."
 ''It ain't nice at all. It makes you ug- ly, an you want to hit folks, an you don't care how much you hurt lem, an you like to hit your mother an your little boy, most"
 Blossom gasped in horror, his blue eyes dilating.
 'sThen you get wild an don't know what you do, an you may do any bad thing; you don't know what. An then you're sick an all burnin' up, an you have awful feelin's, an you see awful things"
 "Dan," said little Blossom, in an awe struck voice, "did God born your father