New-York tribune., 1896-11-22
A COUNTRY THANKSGIVING.
THE PITEoUs STORY OF AUNT BEISEi
FOSTER.

.,.rvhodv knew II. But everybody uiuii 'N'
how moor Aunt Betsey. his WIFE, had 10 h'""ee
md contrive and skimp to get along
She never had the handlin' OF any money H'e"
the butter and egg money. that most every IAN"
er,s wife has for her own use all "e"' 'N'N
Uncle Jerry's pockets; and II she Wah'eu
,,,v.na or y bonnit or pair o shoes-1 hadn't
or,er say II she wanted 'en. but II she n'u'
have .em. and there want no possible airthy
way for him TO skin out q gettlh eii-'
Uncle Jerry would so to the store with her anu
,... -, ord nav for 'em lest as if she was
child or an ijot, and ncaperDie Oe"'
ness on her own hook.
1@ Ann, Retsey hadn't "a had the best dis
,,osi,ion In the world she wouldn't "a stood II
oil tbe,, wears AS ii was, it wore on her, ana
told IN her fearful Though Uncle Jerry was one
n, the richest men In town. she might a peeh
the wife O. the poorest and missr'blest, so furs
srv ontward indication was consarned-or IN
ward indications either-for she was alwers hali
.+orved and want nothn but skin and bones,
as you might say.
you soc everything they raised on the farm
tbat.or,er have gone to furnish their table boun-
t,fuI sech as beef creaturs, pigs turkeys hens'
eggs and fruit and vegetables. was either sofa at
the store or sent off the cars to the city mar
kets: and the money that come from EN- was
nut in the bank an KEEP there. Pretty much ali
their livin the year round was salt pork ana
rertaters with now n then billed dish
And the wust ont was that as Uncle Jerry got
older his stinginess grew upon him, ana every
year he made it harder y harder for Aunt Betsey
ter git along She never had nothin' ter do with!
That was her everlastin', continewal complaint.
Sometimes she had thought seriously OF appiyin
10 the town. to see II that wouldn't shame her
husband into bein' more liberal She never
thought Of applyin' fer divorce Tor non-sup-
port. Bless you. no. don't s'pose sech an idee
ever entered her head. She want one o that
kind: there want nothin' strong-ninded nor
woman's-rightsy about Aunt Betsey. She was one
O. these ere mild, meachin little women. that
don't darster say their souls their own less
everybodys willin'. you know.
Wall as I said Uncle Jerry grew wuss n
wuss and come along towards Thanksgivin he
got a bran'-new crochet fer savin' into his head
II was at family devotions one mornin'. jest
before the readin', that he divulgated it to his
wife.
He finds the place in Nehemiar-he alwers read
the long chapters in fall and winter, and KEEP
the short ones, the Psalms and sech. for hurryin
time-he finds the place and puts his thum In 10
keep it, then, drawin' on long face, he looks at
Aunt Betsey over his spe'tacles. and, says he:
Wife are of notion that this ere 1hdhks'
eivin' business Is all foolishness! Seems II II
must be a sin in the sight o the Lord to eat SO
much one day in the year. don't peneVe II )
necessary to make pigs n gluttons or ourselves
IN order to have thankful hearts; and II we go
to meetin' and so on why amt that enough?
Aunt Betsey didn't say nothin'; jest set and
looked at him kinder helpless. with her hands in
her lap and he went on:
~ reckon we'll sell the turkey this year and
have our usual dinner longs there ain't no
children comm home nor nothin"
Than he began to read a hull chapter full OF
long. hard names and his pronunciation was
enough to make cat laugh But Aunt Betsey
didn't laugh there amt no laugh In her no time,
and that mornin' she felt uncommon num-.
All through the readin' she set there with her
hands in her lap, not exactly thinkin'. but kinder
wonderin' and grievn. And when they kneeled
down TO pray she kept on wondern' more'n ever.
Che wondered what she had to be thankful for
ANYWAY Now II Ellen could come homer! Ellen
WAS their daughter all the child they had in the
world and she lived so far away that she
couldn't afford to come home and bring the chill
dren-bein' she was a widder and poor-but. oh
how her mother did wanter see her! What did
she care about turkey and plum puddn If Ellen
and the children couldn't eat 1t with her? Yes
the money might we'll be put in the bank
she didn't care" So she thought on and on. not
hardly sensin' the prayer mite
She went out to her work in the kitchen feelin
all broke up. She didn't know why she should be
less she'd been kinder secretly hopin to have
Ellen and the children. But she had no business
to: she might "a known better.
But Il was a great while s~nce she'd seen Ellen
and the prospect Of the lonesome. miser bl'
Thanksgivin was more than she could bear
There want nothin' to her. no time. as yol
might say. and this was the last straw on th'
camers back # any rate all to once she give
out and had 20 go ter bed.
The next mornin she couldn't get up. bu
Uncle Jerry didn't think much about 1t. sposet
Ahe'd be up bimeby and so he shufiled round ant
warmed up some tea n got bite O somethin' Il
eat and went out to work. But when he come IL
to dinner. there lay his wife jest the same as 1
she hadn't no thoughts O. gettin' up.
WALL wan-' says Uncle Jerry, II wante
know If you're goin' ter be sick! I'm fraid yo,
haint been careful enough about your diet. wha
have you et?'
Upon this poor Aunt Betsey turned her face t.
the wall and cried like baby. She didn't say
word Jest laid and cried. II want often sh
cried. and II scairt her husband. Why! how sh
did cry! Seemed as II she wouldn't never stop.
He didn't know what under the sun to do. bu
hs knew he must do somethin'. so he het a bricl
and put to her feet. and jest maxim mus
tard plaster to put on her somewheres whel
MIS- Hopkins happened In.
She see how 1t was with Aunt Betsey in q min
ute. She's awful cute about some things, Mis-
Hopkins is and she amt afraid O no man livin