The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-27

on the right track it seemed to be easy
enough for him to keep a-goin. When
he began to spend his money he seemed
to almost enjoy it. The fact was, he
set the world by his wife, only he never
realized it till the thought O. losin' her
and the doctors rakin' down, brought
| him to his senses. He see that if he
wanted to get her up again he must
make her happy and offer her induce
ments to live. So he set about 1t in
earnest.
Mary Buell. said she never see a
changeder man than what he was all
| through
There was jest about q week TO
Thanksgivin' now. and he and Mary
put their heads together to make that
Thanksgivin' a day that Aunt Betsey' d
remember as long as she lived.
Fust they bought a nice easy chair,
and lounge for the settin' room, so
that Aunt Betsey might be comfort
able when she begun to set up (as she
did right away.) Then they had Miss
Thin, the dressmaker, come over and
! fit her a pretty flannel wrapper and
help Mary make it. When it was fin
ished they sewed some lace in the neck
and sleeves, and it was nice and lady
like enough for anybody. When Uncle
Jerry fust see her in it he actewally
blushed and looked as bashful N awk-
ward as if he'd come a-courtin. AS for
Aunt BetSey, from the minute she be-
gun to hope she begun to get well. and
seemed as if she was CROWN young
and pretty all the time.
| Wall, it come along to the day fore
| Thanksgivin', and Aunt Betsey lay
back in her easy chair in the cheerful
settin' room. A pitcher full of late
fall flowers stood on the mantletry
shelf; a cracl1lin' fire was burnin' in
the open fireplace, and the old tabby-
cat lay before it on the rug, purrin'
for all she was wuth-a perfect pic
tur' of content.
The door was open into the kitchen
and she could see Mary steppin' round
about her work, gettin' ready for to-
morrer. She could smell the stuffin
for the turkey, and the plum puddin
bakin' in the oven. She knew there
was hull shelf full O. pies in the
pantry-she see EN- yeSterday-Six
mince, six punkin three apple and
three cramb'ry tart. She thought it
was too many to make at once; and it
seemed so strange Why, she never
used to have pies-not even one, less
some great company was comm! But
everything was strange row days. She
looked down at her pretty gOWnd and
around the pleasant room, and listened
to Mary hummin' a hym'-tune as she
worked, and she couldn't hardly be-
lieve she was herself at dill, or that this
was really her homei How nice every
thing is, and how happy l orter be.
sighed and laid her
head back, with the old look on her
face. She was thinkin' of Ellen and
the children.
How could she bear to be happy
how could she feast on turkey and
plum puddin' tomorrer, and know that
lillian ha ho1 IT, ;,,,
o the kind.
"Oh. she wished that she had asked
her husband to sell the turkey, jest
the same, and send the money to fetch
EN- home. No dinner at all with Ell
len would be fur better than turkey
and everything nice without her.
She sat there blamin' herself and
mother she was, till the tears rolled
down her cheeks. Then. all to once,
she heard a noise outside.
The stage had stopped and there
was the sound o. voices talkin' and
laughin, and of feet hurryin' uD the
steps. Then the door oDened-no it
was burst open-and in trooped a par
eel o children. and behind 'em, not
fur behind, with her hands stretched
out and the happy tears streamin'
down her pretty face, come her
daughter Ellen.
How them two kissed and chung to
one mother, till the children got, out
o patience and wouldn't wait no longer
for their turn! And how they pounced
upon their little grammar, that they
loved more by hearsay than by ac-
tual KNOWN, and Rugged her like
bears, so that she almost tainted away
IN their strong young arms
Then Uncle Jerry came to the resky
and says bewixt laughin and cryin':
There, there, children l guess
thatH dew, It's my turn now" and
he took her to the lounge where she
could lay and rest and still be with
em all.
When she was fixed comfortable he
started to leave her, for he felt that
he couldn't stan much more: but she
put her arm round his neck and pulled
him down to her and kissed him and
whispered:
oh, husband, how good you be,
You've made me the happiest woman
in the worldr'
Uncle Jerry got away as quick as he
could, and went out to the barn and
set down on the hay-cutter and
laughed and wiped his eyes till he wuz
some calmer. Then he fell on his
knees and thanked God reverently for
shown him before he died what true
happiness wuz, and how to get it for
himself by bestowin' it On others.