The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-27
A COUNTRY THANKSGIVING.
The Story of Aunt Betsey Foster.
Mew York Tribune

lie. and everybody knew it. But every
body didn't know how poor Aunt Bet
sey. his wife, had to manage and con-
trive and skimp to get along.
She never had the handlin' of any
money Even the butter and egg money
that most every farmers wife has fol
her own use, all went into Uncle
Jerry's pockets; and if she wanted
a new gow.- or a bonnit or PAIR o
shoes-I hadn't orter say if she wanted
'em, but if she must have EN-, and
there want no possible airthly way
for him TO skin out O. gettin EN-
then Uncle Jerry would go to the store
with her and buy EN- and pay Tor EN-
jest as if she was child or an lJlot,
and incaperble O. deWin' business on
her own HOOK.
If Aunt Betsey hadn't had the best
disposition in the world she wouldn'
a stood il all them years AS it was,
it wore on her, ard told on her fear
full Though Uncle Jerry was one o
the richest men in town, she might a
been the wife o the poorest and mis-
err bIest, so fur's any outward indica-
tion was consarned-or inward indica-
tons, either-for she was alwers half
starved. ana want nothin' but skin
and bones, as you might say.
y
the farm that orter have gone to fur
nish their table bountiful, sech as beef
creaturs, pigs, turkeys. hens, eggs and
fruit and vegetables, was either sold at
the store or sent off on the cars to the
city markets; and the money that come
from 'em was put in the bank an KEEP
there. Pretty much all their Twin
the year round was salt pork and per-
taters, with now n then a billed dish.
And the wust ont was that as Uncle
Jerry got older his stinginess grew on
him, and every year he made it harder
m 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 applyin' to the town, to
see if that wouldn't shame her hus-
band into hein' more liberal. She
never thought of applyin for a divorce
for non-support. Bless you, no! L
don't suppose sech an idee ever entered
her head She want one o. that kind !;
there want notnin' strong minded nor
woman s-rightsy about Aunt Betsey.
She was one O. these mild, meachin'
little women that don't darster say
their souls their own, less everybody's
Wiliin', you know.
Wall, as 1 said, Uncle Jerry grew
wuss n wuss, and come along to-
wards Thanksgivin' he got a bran'new
crochet fer savin into his head.
1t was at family devotions one morn
in, jest before the readin', that he di-
Vulgated it TO his wife.
He finds the place in Nehemiar-he
always 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 to keep ii. then, DRAWN on a long
face, he looks at Aunt Betsey over his
spe' tacles, and, says he:
Wife, | are of a notion that this ere
Thanksgivin' business is all foolish
nessi Seems if it must be a sin in the
sight O. the Lord to eat so much one
day in the year. I don't believe it's
ourselves in order to have thankful
hearts: and if we go to meetin', and
so on, why amt that enough?''
Aunt Betsey didn't say nothin': Jest
set and looked at him kinder help
less, with her hands in her lap, and he
went on: = a
L reckon we'll sell the turkey this
year and have our usual dinner, longs
there amt no children comm home,
nor nothin'.''
Then he began to read a whole chap
ter full OF long, hard names, and his
pronunciation was enough to make a
cat laugh. But Aunt Betsey didn't
laugh; there amt no laugh in her no
time, and that mornin' she felt I'M
common num-
All through the readin' she set there
with her hands in her Ian, not exactly
thinkin', but kinder wonderin' and
grleVin'. And when they kneeled down
to pray she kept on wonderin' more'n
ever. She wondered what she had TO
be thankful for, anyway. Now. if
Ellen could come homer Ellen was
rN0xaTr don -
III the world, and she lived so far aNav
that she couldn't afford to come home
and bring the children-bein' she was
a wilder and poor-but, oh, how her
mother did wanter see heri what did
she care about the turkey and plum
puddin' if Ellen and the children
couldn't eat it with her? Yes. the
money might as well 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 II was 8 great while sence she'd
seen Ellen, and the prospect of the
lonesome, miser'ble Thanksgivin' was
more than she could bear. There
wasn't nothin' to her. no time, as YOU
might say, and this was the last straw
on the camel's back. TT any rate. all
TO once she give out and had to go ter
bed.
The next mornin' she couldn't get
up, but Uncle Jerry didn't think much
about ii, s'Dosed she'd be up bimeby;
and so he shuff1ed round and warmed
up some tea n got a bite o. some
thin to eat and went out to work.
But when he came in to dinner. there
lay his wife Jest the same, as if she
hadn't no thoughts O. gettin' up.
Wall, wallr says Uncle Jerry, 81
wanter know if you're goin' ter be
sick! I'm 'fraid you hain't been care
full enough about your diet; what have
you e't?'
Upon this poor Aunt Betsey turned
her face to the wall and cried like a
baby. She didn't say word, jest laid
and cried. 1t want often she cried.
and it scairt her husband Why, how
she did cry, Seemed as if she wouldn't
never stop.
He didn't know what under the sun
to do, but he knew he must do some
thin, so he het brick and put to her
feet, and was Jest maxim a mustard
plaster to put on her somewheres when
Mis- Hopkins happened in.
She see how it was with Aunt Betsey
in minute. She's awful cute about
some things, Mis- Hopkins is, and she
amt afraid O no man livin'.
Now" she saws to herself bracin'
UP, now is the time to strike for
Aunt Betsey's future good n welfare"
and she meant 10 make a thurrer lob