Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-11-26
AMERICAN ELLSWORTH ME-. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26


"But you will come again to see us9"
urged the little maiden. won't you como
Thanksgiving"
"Maybe, maybe" he said "That is a
good day, that Thanksgiving. You to the
good Lord give thanks because he so good
to you is. And you have one great dinner
Maybe l thank him, too, that he kill me
not And you thank that you take of
mother good care. And maybe 1 take din
ner that day Nth you"
1t was several weeks, however, before
Thanksgiving day came, and in the in
teryal, as the hard New England winter
came on, things went badly with the Bas-
! CONS. Ella developed slight cough, that
made her mother turn pals when she heard
it, She had learned to know how easily
consumption attacks young people in the
rigorous climate of upper New England,
vet she dared not speak to Mr.. Bascom
about sending the girl south for the win
ter. The means were lacking. The crops
were poor. One of the two pigs they had
fattencd died before killing time. Mr..
Bascom himself, growing old before his
time, seemed no longer able to look on the
bright side of anything, and the anxious
wife and mother could only pray a little
moro earnestly and little more frequent
| ly than before To work harder was i'm
possible. And John could only study later
] and rise earlier to make up for his fathers
failing strength. Nothing was heard from
the professor, and, as the family realized
more and more every day how heavy the
| odds were against them, they ceased to talk
and almost ceased to think much about
him. He had saved them from a great sor-
row, he had been a great care and bur-
den for a time, and then he had passed
away to be only memory.
| 1t was therefore entirely surprise when,
a few days before Thanksgiving, John
brought home u letter from the village
postoflice addressed in queer foreign
handwriting to Miss Ella Bascom.
at must be from the professor" she
said and after they had all agreed to this
and had examined the envelope and the
postmark and had wondered sufficiently
about what he could have to say, as people
do who do not often receive letters, she
/ opened it,
My DEAR LITTLE FRAULEIS-I have not for
gotten that you asked me to go to SEQ you
again on Thanksgiving day, and will go. l
will to what is the great holiday Of the
! American people in the American people 5
home.
/ Your brother John, he is good boy and he
/ will he good man. He will give thanks,
maybe, that did get him place in New York
where he can study and be an engineer and
will earn moncy-not very much, but enough.
/ Tell your papa have, maybe, some good news
| for him. and tell your mamma since come to
dinner Lave the great liberty taken to send
my dinner And kiss your hand, HUGO.
Such news was too wonderful, and yet
it was tantalizing. There was no end to
the specializing, and it WAS later that night
than it ever bad been before when the Bas-
| CONS went t. bed.
Tie next day, however, brought q still
greater surprise. Word came from the rail
way station, two miles away, that there
We're sex ral largo eases there for Mr. Bas-
com, expressagc paid. The old gray horse
was astOnishcd enough at the speed at
| which he was ratified along, but his feel
inrs were nothing to those of the family
when the cases were brought home and
opened.
Ii there was anything known to the gro
Gerry or delicatessen trade that wasn't rep
resented in those cases, it was because the
professor couldn't find it. And there was
the biggest turkey Bascom ever saw, with
a box of fresh Vegetables, and everything
else needed to cook with it. And of every
thing else there was enough to last all win
ter.
Mrs. Bascom was stunned. She could
say nothing, but the children made up fol
her silence, and Mr.. Bascom, after he had
recovered little from his bewilderment
said, "Well, Maria, if that $ the professor
dinner, he must have a leetlc the best ap
petite of anybody ever knowed of. -
Next day the professor came himself, fat
ter than ever and jollier than they had
ever seen him. cit is nothing" he said