Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-11-26

=ere by the fireplace, Benny, an I'll tell
ye all about it. Then ye can do as
ye're mind to about believin in un-
lucky signs an numbers. Ye see, my
cousin, Izry Hodges, he lived up at
Hambleton, where he had one of the
best farms in the county. He married
young, an he set to work like all pos
Bessed to make livin at farmin. An
he made it, too. an he raised as likely
family as any in that town"
Laws sake, mother. do go on with,
yer story. What was it bout that
Thanksgivin dinner, anyway"
''Now, Hitty, don't ye interrupt me
If ye don't want to listen, why Jest 60
out an set ON the back STEP Well, as I
was sayin, Cousin Izry he sent down
the old carryall for us, an we went up
to Hambleton to spend the day. Twas
cool an crisp, but there want no snow
on the ground that Thanksgivin, sos't
we had good wheelin all the way
When we got there, Cousin Sally, she
run right out an seemed like she'd Jest
deVour us, she was 50 glad to see us.
Come right in an set down, said she;
make yerselves right to hum, Cousin
Mary; we amt goin to make no stran-
gers Of ye. l wanted to take hold an
help, for was straight an strong them
days, but she wouldn't hear nothin Of
it. So l sot down by the old open Frank
lin stove (Which was the first improve
ment on the fireplace we ever had, an
didn't consume so much wood) an give
myself up to a good solid rest. Sally,
knew it would be a good one, for she
was the best housekeeper in the town of
Hambleton. Well, along about noon,
Liz beth Ann, their only darter, come
in an invited us out to the big dinin
room, where the table was sot. Now,
Liz beth Ann was what ye might call
an old maid, bein then about so or
thereabouts, an was fidgettier'n n a settin
hen-allers havin some sort Of head
ache, or criok in her back, or somethin
of that kind-but she was as good as the
v'rage old maid anywhere, an real
sympathizin, alters goin round askin
ye what allied ye, an if ye wouldn't
have a little catnip tea, or peppermint,
takin it for granted that ye must have
somethin the matter with ye.
'But there was the big table, all
a-shinin with silver an decorated with
green stuff with red berries (some of
Liz beth AIMS work, who alters had
sort Of hankerin arter mater, as she
called it) an with big gobbler turkey
at both ends. In the center was such a
strappin big roast (for Cousin Izry did
a little butcherin on his own account,
an knew what good meat was) an side
dishes till ye'd a. thought there want
nothin in the way Of veg tables an sich
left on airth. Cousin Izry, he sot at the
head Of the table, an Cousin Sally at
the foot; betwixt 'em, on one side, the
majors family, consistin Of himself an
Aunt Mary Ann, their darter Samarin-
thy Jane and her husband, an on the
other, four Of us, includin fisher an
me an two neighbors.
"Well, what with the visitors an all,
there was IS of us to the table. An
Cousin Izry's Oldest son Dan'l, he up
an said: Ma, we won't have no sort Of
luck this year. They's jest l3 Of us
here. I'll git up an eat in the kitchen.
1 see Liz beth Ann fidgetin with her
napkin, an Cousin Sally turn kinder
pale like, but the major, he up an
roared out with a voice you could "a
heard a mile: 'Pshaw, Dan'l, don't be
fool. There amt no bad luck in odd
numbers. Set down, ye numskull, or
I'll trounce ye. So there want nothin
to do but keep right on a-eatin, an I
must confess that / didn't let no fear
of bad luck interfere with my appertite.
for them turkeys was done to turn, an
the chickens was so tender they Almost
fell to pieces when you p'inted at 'em.
An as for the Injun puddin-myi 1t
does beat all what an eddicated cook
can turn out of brick ovenl Ye can't
cook an Injun puddin no other way to
save yer neck N to let it set in brick
oven heated overnight with good hem
lock wood. Then there was the Punkin
pies, yaller as gold an two inches thick,
an the custards, an the pandowdy, an
the dewdups (peaches an pears of Cousin
Sally's own preservin why, it was
well nigh o'clock when we got
through an went into the settin room to
crack walnuts an butternuts on the and
irons. "
''Well, mother, after ye've said an
done all, don't secs ye'ye proved any
thing. Whatever happened, anyway"
Happened, Hitty? Why, everything
happened. There was Samwell, he was
run away with an broke his neck Dan'l
he up an had fever an died; Liz beth
went to the 'sylum; Cousin Izry an
Cousin Sally are dead; the majors gone,
too, an Mary Ann, s wells Samarinthy
Jane; an there amt more'n three Of us
left out Of the hull ID that sot down to
that dinner at Cousin Izry's. If that
amt onlucky, then what is, I'd like to
knowF"
''But weren't there any young folks
at the dinner?' l asked, availing myself
of the silence that ensued to say a word.
s'No, Benny; not what ye might
call reel young. Samwell, / s'pose. was
the youngest, an he was clus ON to
Liz beth AIMS age, p'raps about A."
''And how long ago was it, aunties"
Chow lnnG7 T.amma IL Haa three