Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-11-25
A Southern Thanksgiving Story.

We would thank thee, O our King.
A Southern Thanksgiving Story.
A tired looking woman was weaving
by the light of a fire and two candles
placed high upon the wall. Near the
fire sat a girl, thoughtful andof come
" face. Her hair was too thick to be
kept under control, and silken wisps
of it were in constant disobedience. A
wag, schoolmaster, had declared that
her head was the constant scene Of a
petty rebellion. From time to time
she reached back into a corner and
drew forth sticks of brushwood to feed
the fire. The night was warm, the
door was open, but the fire was needed
to throw light upon the loom, the
candles were so dull. The woman was
known as the Widow Towson the girl
was her daughter. The husband and
father, known as Cling Towson, was
away off somewhere in a government
prison serving out life sentence for
killing a deputy marshal who had
come to destroy his moonlight distill-
cry. The neighbors voted that as no
one was ever known to survive a life
sentence in Yankee prison, Mrs.
Towson might as well enter at once
her season of widowhood; and so,
whenever anyone would ask: "Does
the Widow Towson live here?" she
would answer, eyes"
The log-houSe of the Towsons was
set at the head Of a rock-ribbed, an
oak-studded and vine-laced ravine.
The county road that led over the
mountain was not far away, and many
a time in the dark nights before the
downfall came the girl had often lis
tened in her bed to hear the enemy S
horse beating upon the hard ''pike,
and had looked up to see her father
sitting near the door with his gun ly-
ing across his knees.
"Let me weave now, mother said
the girl. You are worn out.
"You attend to the fire, the woman
replied, looking round with a sigh.
That's hard enough. And, besides,
you can't weave.
"But can try"
"Yes, and while you are trying the
work will be going to waste. If you
would only do as I beg of you"
An appealing look from the girl
checked her. "You know what /
mean, she said.
Eyes" the girl replied, 81 know.
"Then you know what l want you
to do.
"Yes."
"Then why don't you do it?
because l can't -
The woman frowned. "Butyo can
see me kill myself at work
II am compelled to see it, but it
grieves me nearly to death.
"If it did, you would seek remedy,
and one is at hand. What have done
for you? l have stolen the time to
give you all the education l had-we
have hidden our books in the woods,
because your father thought they were
foolish
Il know all that, mother
"But you don't think of it..
Eyes, I do, when you are asleep
But to save my life can t marry that
man.
The woman turned from her loom.
81 suppose you are going to be foolish
enough to say that you don't love
him.
Il don't love him.
"Ah, thought SO. But you could
respect him"
81 might, but couldn't t respect my
self"
Your father must have been right.
Our books were silly to put such no.
tions in your head. l married for
love, Ella, and what did it mean2 a
life of drudgery. And that is what
love marriage generally amounts to
for a woman. You Will at least prom
ise me to think over it.
Eyes, will promise that"
The girl went to bed and she kept
her promise to think over it. The
mother was soon asleep, and the girl
could hear her sigh in her troubled
dreams. But the more she thought
the more she disliked old Lige Coster.
He was the loudest man that had ever
ridden through the neighborhoOd. 1t
was his business to ride about, buying
steers. He looked ike red steer.
His red hair Che was bald except on
II i r. L. looc ~ ,4,,ol- I'm lilo