Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-12-02
The Widow T1OmSol'S
Thanksgiving Dinner.
BY Hope Darling.

Mrs. Thomson laid down her crochet
work and glanced nervously across
the table at Martie Trask, her maid
and distant cousin.
'Martie, am going to give dinner
party Thanksgiving"
'What?"
At that single word, clear-cut and
aggressive, the courage Of the mistress
visibly waned.
Don't you think 1t would be nice,
Martie, for us to ask some OF our rel
atives to eat dinner with us that day
your ma and Tillie, you know, and
Floras folks?"
No sound broke the stiffness for the
space of two minutes save the ticking
of the clock on the mantel, and the
cracking of the open wood fire. Evil
IDENTIFY Martie was considering the
matter.
She was a tall, buxom girl of twenty
with a round. freckled face, blue eyes,
and an abundance Of curly red hair.
For four years she had been an inmate
of the Thomson home, and had come
to look upon her cousin and all her
belongings, especially those that per-
tanned to the kitchen, as under the
command of Miss Martie Trask.
eyes," she said, nodding her head
vigorously, well do it. / do git so
awful tired cookin' for jest us two.
Well git 'em up right good meal"
and Martie pushed back the cuffs OF
4. n n a.
gin operations at once.
Mrs. Thomson flushed with pleasure.
She was a little woman whose dark
face was still untouched by time. A
rose-pink dyed her cheeks, her brown
eyes were limpid, and the gray hair
brushed back from her brow made a
quaint frame for the expressive coun-
tenance.
I'm real glad you approve, Martie,
though, of course, it needn't have
made any great difference" she add
ed, hastily, for she was always assert
ing her independence in half-heart-
ed way that deceived no one.
Martie chuckled wisely. mo, course
Il needn't, but" and she paused sig
nificantly. The next moment she went
on in a more gracious tone, "Howsom-
ever, bout the party. Sixteen is all
that can set down to the table when
it's stretched, without crowdin'
There's you and me, ma and sister
Tillie and her man Tim, and little
Tim. That's six. Then s'pose you'll
want Flora Campbell and her family
though / don't know what you see in
her, morn your other relations.
There's five of the Campbells, five and
six, leven. Who else?"
"Uncle Leander and Cousin Cyrilla.'
Course. Thirteen. S'pose Ben Bur-
ton and his stylish wife would come
clear from Lawton If we should ask
'em?"
ST think so. At least we will try.
That is fifteen, and | don't know OF
anyone else, do your" and the flush
deepened on the cheek of the widow
while she steadily avoided meeting
Martie's eye.
"Well, guess do. You don't mean
to tell me, Cousin Sary Thomson, that
you'd be mean enough to give q
Thanksgivin' dinner and not ask Dave
Merchant, and him your third cousin
and a miserable old bachelor at that!
81, lido you really think we ought
to ask David?"
"Well 1 should say so. You write
your invites to them as lives off, ant
I'll see bout the folks here One thing
Sary, one turkey won't be 'nough."
1--WE will have two turkeys and foul
chickens. We shall want two CHECKER
pies"
"Course, and some kind of cole
meat. Might have picked tongue"
"And a veal loaf. We will hav,
that, for 1 remember Da-, oh, ah
what was it, Martie?"
why, / believe you air gittin' fius
trated over this" and Martie eyed he
companion suspiciously. "Yo,
needn't. I'll tend to things. Hav,
veal loaf IL you want it, though dom
set no great store by it. It's lucky w
made them fruit cakes last month
they'll jest be prime I'll make tina
new chocolate cake / learned of Mar.
Long. Thatll be cake 'nough, won
1t, with doughnuts and crullers?"
IL will make a pound cake afte
mothers old recipe" Mrs. Thomson
said dreamily. I'VE always had on
for Thanksgiving when We wer
young"
Dreadful old-fashioned," Martie re
torted. smiling contemptuously, but
don't care. Then there must be mine
pies and pumpkin pies and cranberr
tarts. Oh, we'll have a good dinner
Well, I guess I'll go to bed now, SOS t
git up early In the mornin' and begi
things. You'll want to write your lei
tiers. s'pose.
Eyes, think so, was the absent re
ply.
Martie lighted anotl err lamp and RI
tired into her own roo n, leaving til
mistress of the farmhouse alone. Sh
manifested no desire to set about LEI
ter-writing, however, out leaned bac
in her comfortable rocker, and, as he
eyes rested on the mass of CLOWN
embers In the CRATE, her mind wer
back to the days of her youth, whe
she had plighted her troth to this SAN
David Merchant.
That was twenty-five years ago. Ho
happy they had been! But. In q fe
months, they had quarreled over
trife. and David went west. For tv