The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1897-11-24


in tie village by four miles OF sandy
incline M to his own slab barn. Miss
Hannah. alone on the seat of her high
buggy, gave an occasional flick with
the whip, but in a meditatiye manner
as though out of some inner mood.
They were having IAN uncommon
spell of weather" this fall, so the old
men said 1t was the Sunday before
Thanksgiving, and yet the soft haze in
theair, the quiet through which an occa-
sioual drifting of ruslting leaf or over
ripe nut sounded softly, made it seem
more ike October than late'Noyember
day.
There was faint whistle through the
sere leaves of a small weedy corntield
she was passing. The shocks were
leaning as though stacked by incom-
petent hands.
Hope Seraph'll get her corn in be-
fore snow flies" Miss Hannah grum-
bled hitting Tom so briskly as to sur
prise him into an effort at trottng.
Then she turned her eyes resolutely
away from the rickety house beyond,
standing half way up a bare, stony
hill, aud the faded, sad-eyed woman in
the door looked after her longingly,
and lifted the corner of her apron to her
face.
Hannah amt ever going to forgive
me" she said, weakly, to her oldest, n
sickly girl of IA.
"Nhy, what'd you do, mao"
hIt'S u,nctlv I rnacc RI iJr,t Il
was The answer. "Hannah's dreadful
smart, and she hain't no patience with
those that amt like her. Then your pa
was sckly like you, and died, and she
didn't like that; though can't for the
life of me see how he was to blame
He couldn't help it. But Hannah called
him lazy. And we owe her. too, you
know"
should think we did," broke in a
boy of ~. Don't we have to most kill
ourselves every year picking berries to
pay the old interest. Wait till get to
be man and I'll pay off her 5000; see
II don't"
Il guess you will, Benny" said his
mother, admiringly. The boys ambi-
lions were never-failing wonder to his
mother and sister.
Ma, did you know next Thursday is
Thanksgiving day?" asked a youn ger
boy.
What difference does that make to
u.s. was the mothers weary rejoinder.
Its many year since I've seen a
thanksgiving day. l guess the Lords
forgotten us, or else we're too bad for
him to care for. l don't know what
we've done, for sure. Mebbe it's like
hannah He hain't no patience with
Iolks that's down and good for nothing.
anyway He hain't thought of us in a
good while"
MISS Hannah, going on her way,
might have been shocked if she had
Aearu these sentiments from the lips of
Aer cousin Seraph. She always went
10 church, rain or shine, although old
oap'' Skinner said Miss Hannah could
near the greatest amount of sermons,
anu not one of them stick to her any
more than water to ducks back"
iet ne would have been mistaken this
time
lhere's no use talking" had been
'he sturdy words that had pricked
through her armor of selfishness, "of
Aeeplng Thanksgiving unless you've
got the Lords love in your hearts, and
ieV IL run over, as He did, toward those
around you. And you never can make
sure thing of it while you cherish an
uhlofglving feeling for human soul.
- ho!d back hand that ought to be
sIetched for human need. The Lord
WIN never accept any halt or halfway
sacrifice. Go to your knees, and then
"olK 10 see what you can bring Him."
NOW Miss Hannah had kept Thanks
giving, as.she said, for the 20 years
'nat she had been left alone on the
silall, rocky, mountain farm. Every
year This had been well titled and cared
ior' and brought in sufficient for her
mouerate needs, and little to place in
Inc bank against the rainy day of old
ase ana infirmities. For this she had
sat down to her solitary board, where a
s'uiied rooster with cranberry sauce
anu vegetables and pumpkin and apple
PIE were spread, and gave thanks. She
never thought of going further than
uerseif. When her cousin Seraph, who
hau been the only companion of her
lonely childhood. had married, against
ner express wish, shat shiftless Joe
rarker.' she simply ''iet her go her own
Inc neighbors called her hard" and
80 she was. What was the matter to-
uays She was growing old-56 last
midsummer. Perhaps her mind was
Weakening.
She had never noticed before how
lonely the small. weather-stained house
iooked Is she turned in at her own
sa'e. How would 1t scem TO have a
'sse smiling : wsleems from the vim