The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-11-23

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cradle house for more than Is years
Dorothy's friends, the boys, had car.
ried her over, chair and all, in kind
Of triumphal procession, and when
they set the chstr down they went out.
side and gave three cheers for Dorothy
and three more for Miss Polly.
Then came three girls from the fac.
tory, country girls, far from home and
with few pleasures that were safe
ones. In all that great, busy town no
body remembered them but Dorothy, it
seemed.
Then there was the old gentleman
with the shabby clothes and the court
" manners, the old gentleman that
lived all alone in a little room at the
top Of a big house. What a pretty
picture Dorothy made going out to
meet him and pretending that he was
assisting her up the steps when all the
time she was helping him!
And there were many others, enough
to fill the long table. Just as they
were about to sit down Dorothy said:
''There's poor tramp, Aunt Polly,
looking in at the gate. believe I'll 60
and ask him in"
Now, Miss Polly had been the sworn
enemy of tramps all her life, and she
started up suddenly.
Drive him away, Dorothy" she
cried. II can't endure tramps."
'But perhaps he's hungry" said
Dorothy, turning her brown eyes full
upon Miss Polly. "And we have a
Thanksgiving dinner, and he hasn't"
Then she went out, and they saw her
speak to the man and invite him in.
After all, they were glad of it. 1t was
too bad to think Of any man going hun
CRY while that dinner awaited them,
and they cheerfully made room for
him at the table.
And such dinner! Why, If Miss
Polly had been in training for it all her
life she could not have done better.
And there was baby at the table, a
thin faced baby in the arms of a thin
faced mother, and when it cast one
look over the table it absolutely laugh
ed, a funny little quavering laugh, as
though it were not used to it. Then, in
moment everybody was laughing,
and there never was such merry
crowd. Why, even poor old Mrs. Day
was laughing like schoolgirl and de-
claring that she liked any part Of the
turkey, so there was enough Of it.
As for Miss Polly-well, there was
absolutely no accounting for her. There
she was, carving away as though her
life depended on it, and flying here
and there around the table and re-
plenishing everybody's plate before it
was half empty. Her face was fairly
glowing with happiness.
And then all at once the little old
gentleman in the shabby clothes stood
up and leaned his trembling hands on
the table. He wanted to express his
own happiness and that Of all the
guests, he said, at the privilege ofjoin-
ing in this blessed Thanksgiving hast.
Some of them had been living hard
lives, very hard lives. Some of them
had feared, had even thought, that
they were friendless and alone In the
world. He thanked heaven for their
hostess, who had made her home that
day home for so many others, and he
thanked heaven for the lovely young
girl who carried sunshine wherever
she went.
1t was not a very eloquent speech,
but the greatest after dinner orator
could not have won hartier applause.
Even the baby cheeed because the
rest did. But Miss P(lly was still Miss
Polly, and she could take no praise
that was not hers.
"Don't give me credit for any o. it,"
she said stoutly. 1T was all Doro-
thy's doin's. I've bten a cranky old
woman for a good many years until
Dorothy got hold O. ne and straighten-
ed me out I'm gladyou did it, Doro-
thy. 1 always was fool, a stubborn
old fool! If I only had my poor boy
back again, I'd be thu happiest woman
in all the landw
There were tears in Miss Polly's eyes
now, sure enough, and they rolled
down her cheeks Without attracting
the least attention, for just then won
derful thing happeled. The tramp
arose from the tabl, took off his rag
ged coat, pulled off his sunburned hair