West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-11-29
A sehoOlhoys Thanksgiving.

we've no blinds, and there was little 20 pie.
vent the people passing by from looking in.
TO the room unless |, were the dineiness of
the room itself.
l, was students room aud that mean,
it was no, remarkably clean. For the two
young men who occupied the apartment did
nc, use it merely as sitting room in which
10 study their lessons. There was neither
dressing table, wash stand, nor carpet;
much less wardrobe No indeed. The
boys used the room FOR the combined pur.
pose OF sitting room, sleeping room. dining
room and kitchen. To pu, the matter a
little differently and perhaps a little palmer,
the boys boarded themselves, and prepared
their own meals SO fat as they were pre-.
pared at ALL To use the schoolboy ex-
preston, they "baehed it" aud the small
amour, of time they gave to the details of
housekeeping made their parents wish they
could afford to come TO town to live. Bat
these boys seemed TO thrive under the pro-
cess, FOR they were healthy and hearty.
Imagine, then, room with three win.
dows. two OF them looking out upon the
principal street. Opposite the single win
dow was door opening into a hall. OPP
posi,e another window was door leading
into the companion room. but this door was
barrioaded 10y the bed. There was n lock
to the door aud the kcyhole came in very
handy sometimes, when the inmates of the
two rooms saw fit to SPUR, water a, each
other through goose quill.
BY looking around the room little, We
would see small table placed between two
windows but without any cloth upon il: a
small coal stove in corner and on nails
behind IL were frying pan aud few other
utensils; in the nearest corner piece of
furniture once Intended as a rough book
case, but which now holds few dishes
There was little else To be seen. There
were but three chairs, one OF which had no
back and was used as the wash stand.
Another chair had but three legs, and there
WAS sometimes a scramble between the bows
as To which would get into the unmutilated
chair irst. Except caps and overcoats,
there was no clothing hung agains, the
walls. Each boy had but one suit, and he
wore that on all occasions. A sack of corn
meal leaned lovingly against the bed, whose
Stats would now and then come down in the
dead OF nigh, and tumble the seepers into
a heap. The straw tick had been wallowed
I'LL II was thin and except for spreading out
the bed covers, the bed was never made up
ottener than once week.
1t was now the morning of Thanksgiving
Day and Jim Whale was stirring pot of
corn mush. Frank McBnl was putting
knives and forks on the table. There was
but one pair Of each and none OF them were
mates. There was not dish in the room
which they could have spared OF which they
did no, daily use.
''ian't this bully" exclaimed Frank.
1.-TWO Sundays in one week. We don't
have TO study today"
"rm going to write my essay though"
declared Jim.
"So'm l." echoed Frank.
At This moment there was a drumming of
finger tips on the inner side of the partition
door.
''Snch trash as you fellows should keep
quiet" shouted Jim.
WANTED 70 sec If you were dead in
there" said voice.
Franz gathered himself in a position for
spring and planted his boot heel agains, the
center Of the door.
BLOWS that " he inquired.
go, cheese your racket there. guess
you'll do this time. You fellows going
down TO the church this morning 4"
"Yes, yop going ,"
"Yes, verify"
And here the dialogue ended.
"Now let's eai,' said Jim. 'rhis chick
en- feed is cooked now and I'll set it back
20 cool Tor dinner--or supper, one or to,her.''
Jim sat downa moment on the three
legged chair, but ia time to notice Franks
foot moving under the piece Of furniture.
"Look oot there now. No foolishness.
you old stick-in-themud haven't time TO
get up and thrash you"
Wonderful busy. Going to set the
town on edge today " inquired Frank.
an set you on edge next thing, you old
horse thief"
The boys drew up to the table. The
ca,ablcs consisted simply Of graham loaf.
a dish Of butter, and another consisting Of a
hail pint Of white beans stewcd in beef
talloyy.
Give me some points for the essay on
Thanksgiving that that old goose Of Prof.
Blow wants OF u.s." asked jim.
"Why, that's easy. One thing to be
thankful for is that this is a holiday and we
don have to go into his old room but four
times this week. Another thing is that the
election went to salt US. and that for the
frs, time in our lives we exercised the
great aud glorious right Of suffrage. and
still another thing is that Jim Whale is 90
ing home TO teach this winter and give the
college a rest for three months, so il will not
get too much contaminated by his presence, -
THAT last is the best point Of ali, :"
argued jim. "Bui there's one thing We
can't be overly thankful for. We don't
seem 10 come in for any spread this holiday.
Our big dinner seems 70 be coming up minus.
But / don't know what we're going to do
If we don either Of us hear from home
mighty soon. The buffers most gone and
there's only four bread tickets left. Pm
dom 70 ten cents"
"And I'm clean out. o. some one will
be up tomorrow, think But If we want
broke we d have a piece Of steak and boil
some potatoes Tor dinner"
"And get pie from the bakery added