The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-11-21
4 THANKSGIVING SeNilQ Circle.

Lie week DeIOre 1nankSglVllS the sew
ing circle in our village met at Mrs. Ma
than fuckers and there was full meet
ing, though everybody was very busy
cooking for Thanksgiving.
The Tucker house was redolent with
spice, bviled cider and mincemeat. Mrs
Tucker had told several, confidentially,
that she did not know how to have the
circle. The members were most Of
them late, with the exception of Rebec-
ca Todd. She is widow and lives alone
and has nobody to cook for. except her.
self, and besides she was invited to spend
Thanksgiving with her brother.
Rebecca Todd is very fast sewer,
and she had missionary apron almost
finished by the time the others arrived !;
she had talked every minute, too. Mrs
Todd is noted for her conversational
powers. She politely gave an linking Of
the topic under discussion to every new
conner, took up the threads, as it were
for her inspection, then proceeded
Everybody, with the exception of Maria
Hopkins, listened respectfully. Mrs
Todd is considered very smart woman,
and besides she is well to do, has the
finest house IN town and the best furni-
ture. Maria Hopkins, who has her own
opinions, listened rather contemptuously;
once in a while she shifted, in a way she
tight over her sewing. She has never
liked Rebecca Todd since they were girls
together. Mrs. Todd talked, and talked
scarcely any one else said q word. When
the last conner, Mrs. Stephen Fender
grass, entered she had just begun to re-
late a thanksgiving experience of hers,
which she considered remarkable, as,
Maria whispered, she considered most ex-
periences of her own. i should think she
would be astoniShed because they never
put the day she was born into the alma
nae to calculate the weather FROM
whispered Maria, and the minister's wife.
VINO sat next her and is considered too
young and giddy by some folks for a
minister's wife, giggled. and then was so
scared because she had that she turned
pale.
L was just saying" said Mrs Todd
very politely tc Mrs. Stephen Fender
grass, who is tall and meek and slides
into the first chair as if she were I'M
worthy to sit anywhere, that everybody
has had Thanksgivings, but I thought
that not everybody had had Thanksgiv-
ings that seemed to stand out-special
Ihanksgivings, as it WERE
Mrs. Pendergrass, who is always afraid
to speak before more than two. bowed
solemnly and colored up and looked as if
she had done something awful every
Thanksgiving day of her life. and Mrs.
Todd went ON sewing all the time as fast
us Sne cOulQ drive ner needle.
YES" said she, Il have had as good
Thanksgivings as anybody; always a tur-
key and everything to go with it, and
my relations visiting me, or else me Wis
iting my relations, but 1 don't remember
more than one special Thanksgiving that
seems to sort OF stand out as it were.
That was the first one when [ ever
cooked the whole dinner myself without
any help"
L suppose that was the first Thanks
giving after you were married." said Mrs.
Henry MiXter. who is very genteel.
soft-spoken woman; she admires Mrs.
Todd very much and tries to be intimate
with her.
mo, it was not Mrs. Todd said with
an important nod the like of which l
never saw in anybody else. NO, it was
not; it was before [ was married. and [
cooked the dinner for fifteen and had it
ready by II o'clock, by the time they got
home from meeting besides putting the
house in apple-pie order. Mother wasn't
very strong, and my sister LiZy's little
Sammy was only months old | washed
and dressed little Sammy that morning,
tOo and | washed and dressed brother
Henry's twins-his wife wasn't able to do
much, she had run-around on her
thumb-and | curled little Minerals hair
in two rows of curls. | dressed five chill
dren that morning, besides all the rest"
did that 6-month-old baby go to meet
ing?' said Maria. with one Of her shifts,
and Mrs. Todd glared at her.
NO" said she, ..he didn't. My sister
began early with her children, training
them to go to meeting, but she wasn't d
fool. | had that baby to take care of
besides all the rest, and he was teething
and terrible fractions. | had to keep
jogging his cradle between whites. Then
[ had to put on fathers collar and craval
for him, and do up mothers hair, and
heat the soapstones for their feet; they
had to go three miles in sleighs, and it
was pretty cold. After they were all
gone, | tell you | just flew. There was
basted every fifteen minutes-mother
wouldn't look at a turkey that wasn't
basted every fifteen minutes; didn't think
it was fit to eat-and there were all the
vegetables to be got ready and the chick
en- pies to be baked-mother didn't think
a chicken pie that was baked the day be-
fore it was eaten was fit to be looked at
and there was the pudding and the
pudding sauce to be made and the table
to lay. Then there were seven beds to
be made up and everything to be busted
mother was dreadful particular. Then
l had the hens to feed and the eggs to
get and fresh spongecake to make. be-
cause mother didn't think it was good
unless it was baked the day it was eat;
and then. to cap the climax. | had to
make some butter. Mother had little
cream, just right to churn. and / knew
she hated to have it wasted, and so
made a pound and half of butter be.
sides all the rest Then. in the midst Of
It all, Sophy Briggs that was-she lived
next door, and her folks had gone to
meeting and she stayed at home on ac-
count of having a cold-came running in
with her finger cut TO the bone, and l
had to do that UP III cobwebs. and she
hadn't more'n gone before | burnt my
own finger lifting out the turkey to
haste, SO I've. got the scar of it now.
Well, | lived through it, and that dinner
was all on the table at II o'clock. when
they got home from meeting, and me in
my best all ready to help them ont and
take off the children's things. Well. as.
I was saying. that Thanksgiving has al
ways seemed to be a special one, and
kind of stands out. as it were''