The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-24
A SpasrDodic Story
For Thanksgiving
By T. Sandys, 2nd.

half filled the room with smoke and j.
Wilkinson Standish coughed an aris-
tocratic cough. Then he sneezed. And
when a second back draught completed
the work of the first he said a word
best represented by dashes. Mrs. j.
Wilkinson Standish looked shocked
and Miss Standish giggled and the
four guests sat uncomfortably silent
and suffered.
]. Wilkinson Standish was a descen-
dant of the Puritan stock-came over
in the Mayhower, did his ancestors
and the blood that coursed through his
veins was half of the deepest blue.
The other half was a good rich red,
inherited from his mother, who's for
bears had stuck 1t out in England until
they found a vessel less crowded with
clocks and spinning wheels. Hence the
Wilkinson in Mr.. Standish's otherwise
unreproachable name. Mrs. Wilkin-
son Standish was an Alden or some
thing before she married, and this fact
gave her wonderful power over her
husband, who actually suffered at
times from the Wilkinson part of his
name.
Mrs ]. Wilkinson Standish wanted
an cid fashioned Thanksgiving. One
with an open fire and dinner at noon,
and apples and chestunts after dinner.
Mr., Standish, in a receptive humor,
took to her plans and agreed with all.
Miss Standish, age 10, fair, with the
Wilkinson good looks rather than pos
sessed Of the Standish grandeur, want
ed a good time Thanksgiving and so
offered no word against her mothers
wish.
Guests were invited. All the avail
able Standishes and Aldens and the
small but active contingent of Wilkin-
sons, and a turkey ordered to fit appe-
tites aristocratic and semi-plebean
But as most of the Standishes and
most of the Aldens and most of the
Wilkinsons were gifted with families
and family hearth-stones of their own,
only four responded to the invitation
and these four were bachelors-young
ones, for Miss Standish's sake rather
for the sake of the story. A Standish,
an Alden and Two Wilkinsons. They
came early and settled down to stay
late
Since time and poets were, praise has
been of drinks and food, with the ac-
count chiefly in favor of the drinks,
and verse has even been dedicated to
turkey boiled onions and squash. Pie
has not gone entirely unhampered with
melody and an apple once inspired an
epic-not glorious Pippin or a lueious
Northern Spy, but an unedible golden
apple, hard to get and useless when
obtained. So why chant again the
praises of a Thanksgiving feast? Why
recant the charms of well bleached
celery? Even cider pals when sung
about too much. And cider, nowadays,
suggests so much more of the labora-
tory than of the orchard that a poet
must needs use chemical formulate to
designate its virtues. How would this
sound?
C12 H22 Oil;
sweetened thus; not dew from
Heaven:
Gracious drink, like molten snow,
Most of you is HI o.
CO H6 o plus COZ
Add the snap of life to you
Product of the dark coal mine
Makes that autumn color thine.
And so on, If necessary.
So to describe the dinner given by
j. Wilkinson Standish and family to
the guests accembled woul be but to
do over again what has been done
thoroughly before.
do you like Omar?' asked the AL
den cousin of Miss Standish, when
they had repaired to the library after
dinner to sit in front of the wood fire
and toast apples, chestnuts and them
selves. The cousin picked up a copy
of the Rubaiyat bound in limp sole
leather and tied with rope. He spoke
Familiarity of the dead poet as though
he had known him, and to know him
was to like him.
The younger Wilkinson cousin, senti-
mentally inclined, quoted;
"A book of verses underneath
bough, A jug of bread, loaf of wine
and thou Singing beside me in the
wilderness; All, Wilderness were Par
adise enow.''
The hired man in the cellar shook
down the furnace and outside a merry
party of belated groceries jingled past
in delivery sleigh.
Il haven't read him." said Miss
Standish. Its a Roycroft book and l
don't like men who fail to cut their
hair"
miss Standish sat in the red glow of
the cracking wood fire, her downy
cheek resting on one dimpled palm
dimpled palm-and as she spoke, the
cousin thought he had never seen one
so beautiful before" Mote. The quo
tation marks around the above are
used for obvious reasons.) Mr.. ]. viii
kinson Standish sat also before the
fire, Mrs. J. Wilkinson Standish near
him, and the four cousins found chairs.
1t was Just about at this point that the
Fireplace blew smoke into the room
and made Mr.. Standish say $500.
Suppose We retire into the drawing
ROOM. he added to cover the proceed
ing, land let the young people enjoy
themselves without us"
But" began Mrs Standish, wen
miss the wood fire in there.