Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-01-17
CIIApTIiR IL.

q
locks. once brown and shining with the
sunlight of youth. now give tokens that
the nutumnal frosts of life are falling
slowly upon them. return once more TO
the old hearth stone. and. for a brief
space. grow young again amid the fes-
tive scenes of Thanksgiving day.
| shall not speak of our feelings rs we
missed our baby brother for they who
have lost from their iireside an active.
| playful child. understand far better than
l can describe. the loneliness. the long.
ing for something gone, which becomes
almost part of their being. although
at times they may seem to forget. Chill
drcn's grief is seldom as lasting as that
of mature years: and hence t is not
strange If ] sometimes forget my sorrow
In the joyous anticipation of .rhnnksgiv-
ing day. which was then to me but an
other name for plum puddngs. chicken
pies. meeting dresses. morocco shoes, city
cousins. a fire in the parlor. and last.
though not least. the privilege of sitting
at the first table. and using grandma's
six tiny silver spoons. with the initials
of her maiden name marked upon Them.
| On such occasions my thoughts inva-
riably took leap backward. and looking
| at grandmas wrinkled face and white.
shining hair, would wonder If she ever
were young like me; and If. being young.
she swung on gates or climbed trees, and
walked the great beams. as ! did Then.
with another bound, my thoughts would
penetrate the future when /, a diguihcd
| grandmother. should rcclinc IN my arm
chair. stately and stiff. IN my heavy satin
and silver gray. while my oldest son. n
man just my fathers size. should render
me all the homage and respect due to one
of my age. BY myself. too, had several
times tried on grandma's clothes. spccta-
cles. cap and all: and then. seated In her
chair. with the big Bible In my lap. l
had cxpounded Scripture to the mag
mary children around me. frequently rep
rimanding Rosa for her inattention. ask
| ing her what "she thought would become
of her IL she didn't stop wriggling so In
her chair. and learn the chief end Of
man,"
The Thanksgiving succeeding JAMES
death and my own recovery from sick
ness great preparations were made. It
being confidently expected that my faith.
ers brother. who lived in Boston. would
be- with us. together with his wife. lady
whose reputation for sociability and suav-
ity of manners was. with us. rather be-
low pnr. She was my uncle's second
wife, and rumor said that neither
himself nor his home was as comforta-
bit as they once had been. From the
same reliable source. too. we learned that
she brenkfastcd In her own room mt ten,
dined at three. made or received calls I'm.
til six. went to parties, soirees. or the
theater In the evening. and seldom got
to bed until two o'clock In the morning
u mode Of living which WINS promo
little better than heathcnish by grandma,
Mother. who was more discreet. very
wisely advised her not to interfere with
the arranfements of her daughter-in.
law. 1T would do no good" she snid
land might possibly make matters
worse" Unlike most old people. grand.
ma was not very much set In her own
way. and TO mothers suggestion she re-
piled that. "NIebby she shouldn't say any.
thing: 'twould depend on how many airs
Charlotte put on"
To mo the expected visit was n sore
trial: for, notwithstanding my cheeks
and neck were roundcr and fuller than
they had ever been, my head, with IT.
young crop Of short. stiff hair, was u Ter
rible annoyance. and more than once
lad cried rs ! saw In fancy the dcrisivt
| SIIIic WIN uTcuucu uuUt SHUT
lOtte was sure to greet me. At last sister
Anna. who possessed n great deal OF
taste In such matters. and who ought e
have been n milliner, cOntrived for the
"pickcd chicken" as she called me, q
black lace cap. which fitted me no sell
and was so vastly becoming, that I los,
all my fears. and. child-llkc, began t.
count the days which must elapse befor,
l could wear II.
Meantime, In the kitchen there was
loud rattling of dishes, n beating Of eggs
and calling for wood, with which to hea,
the great brick oven, grandma having
pronounced the stove unfit for baking d
Thanksgiving dinner. From the cornfcd
behind the barn golden pumpkin. -four
times larger than my head and about tn,
same color, was gathered, and after te
ing brought to the house, was pared
cut open, scrapcd and sliced into Il lit
tie tin kettle with copper bottom. where
for hours II stewed and sputtered. filling
the atmosphere with faint, sickly odor
which think was the main cause Of tn,
severe headache l took to bed with me
Mother. on the contrary. differed from
! me, she associated 1t In some way Will
! the rapid disappearance of the raisins
cinnamon. sugar and 80 forth, which, n
sundry brown papers, lay open upon til,
, table.
The next morning. just rs the .irs
gray strcaks of daylight were appearini
In the east. awoke, finding. to my erea
joy, that my headache was gone. Risin,
upon my elbow and leaning far out %
bed. l pushed aside the striped curtain
|. which shaded the window, and lookin!
out upon the ground below, saw, To m.
utter dsmay. that 1t was covered viii
snow. To me there Is nothing pleasant II
: | n snow storm, snow bank or n snow
cloud; and when u child, | used to thinl
I, that with the fall of the first flake Their
came over my spirits n chill. which wa
,, not removed until the spring time. whom
, with its cause, 1t melted away; and ever
now, when, with my rubber boots. ! iar
brave any drift not more than five fee
, four inches high, cannot say that
have any particular love for snow; an,
, as from my window l watch the dcsccn
!, of the fcathery flakes, ! always feel III
, | irresistible desire to make ut them VT,
faccs--my fnvOrite method of showing
my dislike. On the morning of which
: have spoken, ! vented my displcasurc Il
the usual way and then l fell into
deep sleep, from which l was at las
; awakened by the loud shouts of IN
: brothers. who, In the meadow across tn
|, road. We're pelting each other with Dall'
! occasionally rolling over In the pur,
white snow. which they hailed as an oil
= aud well-lovcd friend,
(ro be continued)