Cañon City record., 1903-12-10
FeAs ,lna a csnrvsy AGO.

OeserfptiOa - A Ola T1Ao Taaaks-
Swing Dtnnsr In New Enslasd.
The Thanksgiving feast Of a century
ago had charm to 1t that today see,ns
to be lacking. says the Seattle Times.
Here Is q description Of one OF these
declarations:
'.In the great red farmhouse on the
hill preparations were begun long before
the day. The turkey that stalked before
the dOoryard had been watched with
hungry eyes and fattened with urgent
care. Pumpkins had been brouVht from
the cornfield to sun themselves on rl.
wood pile. All. It was a sure sign o.
the days approach. and they might
have defended their right to be Their,
without being laughed at by the an
cient chronicier's words. Let no man
make jest at pumpkins. for with this
fruit the Lord was pleased to feed his
people to their good content iii corn
and cattle were Increased. \ good Y
supply Of all garden vegetables was a,
hand. Apples and pears the best In the
orchard. had been gathered and hidden
away In the dark TO mellow. Alas for
the feast II there was not molasses
enough to be had! There could be none
without It, Stores of raisins and citron
had been laid In. so there was some
thing for the girls to do while the boys
looked after the popcorn. which had
been seasoning In their wood shed
chamber. or picked up walnuts under
the old sha agbark tree In the pasture.
Then there was deal Of work neces
sary within the house--the wedding
china TO be brought out. the brasses all
to be polished, especially the ancestral
andirons. and the spare chambers to be
set in order with extemporized beds In
every available corner-all ready for
the homecoming. Grandpa and grand
ma were the reigning sovereigns. and
their family was royal one. The night
before Thanksgiving they are all therc
and the daughters-in-law have slowed
their little ones away In big feather
beds. a dozen. more or less. In each. like
sardipes. and the youngsters have gone
to their pillow fight In the attic cham
bers.
Around the huge open fireplace. by
the light OF its burning logs. those boys
of the olden times spin their yarns of
childhood days aud crack their jokes
until the laughter changes to tears and
they are ready for the evening prayer
and the tender good night. And then
the Thanksgiving morning. II IL clear
and cold. perhaps the trst snow upon
the ground. for Bor-as was wont To
contribute something unusual before
the days OF weather reports All the
family are at churcb-it was expected
and the proper thing. for family reii-
gioD was on dress parade--nnd the
gray haired parson. regardless of the
passing time. rises 10 the occasion In
fervent words of gratitude to God for
his abundant mercies Then comes tie
dinner. skillfully managed by the maid
en- aunt-God bless her!--nn indispen-
sable condensation Of virtue on such
occasions. a dinner not 80 elaborate a.
bountiful. not so elegant as healthfui-
How the children's eyes dance. even
those OF the ba be In the big board era
die who has no part or lot In It The
turkey. Of course. In there. crisp and
brown. as only one can be which has
been slowly roasted before the fire and
basted from the dripping pan beneath.
Vegeta bles Of all sorts load the table:
delicacies. too. that have been walt
ing long for that hour. and numerous
mysteries Of their old fashioned Gull
nary art. Then there are pies OF sun
dry kinds. the chicken pie among
them; but best Of all-and can We
trust our feelings to mention themf-
genuine pumpkin pies baked In square
tins. having only four corner pieces TO
each. As the evening shadows fall
there In q grand assembly about the
fireplace. How merriiy the corn spui-
ters In the pepper! How familiar til
sound of the nuts cracked on the
hearthstonei what apples and compc
titions In pairing them without a break
in the golden shaving! The cider flows
from the great earthenware pitcher-it
never became old In those days"