The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-25
Our Daily $bort Story

of boy of that age being late for Thanksgiving dinner!"
 But the Drowned turkey came on. the mashed potatoes. the celery. the cram berry sauce and spiced peaches, and then came the mince and pumpkin pies, the cider and the hickory nuts, but no Rob appeared. The minister's family' began to get worried, but Mrs. Birmingham said that whatever had happened, one thing was certain, Rob had not missed a good dinner. He has probably stop ped at the Hopes, with Dave" she guess ed.
 .'Of course. he has," assented the min ister. "and it's all the worse for the Hopes, and all the better for us. you may be sure!"
 But Rob was cantering alon gthe six mile road to Beechham. Up and down. hill and along the pickering brook he went. The jolly pumpkins smiled at him from the brown cornfields. where they were piled up in orange-colored mounds; the crows cawed at him, the wayside dogs parked, and the waddling geese of the Dutch settlement hissed at him. On on he went and never said whoa, until he refined up in front of Square Bradford's big, square house in the outskirts of Beechham.
 "A boy to see me? Halloa, Ron!" and oh! the returned hero had on his fatigue uniform, and he was looking trim and soldierly and handsome, you may believe! His mother chung to his arm, and would not let him leave her sight, even when Rob plead for a moments interview of a private. nature. Out had to come his whole story, and the young soldier laugh ed as he tossed a letter into the fire and said:
 "All right, Rob, I was just going to send a note to Miss Carr telling her of my arrival, and then I was going over to see her this evening", but now will wait and surprise her tomorrow morn ing, at school!'
 Come in and have some dinner" he added, seeing the boys wistful gaze through the open doorway into the din- ing-room, where the remnants of the Thanksgiving feast were being cleared from the table.
 And so Rob had cold turkey and what ever else was good in the Bhadford's s house, and soon, refreshed and heart ened up by the brilliant success of his enterprise, he started for home, Doll making up in energy and ambition to get back to her pasture, for the lack of such inspiration as oats can give-for no one at the Bradfords had seen Rob's bor- rowed steed, as she had been tied to the orchard fence, well out of sight.
 Rob took his secret to bed with him that night. Dave might be able to guss, but only old Doll could tell where he had been that day, he reflected, and he was glad old Doll couldn't talk. Morning dawned, crisp and cold. There was smoky fire in the long, boxlike stove in the schoolroom. The children came into the place slowly, and almost
 moodily. Miss Carr greeted them with a calm face, but her eyes told the story of the homesick day and sleepless night just passed.
 At half-past nine the first class in arithmetic was called to recite. There came a knock at the door. Miss Carr went to open it, book in hand. There was glimpse of something blue and then, what do you think that teacher did?
 She deliberately walked out into the i hall. and shut the door behind her. The children sat in their seats and waited. There was great buzzing and
 whispering, and Rob dropped down into
 the aisle. and rolled around. laughing. In about ten minutes-the school had
 become most shockingIy disorderly by
 this time-the door opened, and Miss l Carr came in sedately. Her eyes were
 like stars, ther cheeks were like pinks
 and she was smiling
 | Children" she said. you are granted
 a holiday; school is dismissed. Then there was hurrying to and fro
 and much yelling. The teacher rode fin
 state to her boarding place, her soldier
 sweet heart leading his horse and walk.
 ing by her side, and teacher and cbiIdrer
 afterward agreed that there was never
 before quite such a Thankseivinp hoI,-
 day as this belated one in the tir,a n,
 war and alarms VI