The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-20

lust about twelve Parks arrived,
Mrs. Thomas met him at the door and
gave him a smiling welcome.
Let me introduce you to Mr.. and
Mis- Simpson" she said, as soon as
he was inside the door. I'VE thought
we'd have a little Thanksgiving s'prise,
you see" and she fairly beamed with
delight as she saw the look of discontinue
which came over his face. He said a
few incoherent words that were sup
posed to be congratulatory, and got
away from John and Serena as o as
possible.
Mrs. Thomas seemed intent on doing
the agreeable to the full extent of her
powers, and took a seat neal him, and in
the conversation that followed she
contrived to make him understand
that she had been using him as a tool
by which things had beer brought
to a climax between John and Serena.
She did not say this in so many words,
but she made him feel it as plainly as
if the most forcible words in the language
had been used in doing it. In short,
she had made a fool, as well as I tool,
of him, and she took this opportunity
of telling him o under a show Of great
politeness that made the fact all the
more wrath-provoking to him. He was
not in a position to say much, but she
saw with intense satisfaction hat he
was Jest bilin' mad inside" as she
expressed it to herself when she was
in the kitchen alone. There" | ruther
reckon I've got ever with him. dunno
how't is with him, but l mus say I've
injoyed his comp'ny to-day" Then
she went about her work chuckling.
Parks wished he was a thousand
miles away, as he sat waiting for the
dinner he had 10 appetite for. He
tried to talk and cover up his defeat and
discontinue, but he made a sorry failure
of it. Then he drew a few pictures for
Billy, and finally fell to making his
initials, in an absent way, on the other
side of the paper, and into every S. P.
that he put upon the page he injected
some of his spiteful feeling.
The dinner was a grand success, as a
culinary achievement. Everyone ex-
cept Parks and Mr.. Thomas did it
Justice.
BY and by, Billy, who had filled up"
to such an extent that he had left the
table before the others, picked up the
p on which Parks had been scribbling
before dinner.
IS. P, S. p" he read. Say, ma,
what does S. p. stan fori"
1T might stan for a good many
things, answered Mrs. Thomas. Small
p'tatoes, fer instance, or stool-pig'in.
Mebby when Mr.. Parks wrote it he
thought it stood for some punkins.
Parks glared at her with a black
look in his face that said as plainly
as words: IF you were a man I'd
lick you or get licked" but she seemed
entirely unconscious of not only his
look but any attention of having her
late remark construed as a personality.
But down deep in her heart she was
saying: They got the start of me, but
edge afforded her so much pleasure
that she was filled with a spirit OF thanks
giving that was sincere. if not highly
commendable in its nature.
As for John and Serena, it was a
real, a blessed, Thanksgiving Day. for
had they not each other, and love, and
all manner of bright plans for the future?
And Mr.. Thomas-is it necessary to
say that he felt thankful? | think not.
1t was not 50 much for what had hap
pened that he offered up thanks as for
what had not happened. He vent about
in a sort of dream all day. He felt a