Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-11-23
A THANKSGIVING INCIDENT



she left the ltghtS ot the stores behind
and turned down the dark, lonely
street which led 10 her room, she was
startled by every football and hIrrted
past the alleys, more from fear than
because Of the wind which swept
through them
Her room gamed, she drew her
stratghthaeked chain up by the little
wood stove With a sigh of relief, and
prepared 10 write her first letter
homc Like all first letters after the
old home has been left, the pages
were dotted here and there with sus.
picious looking spots, hut the account
Of her trip aud minute description VI
her tny room hraNely covered the
ache IN her heart.
IN in The modest northern home
when her mother read the letter to
tmty's youuger brothers and sisters
SHE detected, this uuderrurrcnt, ana
that night after the great meudng
basket was put away she wrote a
'onE cheerful reply making the mos,
possible of the bright things ENTITY
had mentioned and OF the gratitude
they ought to feel toward her fathers
friend for taking Emly into his fac.
tory.
The letter had the desired result,
iand, conscious Of the assistance she
was giving her widowed mother.
Family hereically crushed down her
! loneliness, Unfortunately for her.
She had incurred the dislike of Sue
BiNhy, who was the acknowledged
leader among the girls in the factory,
| Every newcomer must win Sues
approval before the others would
Inotice her II she 50 decided tho
| new hand was worse than ostraciscd,
she was subjected "a the slurrng re-.
marks Of not only Sue, but OF all her
! followers,
Emily, while reared humhly. natur
ally was moro refined than tho girls
with whom she now was thrown, sue
recognized this difference, though
she could not have defined 1t, aud
| this very feeling of inforiority led her
10 show as much Immature as pos
siblc On the day of Emily's arrival,
Sue surveyed her critically, and then,
purposcly loud enough to he heard by
all in that end of the room said u
say. girls Is that n widow"
1 The unllind reference to Emily s.
4 black dress was greeted with Rigglcs,
and from that time she WAS known as
The widow Naturally Emily man.
aged to see them AZ little AS possible,
1 hurrying to The restaurant as soon as
The factory whistle blew Hero at
/ least II was bright and cheerful, and
! the waiter who looked like "the min.
lister up home often stopped to talk
with her For this reason she always
went to the title table AT which she
had first been seated, Her table com.
panion of the FIRST night was always
there before her hut. beyond handing
her the card or passing things coca.
sionally he seemed 10 take no motto"
of her.
What a moody disagreeahle man
observed Emily 10 herself one evening
as he sat gazing yacantly before him
while waiting for his order TO be
served.
suddenly, MS though rocolloclIng
something he drew II newspaper from
hIs pocket and spread II out before
him. Il was smnll paper, the Week
" Badger, evidently from some vii
laRc The man became SO Interested
in II that he did not notice when hs
craer was brought, and the walter
was obliged TO set II down near
Emily At last, having read the pa
per through, he folded It and looked
for his supper,
Emily was amused by his look Of
astonishmept ON seeing everything be.
side her He smiled as she handed
him his dishes, and some way he did
not seem so much Ike n stranger to
her after all He was evidently from
The country Ike herself. and his in
tcrest in his old home made her feel
differently toward him.
May be he Is homesicll the reason
he looks so gloomy she thought ana
for the first time she noticed how
thrcadbare his suit and loose the but
rons, hat pathetic evidence Of the
poor man who must take care Of hia
own clothes
Emily soon became accustomed 10
going home alone through the dark
streets, and instead of hurrying as
she haa ~ 1rst, she walked slowly
pas the houses where The shades
were mp and she could sec tho family
groups in The cheerful rooms This
was her only glimpse Of homelife. and
II afforded her almost her only source
OF pleasure, though at The same
timo II touched tender cord and
aroused that indeseribable longing
which only the homeless can know.
The factory was Of course closed on
Thanksgiving day Emily wished II
were not, for she could not 20 home.
The day was unusually cold for Tho