Middletown transcript., 1908-11-21
aua tier tears when ths girl sod

axa her Tears whsn THE gil sud
denly entered DE sitting room.
~ seems s1s hing goes wrong
latelg Jnst I'd I've learned to|
know you girls, and haze good
times with you, Mira has TO come
home and take you away from
me. If only John had met you
or your cousin before that Eliza
beth Hnntley took him in We
Mrs. Peterson, said the aston
ished girl, do you know that
Elizabeth Huntley has just cried
herself to sleep in your spare
room because she thinks you can
never care for herr My cousins
name is Elizabeth Ware Huntley
and We have been working with
all our might to convince you OF
your mistake. It has broken my
heart to see you so cold toward
Bess, for she is an affectionate
little thing and has never known
a mothers care. / came down
with the express intention OF
giving you lecture, but I viii
save my breath to explain things
to Ress when she wakes up.
Send a telegram for John, said
Mrs. Peterson, excitedly. 7 did
say we wouldn't have q Thanks
giving dinner this fall, but I've
changed my mind. We only have
four days to get ready In, but !
guess with some help we can
manage.
It required breathless haste
and skilfull planning to prepare
for the great feast and keep Bess
in ignorance Of what was trans
piring. In the city the bewil.
dered John laid down the pathetic
little letter telling Of the hope
lessness Of ever WANING his
mothers affection to take up an
imperative telegram bidding him
come without delay to the old
home. His mind could not grasp
the situation but he oheyed the
summons.
guess you'll just have to go
| along, said Mrs. Stebbens, when
Bess absolutely refused to go to
| the Peterson home for dinner on
Thanksgiving. Cousin Sarah
sent a special invitation for you
and Nora, and you'll have to &C
cept. If she ever should come to
her senses, and it don't seem
likely, she'd say you was too
stuck up to come when she did
ask you.
So a very shrinking girl en-,
tered the old sitting room her
own hands had helped to make
beautiful with the wealth of the
forest and field. Nora was bub'
bling over with something, but
she would not tell her secret,
and the others we're very solemn
outwardly, if excited within.
| How do you do, Bessie? said
Mrs. Peterson, grasping the girls
cold hand. I want you to meet
my son John.
AS with one impulse the guests
melted away into the dining.room
and parlor, leaving John to put
a manly arm about the trembling
girl and proudly say, Father and
mother, this is my promised wife.
OF course you people don't
want anything so commonplace
| as dinner, said Nora, finally com
ling into the sitting room, but we
lare all starved. I ventured to
put on the gold band china and
all the best dishes, Mrs. Peter
son, for you said your sons wife
would not care for them anyway
I'm glad you gave me that splen.
| did woven counterpane before
she had @ chance to make an
ironing blanket of it, and it might
be well to see that your silver
goes to the same appreciative
Iperson. The highty Mrs. John
will
Don't you say a word against
Mrs. John, said Mrs. Peterson,
warmly. Is it really dinner timef
Yes, I'm glad you put on the best
china, though I want to save il
for my sons wife when I'm
through with it.
In spite Of the fact that there
had been but four days to pre-
pare food for the great occasion,
the table lacked none of its &C
customed delicacies. Perhaps
the fruit cake was not as aged as
should be, but no one spoke OF