Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-11-11
Dorothy's Thanksgiving

herself to the cranberry Jelly and nib
oled a stalk OF celery, but her eating
was only a pretense-pride's bluff
against loneliness and misery. For a
long time h sat motionless, staring
at vacancy until her eyes filled with
tears, which she dashed angrily away,
as If ashamed Of them.
Two Thanksgivings went by upon
which there was no commemorative
dinner in the TredWell mansion, and a
third dawned with no happier promise.
AS upon the morning after Priscilla
achieved her independence, the ground
was covered deeply by new fallen
snow, but this time 1t did not prevent
Mistress Dorothy Tredwell going to
church. Warmly wrapped. h went in
the cutter, driven by the hired man
John.
Perhaps something in the sermon
touched the hard old woman's heart;
possibly the sight Of the happy fam
lies tilling'the church-familieS sWol-
len at this season to abnormal size by
the annual gathering Of loved ones
from far and near-hrought home to
her q new realization Of the miserable
LONELINESS Of her DID age. At all events,
she was conscious Of suffering mentally
as she never had before. for at last
the doubt had risen in her mind wheth-
er her unhappy condition was not or
her own making instead Of a mysteri-
Gus ~dispensation of Providence which
had afflicted her with exceptionally
d~isobedient and unfeeling children, the
latter being the view she had long cul-
tivated. Pardon AND forgive me, o
God, if the fault has been mine" she
moaned while walking slowly from h
gate to her gloomy and Cheerless home.
Signing, she opened the front door;
then stood transfiXed by astOnishment.
1t seemed to her that she heard echo
;,-r. u, IT, t,I1 vA,y.tapI -1n1a AF phf1I-
ish laughter. She stood listening in
doubling wonder. Yes, the laughter
was real, and with it mingled Sister
SalIy's aged treble, prattling baby talk
in the parlor. Cautiously she glided to
and peered through the door, which
stood a little ajar.
Sally sat upon the floor, embracing a
sturdy golden haired little child that
was patting with it's fat hands her
withered cheeks and laughing loudly.
Children always loved her better
than me. Even my own did so, l be-
lieve," jealousy thought the hungry
hearted woman at the door.
Then a fresh, melodious voice full Of
q mother $ tenderness called from the
unseen part of the room behind the
door: Come, pet; back to mamma
Ransom. Come now"
Mistress Tredwell gasped and pressed
a hand upon her heart at the hearing
Of that voice, and something dimmed
her sight so that she could hardly see
the baby, with anxiety in his blue eyes
and laughter still w~reathing his cherry
lips, sWaying, balancing, v~enturing
slowly step by step his great feat Of
toddling across the floor. The old lady
threw open the door, and with steps
almost as unsteady as the child's tot
tered to the little fellow, fell upon her
knees and cIasped him to her breast.
NH sCpI hoe FnrCfy-aD ,yon1D
"Oh, mother, mother! I'm so glad!".
cried the young woman, Priscilla her
self, kneeling TO embrace her two dear
while Ransom, evidently thinking
it all excellent play, croWed with de-
light and Cuddled close to the elder
woman, making believe to escape cap
ture by
Il was just determined, mamma, that
you should see baby. 1 didn't believe
you could and stay angry with me-"
said Priscilla when the excitement OF
greeting was a little Gained.
You have named him after you=
father?"
Yes, mamma. Nathan wanted to as
much as / did. Nathan is real good.
mamma. indeed he is. And 1 want
you to forgive him, too"
GLADLY, my child! 1 wish he were
here"
He will be in a minute. He's sitting
III the Darn WdIlluS LOT his WBlCOIle.
Let him wait no longer"
Aunt Sally, nimbly almost as in the
days of her youth, ran out TO call him.
When he was brought and his welcome
assured, Sally asked, Now, Dorothy.
wouldn't you like to know about the
others?"
Yes, Sally, / would"
Thank God, it has come to you at
Here are letters and T~hanksgiv-
ing greetings from both. They're too
far off to come, but sen their love.
And there's q picture of Rebecca's two
children. They do look sort of shame-
less, but her husband is consul in a
country, where, she says, the chill
dren all go around that way, even in
November.
ooh. Priscilla!" exclaimed her moth
er. IF | had only known you were com
ingi We have got out Of the way OF
Tnanksgivings, and there isn't
a bite in the house fit to eat today
. I'll see If l cam scare up some
said Sally hopefully, going out
TO see, and presently. when she called
them into the dining room the big ta-
BILE, with q. it's four extra leaves, was
seen to be none too large for the dinner
she had scared up There were a
splendid salmon and a magnificent tur-
key, SO big, brown and fragrant that
the mouth watered at the sight, and
there were mince and pumpkin pies and
what not else that is sacred to New
England's happiest festal occasion
And when Mistress Dorothy saw 1t ali,
she cried to Sally: "Oh, you old con-
spirator! OF course you knew in adj
vance. and this explains why you've
been over at Mrs. Green's nearly all
the time for three days. But l forgive
you"