Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-12-08
A Thanksgiving
Package
By sHEELA ESTHER DUNN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1871.

a Thanksgiving dinner this year, Be
sides, we've nothing to be thankful
| for The loss of our little Molly hiss
taken all the thankfulnesS out OF me.
John said what he could to comfort
! his wife. but there is little comfort i'll
such partings. and a happy family
| circle had been broken by the loss of
little Molly. the baby. 1t had occurred
as many misfortunes occur from pow
erty. This is the way it happened;
! Mrs. Hardwick was taken i'll when
| the baby was but six months old
| John was away. and there was no
| one to attend to her or the household.
| and more especially the baby, who
needed more attention than any of the
family. A neighbor came in to take
| charge and concluded to send Molly
| away till the mother should have re-
| covered. Mrs Hardwick had an aunt
! living at the next station on the rail
| road, and since the aunt could not
| leave her home it was decided TO send
! the baby TO her in the care of an eX-
| press messenger A baSsinet was fit
| ted out the baby put into it and n
| tag with the address on it of both the
| shipper and the cOnsignee tied on 1t.
| Then the package" was taken to the
messenger who had charge of an ex-
press car. and he agreed to take it to
| its destination
! Unfortunately an accident occurred
on the railroad that spoiled all these
calculations y man passing the scene
of the accident. hearing cry from
some bushes beside the track. sought
the cause and found Molly. Near by
! lay her bassinet She was alive and
| apparently unhurt. A child falls with
out resistance and is therefore much
| less liable to injury than an adult Be
sides, in this case the fall was sup
posed to have been broken by the
bushes. The finder took up the child
and it's baSSinet and carried it home to
his wife. The basSinet had fallen into
ditch. and the address on it had been
so discolored by the water that it was
uninteIligible.
Now, Molly had fallen into the hands
of a couple who had no children and
had given up all hope of having chill
dren Not knowing where to send
! Molly, they concluded to keep her. Mt
least till they could find her parents,
and if not found they would adopt her.
After the accident the Hardwicks
learned nothing of their child. The
express messenger had been killed,
N1rhn
was at the time of the accident, and
she was never found. But this was
not remarkable. for on one side of the
railroad was a stream. and the body
might have been thrown from the car
into the water and carried away by
the current.
At any rate. there was not the slight,
est probability that Molly was alive.
and her parents mourned her as lost.
Mrs. Hardwick recovered from her i'll
ness. and the family affairs were set
to rights. all except the return Of little
| Molly.
The day before Thanksgiving pity
ing friends sent the Hardwicks a din
ner for the occasion. But the mourn
the heart TO cook 1t. Thanksgiving
day being holiday. John stayed at
home, but there was no rejoicing. The
children found 1t difficult to make a
holiday when their parents were so
dismal. at noon the little ones began
to feel hungry. and. yielding to their
opportunities. their mother consented
to roast a turkey that had been sent
them. She had hardly got it in the
oven when there was the sound OF
heavy truck stopping before the house.
A man ran up the steps and kicked at
the door, When 1t was opened the
cause Of his kicking was apparent.
Both of the mans hands were in use.
In one he held bassinet, in the other
book.
Sign for this" he said.
There was a simultaneous exclama-
ton of surprise and JOY from the fam.
fly as Molly was handed in. Looking
up at her mother. she smiled and
cooed. Mrs. Hardwick seized her and
clasped her to her breast
Sign for this" repeated the man.
holding out the book in which he took
receipts for express matter.
Mr.. Hardwick hurripdly scratched
his name. and the eXpressman, run
ming down the steps. mounted his
wagon and drove away.
And SO 1t was that the HardwickS
holiday was made both a day Of re
ioicing and of thankfulness When
they sat down to dinner the baby in
it's bassinet was placed on the table.
and while its parents and brothers
and sisters ate turkey Molly pulled
Justify on her bottle.
An explanation came in time. One
day the couple who had taken Molly
in heard from friend of the Hard
wicks' Of their loss. and it became ap.
parent that they were in possession of
the missing child This occurred the
day before Thanksgiving. and Il pleas
ant surprise was arranged for the par
ents. The baby was taken to an ex-
Dress office, where it was given in
charge of delivery man, who was in
structed to carry it to its home
That day was remembered as the
Thanksgiving of their lives. AT any
rate. they had more to be thankful for
than ever before or afterward. Little
Molly was often referred to as the ex
press package. and the soubriquet
stuck to her When she grew old
,,.os told tho story OP har