Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1911-11-30
A First-CIass Thanksgiving.

A FirSt-ClaSS Thanksgiving.
II did not need the blaze of the pitch
pine knots in the corner of the fireplace
to say that the old man had come. The
light danced rosily up the brown rafters
and over the fishing hanging between
them like dreary cobweb. across the
festoons of dried peaches there, and ovel
the children, who had heard old Cousin
Lees coming spoken of as an impending
calamity.
Their mother was bustling about, pre-
pairing supper. She always hustled when
she was what she called "put about
and she was certainly put about in having
this old seafarer added TO her household.
None of the CAROLS had gone to the
poor-house yet; and it was either this OF
that for Cousin Lee. Besides, her hus-
band had had home with Cousin Lees
father for while in his boyhood. In
way home here was due to Cousin Lee.
She had not flinched when her husband
falteringly proposed his coming; but ia
ney, the sixteen-year-old daughter, had
resisted bitterly; and so little Joe and
Dave and the twins, and Justin, the big
ger brother, had quite recognized thatthe
guest WAS undeSired.
II was not a home to be coveted. The
| dyestuff from the mills above had driven
the fish from the river; the net on the
rafters was used no more; and the FAM
ily's subsistence was wrung from a mar
ket-garden and cranberry swamp; and
the river at their door brought them down
occasional stumps and logs.
Once wallet holding two sodden dol
lar bills had been found in the wrack, and
il had made Dan Carroll feel it might be
well to abandon work and watch the re-
cession of the tides the rest OF his life.
Although he did not do so, il had the ef-
feet of opening region of air-caSteS,
for when man has a family OF children,
money becomes thing to dream about.
"Well," Cousin Lee can look out for
that" he said to himself.
"There's an end OF havin' parlor, I"
said Janey, when the affair was settled,
and she flung her book down as if there
were an end of that, too. 81 did mean
to have that empty room fixed up for one
some day."
81 don't know where you'd ha' got the
money" said her mother, biting off her
thread sharply.
"Soon's got to school-keeping."
"a long way ahead, child"
"So's Thanksgiving. But it comes,
ma, sures November. And now the old
man-nothing but couSin-has to have
the room, and there's an end OF it And
Mamy'll be growing up, just like me,
without a parlor or anything And did
want Many never TO remember when we
hadn't had a parlor with haircloth sofa
in itp
ats the way things happen" said the
mother. anyway, we didn't have as
mnch as this at first-iust log cabin
and we were happy as birds a-buildin'. "
"That's no reason to stop and be salts
J fled. meant to be braiding big mat OF
Did pieces for the floor of that room, and
have some copperplate curtains and a
looking-glass. And have Justin knock up
box out OF the old boards, and I'd cover
it with the copperplate-speckled white
ground with scarlet poppieS-and make
some cushions for it. But | suppose that
old man'll live forever u
"Janeyl You're committing murder in
your heart"
"Oh, amt going to hurt him. He's
hurting me-taking away my ambition,
and keeping Many alwaysiust where she
was. Why couldn't he take care OF him
self ?"
Hes old, and he's lame, and he's
deaf, and he's been unlucky," said her
| mother with sign.
The old man had come, and his batter
ed sea-chest was in the grudged room.
Although his years were not all ofseven-
ty the little people felt they might be sew
| en- hundred. But his thin gray hair made
their mother think of her own old fathel
under the sod. Yet all the same, she diG
not want him there. That night the chill
dren. accustomed to be hushed in the oc'
casional visits of the elder along the riv-
erside, were huddled and subdued, as
this were similar infliction. When they
saw Cousin Lee, sitting on the big blocl
| in his corner by the fire, fiddling with
string in an absent-minded way, and b.
and by playing queer game OF cats-cra
die all by himself, they wondered vauge'
| ly.
Little Joe edged nearer. "Seems to m
| never saw that kind" said he.
"Ever see this kind ?" asked Cousl
Lee, beginning another. "Here, ifyou'l
lend me your hands" And all the cage
little hands were thrust forward and tn
heads bent together about the two.
"He can't catch il |" said Johnny.
"Yes, he does r cried Davy, tiptoeinf
"Therel You seel It'sareg'lar cribl
announced Billy.