Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-12-02

"Did you shut up the chickens.
fatherr" asked Aunt Jane.
"Yes, of course" answered Uncle
John. "But | couldn't find old RED
Wing. He was here this morning all
cafe and important"
II killed him." confessed Aunt
Jane, "for Thanksgiving"
AWhy Mother, you and I couldn't
cat old Red Wing in a week"
"You invited company" inquired
Uncle John in surprise
"Yes, when was coming homo
from town the other day met little
Mary, Clark and I invited her and
hor two brothers out TO spend
Thanksgiving with us. Poor little
dear,s she has had hard time of it
since her mother died. They are COM
ing TO, stay over night"
Aunt Jane had been busy for sew
eral days, preparing for her Thanks
giving ldinner.
Upstairs the front rooms seemed
TO have an air of waiting. The fresh
linen, the Towering plants at the
windows and the loving touches that
always glorified room Of Aunt
James arrangement.
The long shelves Of the pantry
we're full. One could see at glance
that the big turkey and old Red
Wing would not appear at the feast
alone.
Early Thanksgiving morning the
three children appeared at the big
white farm house. What happy
partyl Mary, Donald and Billy and
Uncle John and Aunt Jane.
Donald helped with chores; Billy
froze the ice cream and Mary set
the table and made the salad. Then
all three fixed up a pumpkin CEN
terpiece for the dinner table.
For once at least, the three child
rem regretted that Thanksgiving
came too near the shortest day Of
the year. The early darkness was
already turning Aunt James neat
dining room into shadows by the
time they had visited everything on
the farm and returned to the house
to roast nuts by the big fire place.
"Tell us . story, Uncle john"
coaxed Billy.
"What is Thanksgiving fort"
asked John.
"To come out to Aunt James and
have plum pudding and squash pies
---and-'um-lots Of good things"
responded Billy.
"You bet your neck" hastily put
in Donald. ITO have big eats and
have lots Of fun"
81 think it is to be thankful for
what we have" venrured Mary.
"When was Thanksgiving first
celebrated?" asked Uncle John.
The three children began biting
their lips and rolling their eyes ~
il trying to think.
"Please tell us; we'll give up"
said Donald.
"Of course you don't remember
for II was about three hundred
years ago that the Pilgrims landed
in America. 'fhese people left their
homes in England and came to
America because the king would not
let them pray to God as they liked
The king said they must use the
same prayers that he did and If they
would not do this they were often
thrown into prison, or perhaps driv-
en- away form their homes.
The Pilgrims came to America in
a sail ship called the Mayflower and
landed at Plymouth Rock.
The first winter was a hard one
and the people suffered very much
from the cold and want of food and
a great many of them died.
Many of the friendly Indians help
ed the Pilgrims thru the hard win
ter and when spring came they
showed them how to plant their
corn and their peas, wheat and
barley.
When it was autumn the fathers
gathered the crops they had plant
ed and found that they had grown
so well that they would have quite
enough for the long winter that was
coming.
"Let us thank God for it all" they
said. sit is he who has made the sur
shine and the rain fall and the corr
grow" So they thanked God in theil
homes and in their churches. Tit
fathers and the mothers and tn
children thanked God.
"Then," said the Pilgrim mothers
"let US have a great Thanksgiivni
party and invite the friendly Indian
and all rejoice together"
60 they had the first Thanksgiv
ing party and a grand one 1t was.
The old clock in the hall struc
nine, the usual indication Of bed
time In the farm house and as Aun