Year: 1860

but best by those Of her own freside CIR
Gle. When the long lashes were lifted
from her ever changing cheek, you could
look into the very soul of the high-minded
sunny hearted girl; six years before, she
has stood in her fathers low parlor on
Thanksgiving eve-she had stood between
that father and mother to whose faces she
lifted her soul-speaking eyes the bride of
an hour. And as the good mother rasp-
berry wine carefully bottled up for the
occasion, went round, she dreamed not
chat in that cup lurked demon that
should overthrow the altar just erected
Caleb Reynolds was now adrunkard and a
deserter from his home He had enlisted,
it was thought, in an hour of intoxication,
and his wife was left to learn it from other
lips. He went without one word Of fare
well, to the plains of Mexico-and never
since had she heard from him.


Poor Adelaide carried her crushed heart
back to her fathers house, longing only
to lay it in the grave. Have your ever seen
tree in our Western forests blighted by
"girdling'' as the woodman calls it-cut
from it's connection with the life-giving
earth and then left to wither for years
never pass such tree without thinking
of the slow death of the heart to which
some writer has strikingly compared it.
1t was thus that Adelaide stood among
the other plants of her fathers nurture.
Have you ever seen from such a girdled
tree young shoot spring out and strik-
ing down its fbres form feeble connec-
ton with the bark below and sustain a
sure though sickly life in the tree? 1t
was thus little Robert came to bind few
broken fibres from her early hopes and
dreams on earth.


But we are forgetting our Thanksgiving
hone of the aunties forgot it, however,
or the cousins-and by the time farmer
Talbot's big sleigh"-had emptied twice
upon the old sprinkled stone steps, all
were brought home from church, and all
were there.


All except two unaccountable stragglers,
'the boys" as two stripplings nearly six
feet high continued to be called, who were
cultivating the sciences in college not
many miles away. And why were they
not there? So questioned every one, and
grandma did not answer-only wiped her
spcctacles every few minutes on her apron
and peered out of her southwest window.
Meanwhile the new comers were all clus-
tered in the sitting-room makind merry
use of the interlude between services and
dinner. There was Robert the eldest son,
with his romping family, and anxious
looking wife, There was Charlotte-no-
body knew her by that name-Lotte,
blooming in her prime and managing her
little ones to a charm. There was Philip,
the old bachelor though by no means a
crusty one. Next to him sat pale stiff
looking cousin from the nearest factory
village. Last, but not least, though in
truth she was but little one--was the
school ma am-the youngest of her faith
er's-the laughing, fun-loving Susie
She was not beautiful, as Addie had been,
but there was such world of good nature
in her low, broad forehead and dimpling
checks that you loved her at first sight.
| do not know that she ever sat still long
enough to have it taken except, in church.
This day she was here and everywhere
among the children, kissing one romping
with another and then tossing Roberts
babe, to the terror Of its mamma and the
delight of all others,


"You must let me 60 help grandma take
tup the turkey, indeed you must" cried
Susan laughing as she pushed through th'
doorway followed by the whole scamp
,.ering troop. One had sprung from thu
Aop Of the arm chair to her shoulder ant
sat growing like parrot on his perch.


AS she advanced towards the kitchen
the outer door was thrown open and "a
merry Thanksgiving to you" burst from th'


lips Of the intruders, amidst the renewed


shouts Of the boisterous brood


Bless me, where did you drop from ?


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