Year: 1875

Thank sgiving story about the chap who


ran away from home when a boy and
| went to sea and was not heard Of for years


and years; and how on every Thanksyiv-


ing day the mother set plate for the wan.


dercr, aud kept u seat for him at the table,
and how the gray-hairet sire, when he
Offered a blessing, prayed for his wayward
| son-prayei that he might return In safe
ty to the paternal roof


And then one Thank sgiying day, when
they had about given him up for Gead,
aTtnUuCH r1o pi..v ~...a -----A .l...s. fnlA
the story of mothers undying hopes, just
as the family had sat down to the Thsnks-
giving dinner, there came rap at the
door. ''Come in.' cried the sire, and in


bounced the boy in sailor jacket and .
'srpaulin hat just home from a whaling


voyar" Such rejoicing as there was in
that house. How his father shook both


hands, and how his mother wcpt over him
and embraced him, and how all the BROTH
ers and sisters, aunts ana cousins hung
around his neck and tugged at his sailor
jacket.


1t was worth Drawing the dangers of tho
sea to meet with such q welcome on his


return. He sa; al the feast In the chair


that mothers dcathlcss love and hope
and recollection had always placed for him,
and never Was there happier Thankseiv-
ing since that cherished anniversary was
Invented.


Crabapple's boy wept over that story
every time he real it, and he got to wOn-
derins whether such fuss would be made
over him should nc run away from home
and then turn up again some Thankssiv-
ing dav.


He thought about it so much that he
finally determined to test the business,
anyhow. He would see how the people
would act when he played the prOdigal's
return. So about week before Thanks
giving he ran away from home H. didn't
go to sea. because the sea was too fur off,
and he couldn't make much of . voyage
in week, anyhow. He got q job IN
lanyard, grinding bark, which answered
all the purposes, for he could imagine his
bark was on the sea-" as he rode the old
horse around the circle. lie called the
mill the wo;li, and imagined himself
sailing around the world at every revolu-
ton.


With a beating heart he approached the
paternal mansion. He looked in at t.,e
window and saw the folks just sitting
down to the Thanksgiving supper


A chill of Disappointment crcpt over him
as he saw there was no vacant chair and
there wasn't an idle plate at the table.
He listened at the door as the blessing
was asked, but although several prophets
were honored with tlatteriny notice, his
name wasn't mentioned This was little
hard on the boy who had run away from
home and was liable to turn uD on that
Or any succeeding Thanksgiving day.


Recollections Of him didn't seem to
cluster around the hearthstone to any very
great extent


Reprcssing chilling f,rchoding that
arose in his breast. he flung open the door,
rushed into their midst and exclaimed
mother, it's I, Sammy Crab
npPic c.-hoHlc again nome! nOme. ana
then threw himself on his fathers breast,
sobbing convulsively.


What did that father do? Did he hug
him and sob tears over him, and call him
his long lost bo-bobOy." Not much.
He took him by the collar, led him into
lhe woodshed and worked over him more
han an hour with harrel-stave, his
brothers aud sisters dancing around ON the
back stoop in au ecstacy of delight, while
his mother screamed, That's right, AM
)us; give 1t to him! Learn him better'n
o run away from home again."


Then he was sent TO bed without any
Thanksgiving supper at all, and threatened
With being deprived of both Christmas
md New Years dinners.