Year: 1875




Crabapple's boy had read that touch


ing Thanksgiving story about the chap


who ran away from home when a lad


and went to sea, and wasn't heard of for


years and years; and how on every


thanksgiving Day his fond mother set a
plate for the wanderer, snd-kept a seat


tor nm at the table, and how the 9ray-
haired sire, when he asked q bIassiDs,
prayed for his wayward son-prayed


that he might return in safety to the


parental roof. And then one Thanks


giving Day, when they had about given


him up for dead, although the plate and
the vacant chair told the story of a
mothers undying hope, just as the fam
lily had sat down to the Thanksgiving
dinner, there came rap at the door.


.-Come in!n cried the sire, and in bounc-
ed the lost boy in sailor jacket and
tarpaulin hat, just home from long
whaling voyage. Such rejoicing as there
was in that house How his father
shook him by both hands, how his
mother wept over him and embraced
him; and how all his brothers, and sis
ters, and annts, and cousins hung
around his neck and tugged at his sailor
jacket 1t was worth Drawing the dan
gers of the seas to meet with such q vel
come on his return. He sat at the feast
in the chair that a mothers deathless
love, and hope and recollection had al
ways placed for him, and never was
there happier Thanksgiving since that
cherished anniversary was invented.


Crabapple's boy wept over that story
every time he read it, and he got to
wondering whether such fuss would be
made over him should he run away from
home and then turn up again some
Thanksgiving Day. He thought about
it so much that he finally determined to
test the business, anyhow. He would
see how the folks would act when lie
played the prodigal's return. So about
a week before Thanksgiving be ran away
from home. He didn't 90 to sea, be-
cause the sea was too far of, and he
couldn't make much of voyage in
week, anyhow. He got a job in a tan
yard grinding bafk, which answered all
the purpose, for he could imagine his
bark was on the sea" as he rode the
old horse around the circle. He called
the mill the world, and imagined him
self sailing around the world every rev.
olution.


When the week was up he started for
home He faneied himself so much
tanned by the occupation he had fol-
lowed that his parents would hardly
know him. He imagined he had picked
up a good many hide-eGTS, anyhow.


With beating heart he approached
the parental Dlansion. He looked in at
the window and saw the folks Just sit
ting down to the Thanksgiving supper
A chill Of o-.,,,f ox-a- hs,,,
as he saw there was no vacant chair, and
there wasn't an idle plate anywhere on
the table. He listened at the door as the
blessing was asked, but although sever
al prophets were honored with hatter-
ing notice, his name wasn't mentioned.
This was little hard on the boy that
had run away from home and was liable
to turn up on that or any succeeding
Thanksgiving Day. Recolleetions of
him didn't seem to cluster around that
hearthstone to any great extent. Re
pressing a chilling foreboding that
arose in his breast, he flung open the
door, rushed into their midst and ex-
claimed 'sFatheri-motherl- L.
Sammy rabapplel-home again.
home homer and threw himself on
his fathers breast, sobbing convulsive-
ly.


What did that father do2 Did he hug
him, and slobber tears over him, and call
him his ''long lost bo-bo-hoyp Not
much he didn't. He took him by the
collar, led him into the woodshed and
worked over him more than an. hour
with barrel stave, his brothers and
sisters dancing around on the back stoop
in an ecstaey of Joy, while his mother
screamed: That's right, Ambrus; give
it to him. Learn him better'n to run
away from home again." Then be was
sent to bed without any Thanksgiving
supper at all, and threatened of being
deprived of both Christmas and New
Years Cincinnati SQturdQu NiZht