Show A thanksgiving SKETCH eliere R was a sad heart in the I 1 low ws asri storied rI dark little house that s stood food h humbly by the roadside under some small elms small a her house wits was old mrs robb found it 00 too oo large for herself alone the she only needed the kitchen and a tiny bedroom that led out of it and there still remained the best beat room and the bedroom I 1 with thelow the tow garret overhead there had been it a time after she was left alone when mrs robb rob could help those who were poorer than herself she owned a pig and was strong enough not only to do it a womans comans work inside adde her house but also a mans work out outside side in her piece of garden ground at last tick sick ness and age had come hand in hand those two relentless enemies of the poor and together they had wasted her strength and substance she had at al ways been looked up tip to by her neigh bors bora as being independent but now she was left lame tooted anti and lame handed with a debato debt to carry and hebbare her bare land and the house ill provisioned to stand the stage at time lime for awhile she man aged to get on but at last it began to be whispered about that it wax was no use 11 se for tiny anny one to be so proud it wis easier tor for the whole town to care for her then than tor for a few neighbors antl and she hat had better go to the poorhouse before winter and be done with it althis at this terrible sigges tion her brave heart seemed to stand land still the people whom she cared most tor happened to be poor and she could no longer go Int into their otheIr households to make herself of use the very elms over head seemed to say no as they groaned in the late autumn winds and there was m as something appealing even to strange passers by in the look of the little gray house with mrs robbs pale worried face ace at the window anniversaries are days to make other hut yb eji 1 aws and the th power of giving gi ving joy to t others that inalienable right which ought to lighten the saddest heart the most indifferent sympathy sometimes even this seems to b ue e withdrawn so poor old mary ann robb sal at athel aci window on the afternoon before thanks giving givin gand and felt herself to be poor and sorrowful indeed across the froien road site she looked eastward over a great stretch of cold meadow land brown and windswept and crossed by icy ditches it seemed seem ed to her nit as if in all the troubles that she had known and carried before this there had always been some hope to hold as if she had never looked poverty full in the fare face and seen its cold and pitiless took look before she bhe looked anxiously down the road with a horrible shrinking and dread at the thought of being asked out ol of pity to pin oin in rome borne thanksgiving ferbo bu there ann anit no body coming with gifts in hand once she had been full of love tor aich days whether at home or abroad but tonic sonic thing had chilled tier her cry heart now poor old woman tier her nearest neighbor had been tore fore most lost of those who sighed tier her to go to the town farm farni and lie he had bald more than once that it ft was tile the only ben bible thing hit 11 it john was walling rig patiently to get tier her tiny liny farm into his own hands ile he had adv advanced anted tonic money upon it in tier her extremity anti and pretended that re wan wall baill A debt after lie he had cleared her wood lot to pay himself back lie he would plow over the lie graves in the field corner and fell the hie great eloie elais and waited for hla his poor prey like it a spider spicier ile he had often reproached her for or being too generous to worthless people in the past and coming to be it a charge to others now oh if he could die in her own house and not suf fer the pain of homelessness is and de pen dence dencel it was waft just at sunset anti and as site she look ej ed out hopelessly across the gray fields there was vas a sudden gle gleam arnot 0 light fir away on the low hills be beyond ond the clouds opened in it the debt and let the sunshyne inc through one hot rolt as ati an arrow and a fur far told cold where it fell anti and at tile the moment 1110 ent a sudden gleam of hope holm bright bril ened tim winter inter of her lirt inert was mas johnny mir M r ann softly he wag a gold soldiers lerS bon left an orphan and distressed old john mander scolded but I 1 see tile the poor boy wan want t I 1 kepl kep him that year after he got hurt spite a 0 what hat anybody Y said an he helped me what little he could lie said I 1 WAS the only mother hed ever had 11 tit gln biln out west mother mal h er robb sa a s lie he alian I 1 sh art t t conic come back til I 1 get rich lan an then hed look at me an laugh so pleasant an he lle want one that 10 eato write I 1 dont think lie he was doin very cry well when I 1 hea heard rd th there ere its ears car ago now I 1 always thought if he got sick or aej ng ig I 1 should have a go good d home for or him 1 here chere was wan lyra lri wait he file deaf one too he wont mont have any itce to come to the fhe light faded out of doork and again mrs robbs troubles stood b before fore her yet it m was as not so dark as it had been in her sad heart she stilt still eat by the window hoping now in spite of herself instead of fearing and a curious feeling of nearness and expectancy made her tel itel not so much light heart ed as light lie headed abed I 1 I 1 feet feel just as if sorn ethIn was goin to happen she inid bold poor johnny harris perhaps lies hes th inkin a 0 me if it hes hell alive it wits was dark now out of doors and there were tiny clicks against the window it was beginning to snow an and the great elms creaked in the rising w wind ind overheard A dead limb of one of the old trees frees had fallen that autumn and poor fire wood as it had been it w wis ts mrs robbs own and she had burnt it most thankfully there N was as only a email armful left but at least she could have the lux ury of a fire she had a feeling that it ft was mas her I 1 night at home and with strange ret kness blie bhe began to the stove as is slit used to odo do in fit better lays days 4 ill get rite me good and warm the she said still talking to herself as lonely people to do an go to tied bed early I 1 its ts conijn coinon on to acorin 1 ahe I lie snow clicked liti faster ater and faster against the window and site she s sit it alone thinking in ike ark theres lots a 0 folks I 1 lov lavt site she said once cc be sorry I 1 aint got no body to come anti and no supper the night afore thanksgiving im dreadful glad they don t know I 1 and ole he drew a little litlie nearer to the firt fin and hid her head back dro drowsily whily on the old rocking chair it seemed only a moment before there was A a loud laud knocking and somebody lifted the latch ot of the door ahe fire shone brightly through the front of the old sto stove ve and made a little light in the but mar ann robb waked up frightened aud bewildered IW hobe she tailed called as she found her crutch and went merit to the door war h eave come ti to take me ti to the poorhouse ole bhe said and burst iwo into tears there was wait tall man mail not john man der who seemed to fill the narrow door iv a 1 come let me in lie he said gaily 4 its a cold night you expect tile me did you mother robb dear mel what Is it she lahe faltered back ng as he came in anti anil drop ping tier her crutch he I 1 I 1 was a dreadin about 0 there 1 what was I 1 a seln lalit truel dolse no ive made some kind of a mistake yes this was the inin in in who kel keit t the poor house and she would go without co 11 plaint they might have alvin tier her no but oe dhe must not fret I 1 sit down carl ctrl sir she wild turning to ward hint him with touching enLe have to gh give e rite me a little time it if id been notified I 1 have kept JOU on waiting a iiii nult 4 cold night it was wait not the keeper the man by the door took one step conord find and put pill ills his arni arm around tier her and alsid tier her what art ari ou balki 0 i about wild said john harris I 1 ai ou oil aln t gain 40 0 o rivine me life feel like a stra stranger tiger ive conic coine all the way front from 1 cikota to spend thanks givin I 1 heres till nil torta horts 0 oth things ings out here in the wagon ana man to help heft get enk en in why dont you cr so 60 mother robb I 1 thought oud have abrat a griat laugh it if I 1 bonit an all surprised ou don t on oil remember I 1 said I 1 should it was sa john sjohn harris indeed tile the poor soul could sity nothing bhe fc fell it t now ni am it if tier her heart was going to break with joy ile he left tier her in tile the roi biking king chair and came anti and went in ill ills his old bonny WB iva brinling in ills his tort mom of gifis and Provit provisions lons it was waft better than tiny any dream ile he laughed and talked and went out to send fiend the nian man to bringa bring a N gotful of wood from johnj john manders Mand erB and rame came lit in himself I aden with pieces of the nearest dearest fence to keep the fire going in tile the meantime 1 they I hey mint cook tile the steak bleak for supper right awa aaa they must rind find tile the p package it aka ia c of tea among all tin tilt other oilier they gil bood fires st arted in buth bulli the lad ild boonis wil vh mollier it int nun to 1 bi ready for from wit out the ahe arl y it ElIter fill fellow about the tin ahny douht bild tilt lilak old mo limped after him forgetting e aery berj thing but hoppl lalit tail haj I 1 not she a house for john to lo come to vire t re not tier her old chairs ad tables table 1 lit their plates mill antl and lie ever everI thing hIng and kissed kl feil tier her as tri stood before the fire as if tile the were a girl lie he hil hid found plenty of hard times but luk had conne come RL at imbt lie had struck luck and this mat aft tile the ard ot n great year no I 1 F CM to write rite atter kt teri tin no usi use to lo complain 0 the wore an I 1 wanted to tell you cu the lie beat when I 1 came and she told it while A title she cot kek I 1 thee the upper clipper no I 1 vant guinto wilt wili na letters lel terii juhn john repta ted hi 11 wa s afraid lie he should cry ahti hel he found out how bad things I 1 lad ad hem ben and thea sat sal down t 0 nipper together toge I 1 juat abt as they used to when A hen he gasn wasn as it homeless orphan b boj 0 whom nobody else wanted in winter minter M either ca lher while lie was crilio led and could not work vork could not be kinder now llian atie ai then but she looked bo poor at d old ile he saw her WILL tier her cut cup of 0 ta t kaaid a at d set it down again with ith a 1 and and a look at him no I 1 wanted to conic come myself he blutt rd wiping hla hid e eyes es and trying to laugh nd youre oure going to have everything ever tl ing you vou nead to make you comfortable longs you ou live mother robba she looked at him again and noddy but she did not even tr to speak I 1 1 I here was a good rot lot r ready and her ov 0 n folks had come cattle it was the night before thanksgiving |