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Show Their Thanksgiving The Thanksgiving dinner was something some-thing that none of the members of the Lawes family ever failed to attend. No matter what had happened during the year, everybody turned up at Farmer Lawes' house for Thanksgiving. There quarrels were made up, differences ad-Justed ad-Justed ; It was a sort of family clearing clear-ing house. Here was Farmer Lawes, hale and strong In spite of his seventy years, seated before the turkey. Here was Grandmother Lawes, going on ninety, nine-ty, and with her eyes still un-dlmmed. un-dlmmed. Here was Mother Lawes, beaming upon her boys and girls. Here was Will, the pride of the family, fam-ily, the successful one, with a hundred hun-dred thousand in Investments and a fine house on Sldmouth street, and two motorcars, with his wife and three kids all beaming and bright and happy. Here was Molly, the hospital nurse, who had come In from town. Not very successful, but doing well and a self-supporting self-supporting woman, and so glad to be home for Thanksgiving. Here was Judd, the failure, who lost one position nfter another, and was now going to be given a fresh start in his brother's office, and to redeem the past. He was glad to be home for Thanksgiving. Here was Tom, who was in the lawyer's law-yer's office, Tom the bright one of the family, who was going to be President some day watch him smile as he looks at the turkey, exuding gravy. Here was Pepita, the actress. Not very successful, Pepita, and often In need of funds, and perhaps old Farmer Lawes had spent many bitter hours thinking of her. But but this was Thanksgiving. And here was Rodd, who was doing so well In high school, the only bird that had not yet flown from the nest How happy they all were! No, not quite happy, because, on the Thanksgiving Thanks-giving before there had been another chair, and Dorothy. . . . Well, nobody had spoken of Dorothy since that scandal. She was dead to all of them. Even Thanksgiving could not atone for that black, bitter humiliation humili-ation and disgrace. Nobody had spoken of her, but everybody was thinking of her. "The girl made a fool of herself," Will was thinking. "Well, she made WE) III JJ fat1 It Was Sort of Family Clearing-House. her bed and she'll have to lie on It. She's dead to us forever. My wife shall never recognize her." And Molly, the hospital nurse: "Dorothy was simply a fool to become Infatuated with a married man and run off with him. It's a shame that can never be wiped out. If she were to come here now, begging for bread, I'd turn my back on her." Judd, the failure: "Well, I guess there's more than one failure in this family. Each must look out for himself. him-self. I haven't any time to waste on sympathy for others." Tom, in the lawyer's office: "Ah, well, the world Is hard and censorious in its Judgments ! A man has got to get on, and the only way to get on Is to have no Incubuses in the way of failures about one. Judd? Yes, sir, I believe in giving every dog his chance. Judd may make good yet. Dorothy? Nothing doing. No, sir, no sister of mine." And Tepita : "Poor old Dorothy! What an aps she niad'e of herself!" Farmer Lawes well, be was thinking think-ing of tlie little girl he used to dandle on his knee. That was how he saw Dorothy. Rut he said that his doors were closed to her forever, and he was a man of his word. Mother Lawes but who knows what Is In a mother's heart? And Grandmother Lawes, so nenr eternity well, perhaps she had the tonderest and shrewdest Judgment of them all. only she seldom spoke now,, perhaps hardly remembered. . . "Well, hoys and girls, this bird lookr good to me !" The door was owning. They looked up. They stared aghast. Nobody moved (hen everybody moved, moved with n simultaneous rush. "Dorothy !" "Good girl, to come for Thanksgiving:" Thanksgiv-ing:" "My, how pleased we are to see you I'.ut they stopped and looked nt Fanner Lawes. What would be say? "S-t down! Hey, cit a chair, pit another an-other chair there, Judd: What's the matter with you nil, putting one rhnir too few for Thanksgiving? Can't j count up the family?" (. IfT. Wtrn Nwipapr Union.) |