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Show i A PRAY if s T ;-,! U Nj i43l V The old couple sat ' dow their breakfast after the ing prayer was uttered wKj0rn" spirit of gloom and lonlimJ a another Thanksgiving Would 's spent wkhout their dear one Suddenly the woman's c tenance beamed with h rUn" and the slivery locks seemed glow with splendor as she SuH ' dcnly said: "You know johl " dreamed last night George walv ed right in as we sat down t" our Thankigiving dinner." "It can't be so, mother" john said in his usual gloomy ' moil7 "That terrible drive 0f T Chateau Theiry undoubtedly made him one of the victims" "Have faith," the noble jvom an said as they reverently bowed their heads in a fervent prayer for the harvest of an other Thanksgiving and beseach-ed beseach-ed Ithe great Creator to brin? their son back home. They lifted their heads and saw little George with his curly locks as in days of youth. But to their astonishment a matured man in the O.D. uniform and lines 0f worry across a scared forehead. He rushed to his mother'sarms and clung like the little tot of years gone by. The father stood in amazement that such j miracle could be wrought. I Explanations of how he had been in a German prison camp and not permitted to write and finally freed after enduring the treatment such camps inflict and how he was rushed home' in a special casual company. For George had a wound from' schrapnel and limped as he moved around in the same foot steps of youth. With such joy and satisfaction of the reuniting reunit-ing of the little family of three! They sat down to another good plain Thanksgiving dinner cooked cook-ed with ma's own hands. By L. K. WOOD In accordance with American custom the President of the United Unit-ed States generally names the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Thanks-giving dav. This cusLom had its origin in New England. The first Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by Governor Bradford of Massachusetts in July, 1623, setting set-ting apart a day of fasting and prayer on account of the long drou'ht. Thanksgiving day did not become a National institution until the Revolutionary war when Congress made an annual recommendation rec-ommendation for its observance. Washington issued two Thanksgiving Thanks-giving proclamations, one in 1789 as a result of the adoption of the Constitution and another in 1795 in gratitude for the suppression of insurrection. President Madison also recommended recom-mended a- Thanksgiving day in 1815 as a result of the return of peace following the war of 1812. The governor of New York has issued regular Thangskviing proclamations every year since 1817. President Lincoln issued two Thanksgiving proclamations, one in 1863 an done in 1864. Thanksgiving day was originally origin-ally called the "Puritan Christmas", Christ-mas", and its observance was in the nature of a country festival. The significance of the day now relates to the gathering of the crops and is a fitting celebration celebra-tion of the end of the harvest. Surely we have a great deal more to feel thankful for than that little courageous colony of Plymouth when forty six out 'of one hundred died during that first hard winter. My earliest recollection of Thanksgiving goes back to peaceful prayer meeting !held annually in our ward house before noon. A humble sermon on the gratitude of a bountiful harvest and a fervent prayer was rendered the great Giver of all blessings. Just why these ga.herings were discontinued 1 am unable to say. Today it seems to be a day of hilarious celebrating which often of-ten ends in disaster. There once lived an old couple who had braved the hardships of pioneer life ;I built a plain but comfortable little home on a Western frontier. fron-tier. The liLtle farm furnished the necessities of life with the hard labor it took to produce them. Eventually a son was born to them, much to their joy and comfort. The boy grew to manhood with the simple truths of high moral standards, and passed many pleasant Thanksgiving Thanks-giving days with his parents in their humble home. His friends would often be invited to participate par-ticipate in the plain and whole-: whole-: some festivities. I 'The World war cams on and ' the son enlisted and was soon among the American troops of service abroad. The gray and worn old parents par-ents braved the parting and separation like many true pat-riotics pat-riotics did with no other comfort com-fort than the great Creator would bring him back home safely. During the terrible drive at Chateau Thiery, he was identi- j fied as one engaged. His letters ceased to come home and it J seemed cer.ain he was numbered num-bered among the missing ones. Following this battle, several months later an Armistice was j signed and great hilarious celebrations cele-brations in the villages contin- ! ued for days with rejoicing and merry making. The terrible war had ceased and boys would soon be back home. But to this old couple it only added sorrow sor-row as their only son and child of their own flesh and blood was taken from them. Another Thanksgivng day ap- proached. The fields lay bare after yielding forth their harvest. har-vest. A light fall of snow covered cov-ered the ground in the shade of trees and fences. The mountains moun-tains were covered with the same white mantel as in years gone by. The little cottage looked look-ed lonely and one passing might think it was unoccupied except for the smoke coming from the |