| Show THE FIRST thanksgiving the haze laze of a november morning set a softness upon the hills and mellowed the bright colors of the falling leaves as it called every man and woman and child out into their dooryards door yards with the joy of living high within them most of the colonists having been farmers in the north of england now betook retook themselves to the custom of that section of the country in celebrating the bringing in of the last harvest sheaf first a wicker basket was carried into the common house and festooned festoon ed with many colored ribbons as gay in its festival array as the people who gathered round it when the basket was in readiness two maidens lifted it from the ground holding it between them while the colonists fell in two by two behind them for a moment there was silence then there arose in full song that stirring processional the earth is zhe the alti loras ads afeld the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein As they marched they sang filling the clearing with music from the path the procession turned into the corn field coming to where the corn was on oil the stalk the two maidens stopped setting the basket upon the ground again there was silence and all stood still until the thankfulness of the people broke forth in singing As the notes of the psalm began the two maidens each plucked a stick dripping it in the basket then stood aside that those who followed might pluck and deposit their corn so they sang while each eacle one harvested his corn dropping it in the wicker basket until the last ear had been gathered the burden of the full basket being past the strength of the maidens two men came forth and gravely raised the basket between them with quickened step the procession marched back through the field and down the path to the granary singing a song of thankfulness having finished the marching song Go governor velmor bradford bade all kneel in a half circle around the front of the granary the elder sent up a petition of thanksgiving for the riches of the earth forest and sea which had bd been bountifully poured on the people when the elder ceased one of the maidens approached appi cached the granary un fastening and throwing open its d door governor bradford promptly came forward and plucking a stick from the basket threw it into the grain house so one by one those who gathered the corn took up a stick and ant I 1 threw it into the granary until only two sticks were left priscilla blushing sweetly gently dropped one of these in the storehouse the second maiden now stood forth holding the last stick of corn with her head thrown n back and singing words of praise she dropped the last sheaf of harvests harvest into the granary closed the door locked it and carried the key to the governor when this simple ceremony had been completed all stood with bowed heads as again they sang the lord shall preserve pie serve thy going out auty and thy coming omi ng in from this time forth and forevermore so was garnered the first harvest from the field of the great clearing and safely housed amid the songs of praise of the people one of the maidens who he carried the basket was priscilla and one of the men who took it back was john alden |
