FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91  
92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>   >|  
loe, there's one favor I am going to ask of you." "Yes, Mass' Richard." "Don't call me by my real name. For some reasons, which I can't at present explain, I prefer to be known as Henry Morton, for some months to come. Do you think you can remember to call me by that name?" "Yes, Mass'--Henry," said Chloe, looking perplexed. Henry Morton turned round to meet the surprised looks of Frank and his mother. "My friends," he said, "I hope you will not feel distrustful of me, when I freely acknowledge to you that imperative reasons compel me for a time to appear under a name not my own. Chloe and I are old acquaintances, but I must request her to keep secret for a time her past knowledge concerning me. I think," he added with a smile, "that she would have nothing to say that would damage me. Some time you shall know all. Are you satisfied?" "Quite so," said Mrs. Frost. "I have no doubt you have good and sufficient reason." "I will endeavor to justify your confidence," said Henry Morton, an expression of pleasure lighting up his face. CHAPTER XVIII. THANKSGIVING AT THE FARM The chill November days drew to a close. The shrill winds whistled through the branches of the trees, and stirred the leaves which lay in brown heaps upon the ground. But at the end of the month came Thanksgiving--the farmer's Harvest Home. The fruits of the field were in abundance but in many a home there were vacant chairs, never more, alas! to be filled. But he who dies in a noble cause leaves sweet and fragrant memories behind, which shall ever after make it pleasant to think of him. Thanksgiving morning dawned foggy and cold. Yet there is something in the name that warms the heart and makes the dullest day seem bright. The sunshine of the heart more than compensates for the absence of sunshine without. Frank had not been idle. The night before he helped Jacob kill a turkey and a pair of chickens, and seated on a box in the barn they had picked them clean in preparation for the morrow. Within the house, too, might be heard the notes of busy preparation. Alice, sitting in a low chair, was busily engaged in chopping meat for mince pies. Maggie sat near her paring pumpkins, for a genuine New England Thanksgiving cannot be properly celebrated without pumpkin pies. Even little Charlie found work to do in slicing apples. By evening a long row of pies might be seen upon the kitchen dresser. Brown and flaky they looked, fit f
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91  
92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Thanksgiving

 

Morton

 

leaves

 
sunshine
 
preparation
 

reasons

 
bright
 

dullest

 

helped

 

turkey


compensates
 

absence

 

memories

 

fragrant

 

filled

 
vacant
 

chairs

 

dawned

 

morning

 
pleasant

Charlie

 
pumpkin
 

celebrated

 

genuine

 

England

 

properly

 

slicing

 
apples
 

looked

 

dresser


kitchen

 

evening

 

pumpkins

 

paring

 

Within

 

morrow

 

seated

 

picked

 

Maggie

 

chopping


engaged

 

sitting

 

busily

 

chickens

 

shrill

 

compel

 
imperative
 

acknowledge

 

freely

 

friends