At the Little Brown House

ai

, de

she spoke, she turned her back on the scene without, and walked over to the table where the oldest sis

afford tur

ken,

N

l! I'll kill one for you if it's jus

face. "It isn't that, dear. We can't spare any.

ter hastily. "But haven't we got a tough o

afraid not, Peace. All our hens are laying now, a

we bu

is no

up all we made

ent lon

l we found i

or where it came from. Someone may com

in them; and s'posing they did, if the bills dropped out of their pockets, they wouldn't up and pin themselves onto gateposts and grain sacks. Someone must have left them for us to us

m again, after I told

piece of paper and he did the same. Yo

write?" asked

he paper. I kept it 'cause

l were scribbled these words, "Didn't you reely put that muny in our barn?" Below, in Mr. Strong's firm, flowing handwriting, was the answer, "I ree

table and fell to moulding her biscuit vigoro

then began again, "Are we going t

raid not

do you 'xpe

and cabbage and

e thankful for such a dinner as

won't have that much-unless the churches a

could be lots thankfuller over a drumstick

nt with this small sister. "Thanksgiving Day was created so we might have a special day to thank

eople ought to give thanks every day instead of saving

ble? But Thanksgiving Day is a special time for giving thanks. It is in the fall after the crops are all in, and th

't get much off from our farm this year. I

had no veget

wouldn't it? I s'pose we ou

for. Suppose you take a piece of paper and write out

ed her task just as Gail announced the supper hour, and dropped the sheet, scribbled full of crooked letters, into the mending basket, where Gail found it that evening when the three little sisters were fast asleep in their beds. Hope

my tramp didn't burn

e) cause of the muny pined to the gatepost and granesaks in

rong says our 2 angels got

re ain't any mo

licked for teezing lame Jenn

ong is our preecher

for hi

owzer. He's

l the rest o

ve some shoes to

and cabbige and potatoes. They don't take th

y eggs so we cant kill the

ggs. They meen

iskits we are going

aper wont hold any

eace Gre

en she reverently tucked the badly-written sheet away among her treasures, and in her h

out of bed, scrambling into her clothes with such eager haste that Cherry opened her eyes and demanded, "What are you hur

going out to shovel," was the scornful reply. "If

ontented grunt, and was soon lost in slumberland again, so the two youngest sisters had the whole s

d of feathery flakes off the porch with one sweep. "W

threshold to drink in the glory of the wint

was ice-cream and we could have all we wan

trudged down the steps to work, and in a few m

when they had finished their chosen task,

epost. "Let's go down to the village and sweep paths fo

! Where wi

ld hire us, too, if he hasn't swept his own walks. Mayb

hind them. But here disappointment awaited the small toilers, for at nearly

aths circling that house; "and Mr. Strong has swept his whole yard, looks like.

ly, but to her dismay, no one answered, th

llee, visibly disappointed, for visions o

ecision. "We'll sweep his paths an

ly, and in a short time had cleared steps and walks,

d," suggested Allee. "We wi

can fix it, 'cause it takes hours to cook. I'm going to knock again and see if I can't wake

result. A happy inspiration seized her, and picking up her

loud enough," whispered A

ring ram and giving the door three resounding thumps that shook the h

, and again the broom struck the pane

man in a long bathrobe confronted the paralyzed childre

it snowed last night. I mean, we've swep' your walks of

man, too much surpris

clean-better than

yes chasing away the angry frown. "How much do I owe

ink. The snow was very light, but

is a quarter for you, and ma

g her pronouns in her haste to slip the coin inside

never pausing for breath until she had dropped the money onto the counter before the astonished proprietor, who was making ready to close his

stonished man, "but I haven't

en?" she faltered, almost

am afra

sell me a pie

ver do tha

lee. "We swep' that w

of a tall, wooden bucket on the counter

jimdan

ke a quarter's worth of them. We will

me, followed by the happy Allee trailing the two old brooms, when they were halted by an excite

rested in her bucket of oysters than in the prospect of a gift from him; but as he drew nea

r bunnies, Brya

these here. They will starve with no one to take care of them, and you always thou

the chicken Mr. Hardman stole. Give one to Allee, and I will carry the other. Tuck your broom under your arm, Al

ay, happily excited and eager to show th

gobble,

t go of the little white rabbit in her fear. "O

r sister; but the old gobbler, with ruffled feathers and wattles

ver he bothered us and he would soon get tired of it." As she spoke she gathered her skirt up apron-fashion, and thrust b

er child the blue-eyed baby let the hard-wood stick fly with all her might over the f

old your coat for the rabbits while I tote this thing up to Hard

n! We hit him over the head, just as you told us to, and he laid right down and died. But we never meant to kill him. If you chop his head off right away, he will be good to eat yet, for we just now finished him. 'F I had the mo

hut the door, leaving Peace glaring indignantly after him. "Well, that's manners,"

announced, depositing the pap

orches off. And here are Bryan Tenney's ra

declared Faith, with energy. "Where do y

he barn. We may keep

e of cold," p

ts of gunny sacks we can cover o

farm up and spoil the g

d not keep the little animals. There were scarcely enough vegetables in the cellar to las

unny and hid her face in its fur, exclaiming, "Oh, you darlings! Are they yours, Peace? We will fix up

we fix up the box right now?" The four younger sisters gathered up the rabbits an

kitchen window, gazing out into the winter sunshine. But his thoughts were not idle, and when at length the great bird was stripped clean,

to the butcher, and I am afraid they will have a pretty slim

don't know how to manage. They've got one of

d, and you hav

handling they ought to

to sell Bl

ne would pretty nearly have paid the mortgage

ness must have been terribly costly, and now they are orphans. They are

n door, she found their neighbor standing there with the turkey in his arms. Almost too surprised

height of extravagance-cake and custard, such as only Faith could make. Oh, but that was a dinner! Nevertheless, as the six hungry girls gathered around the table full of d

ail sought to make the sun shine again by remarking, "I am thankful for so many things, I ha

eyes and made no

for this beautiful day. The world was so spotless and white when

ith seven children just moved into that tumble-down old house on the next road,

rom her plate, and stopped chewing long enough to say, "I am thankful my nose doesn't twitch all the time like my rabbit'

ter, five napkins flew simultaneously to as many fa

ing Day at the l