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' ????? i courvfiV air ^eiifrl^ev brovift I *M?aet" ife, people otrf^iSwr? f^rourtffV^eople !iM6 ? Ir>ct6-ifecl-ljyor-%ir/tir\, BEVERLY FARMS. ' A THANKSGIVING IN OLD VIRGINIA, BY FEL^N G. DE FONTAINE. [Copyright, 1889, by American Press Association.] , EVERLY-ONf.-fc T H E-ROANOKE is an old historical I place that has long been famous in the annals of Virginia K ff\) ?v | hospitality. Lon p) I cated in one of the 1/ \ I v>-/ /most fertile sect ions 1 11*}/ ?of the mother state 7 /' K*=^. and comprising \ I I many himdreds of IK I acres that under J skillful tillage bad SRSF become a mouei ui their kind, remote from the whir of the railway and the din of traffic, yet with neighboring plantations that provided a wealth of sociability, and adjacent forests and streams that tempted the fox hunter and sportsman, there reigned throughout a sense of peacefulness and content that well comported with the bravo and gentle character of the men and women who, generation after generation, had gone forth from the old family to grace with their influence the out side world. i Just before the war, the members of the household consisted of Col. Bainbridge, his son Will, cadet in the naval academy at Annapolis, and three daughters, Dorothy, the elder, upon whom by reason of the death of her mother devolved the care of the family, Margery and Clara?all of them belles of the neighborhood. Like most Virginia homos, fku of thft tilllft. tUJLO U1U UVb CSV(X.L1U w, ? Death laid upon it a heavy hand. CoL Bainbridge was killed in the valley while leading one of the regiments of Stonewall Jackson. Margery was left a widow at twenty-two, but had never laid asido her mourning, and always spoke of her husband as if he had died within the past year, her only consolation being that, instead of dying of his wounds amid the agonies of a battle field, he had been taken a prisoner and tenderly cared for by some Federal officer, she knew not whom. Dorothy likewise was not without her grief. Before the breaking out of hostilities, she had found among the officers stationed at Fortress Monroe one who had promised to brighten her life, and to him had plighted her heart and hand. At the call of his state he went to the front, and a monument, around which Dorothy in her grave way every Sunday strews flowers, tells the story of his gallant death at Manassas. Clara, the youngest sister, after the close of the war, while visiting friends in the north was wooed and won by Col. Hartley, formerly of the Federal army, and at the time ut which this story opens was living in New York among the surroundings of wealth, a daughter, Kate, being the only fruit of the union. Will was still following the sea and was the captain of a steamship on the Pacific. To her aunts Kate was a comparative stranger, for they had not seen her since early childhood, and of her father they knew less. The wounds of the strife had not yet healed. Yet Dorothy bad written timo and again for her handsome northern niece to comedown and spend a winter on the plantation only to be met with an excuse, for a visit to Old Roanoke and the two ancient relatives was suggestive of anything but pleasure to a young city girl who counted the figures on her dial plate chiefly as they scored the change from one scene of gayoty to another. So, in her own words, "the evil day was put off as far a3 possible." Finai'y, however, Miss Dorothy made such a point ot it?Kate l>eiug, after her mother, "next of ki-i"?that further resistance becamo an offensn, and the journey was made. At the outset ic seemed like retirement into rural seclusion. Wo shall see. On arriving at the station or tne unapiaac-1 ed little town that marked the end of her | travel by rmil, Kate found awaiting her! Daddy Hercules, with the old fashioned cin-j namon colored coach, swinging high up on J its springs, the family coat of arms cinblaz-1 oned on both door panels?an ancestral ark ' that had been a figure head in Roanoke for j nigh on to a century?and it was with no | little amusement that she ascended the flight! of steps let down with an air of immense im-! portance by Tony the footman, while Hp:-- I cuTes informed her that "de basket on de; front seat wur filled wid good tings by Miss Doroty to keep young missis comp'ny whilo he fotches her home." Then the old coachman went back to his percb on "the dickey -seat," Tony mounted the trunk rest behind, ' seized the straps whereby he preserved a perpendicular, and they started for Beverly Farms. And right royal company did Elate find in that basket of fried chicken, hard boiled eggs,! "beat biscuit" and homo made cake, for she i was ravenously hungry and the bouncing of the coach had speeded her appetite. It was j a ride novel to the young city girl in other j respects. The scenery was such as she had | never looked upon or dreamed of. The road ' ran over a loveJy landscape, smooth undulaf ci ^ r I i I tlons, among wind mills, corn and grass, beautiful fields and wild flowers, where the birds poured out their songs and the shadows of the branches interlaced and made a trembling camet on the road, while the overhanging trees formed aisles and arches dimmed with the softened light that crept through tho leaves. And the old mansion, as the big white gates swung open at the entrance of the broad, oak lined avenue at the end of which it stood, how inviting it looked! Dorothy and Margery were waiting on the porch, and such a warm Virginia welcome as they gave to their handsome niece 1 It did not tako Kato long to find horself the queeu and fairy of that household, with subjects, both white and black, for whom she had nothing but love. True, her kingdom at first looked prim, but in a little while every object had in her eyes acquired a golden tint. The dear old aunts in their ruffled caps, immaculate aprons and crossed neckerchiefs, seemed like ancient bits of history that had stepped out from their ancestral portrait gallery to make themselves agreeable. Perfect harmony reigned between the place and its occupants. Everything seemed to belong to the same, ago, and that a past age. Not an object had tho vulgarity of newness about it. Stiff, high backed rockers confronted one another from each side of the old fashioned broad chimney, on the hearth of which stood tho heavy brass andirons polished to mirror liko brightness, that had kept watch and ward for generations, and it seemed a sacrilege to' disturb their position. Bolt upright against the wall, with its full moon face and perpetual coocoo, was the grandfather's clock, and among the traditions was one that the coo-coo never bad failed to announce the time, save once? the day when CoL Bainbridge was killed in the valley. The household preserved much of its antennil fn Tvntu thpsp were also strange. The family servants had grown old in their duties. Daddy Hercules, the coachman, and Silas, the butler, had heads as white as cotton. Aunt Dilsey, the cook, was the tyrant of tho place, allowing little interference from the "white folks," and no familiarity from "dem sleepy headed niggers dat warn't no 'count no how, 'cept in de co'n Gel'." With all her peculiarities, she was thoroughly respectful, and as tenacious of the rights of her old mistresses as "in do days wheu I wuz er slim nigger an1 wuz ole miss's boddy servant an' Miss Madg'ry's nuss." Jerry, her grandson, whose mission it was to keep the wood pile well stocked, came in for a large share of Aunt Dilsey's maternal attention, especially when "de light'ood knots gin out," and his life was anything but a happy lot, for then "ole mammy,*' as he called her, made things lively for him. Take it all in all, Beverly was a home amid whose quiet Kate began to feel she could be t.or.ww t-ho r?nmninrlor nf hpr life. She "?!JVJ *" ? might not have been able to add to its beauty, but she infused into it the brightness of her fresh, young naturo. Her songs mingled with those of the birds, and the influence of her cheery presence pervaded every nook and cranny ou the place, from the solemn old parlors in the big house to the quarters of the "yard folks," where she romped with the piccaninnies or listened to the ghost stories o* Mammy Augeliner. After making herself acquainted with all the home surroundings, Kate started out one day on a journey of exploration through the neighboring country. And this is a part of the story that may best be told in her own words, for it is as she wrote it iu a letter to a New York friend, and it more or less concerns her fate: SUCH A WARM VIRGINIA WELCOME. "You know, Flora, that sentiment was never a very important factor in my life, and yet, here I am already the victim of a small romance. The other day, in going out for a walk, Aunt Dorothy suggested that I should take the path leading down to an old mill, near the banks of the river. I had scarcely reached the spot, when?bang 1 a gun was fired and something flew by mo as swift aa the wind. Naturally frightened, I mm? :* . ?u * ? l ii ?n\?V-seeK.l!\t rural Do&ra.w[\?fe"ii\2V I c^a4>iu^*ir\KofV3r(^:-ti^Aoi,Y-~ ? (?|ocifv resrf&jrcjvtS*ffvev Kie^a I wtx&goman&ije oa-fOrk-aM piescreamed as only a girl can scream who is sure she has been shot. In a minute or two the offending cause made his appearance in the person of a young gentleman iu gray shooting jacket, high top boots, a pauie bag and a gun, followed by three or four dogs. Raisins his hat, he apologized, but said that the sight of a deer had been a temptation too strong to resist, and saucily added that he suspected the deer was suffering from the same cause as mj'self, namely,'fright, rather than injury.' "The October wind had sufficiently disarranged his hair to make it fall carelessly about his head ana saomaers, unu ue was us handsome as a picture. How glad I was that I screamed, for it brought about one of those delightful social incidents?so naturally, too, which, although it may not be safe to enjoy too frequently, are very charming while they last, and in this instance it compensated for any amount of fright. "In the course of conversation I learned that his name was Gerald Bruco, and ho was Aunt Dorothy's nearest neighbor. The news was very agreeable. Then ho found out that I was Aunt Dorothy's niece from New York, which information seemed to ba agreeable to him, too. It is marvelous how small a part conventionality plays in these chance meetings; how much we are willing to take on faith, and how apt we are to silence our consciences in the matter of propriety. "Well, wo walked and we talked, and we talked and we walked. He forgot that, he had come out gunning, and I quite lost of tho obiect of inv own expedition. " It! seemed as if I had known him forever and a day. I wondered as I sat thero, what Tom Waring or Hour}' Lawrence would say if they could see Kato Hartley in this rustic position, chatting as merrily with a perfect stranger as if I had known him from childhood. A jOPl TWO WHITE WINGED MESSENGERS. "Under tbo circumstances, neither of us took much notice of timo until I spied our hr>TT Tnn-v mminnr When ho reached us. he pulled off bis hat uud said: 'Miss Doroty's raon'sus oneasy 'bout you, young miss, an yo' better como homo fas' ez yo' kin, fur she's sho' suiup'n has happen to yoV Poor Aunt Dorothy, how wrong it was for me to worry her I "And so I was brought from heaven to earth again. Tho young gentleman walked home with me, but instead of leaving mo at the gate, as I wished him to do, deliberately went in, and said to auntie, 'Miss Dorothy, why didn't you prepare me for this pleasant surprise? You see, I am indebted to a stray shot and this lady's scream for a delightful acquaintance.' "Ho then explained the incident to Aunt Dorothy, who laughed and said, 'Well, well, young folks will gravitate toward each other like loadstones, and we old ones can't help it My little New York niece, if she is anytning like her mother, will never suffer for the want of companionship if there's anybody worth knowing around her, and I think, Gerald, she's hit it right this time.' "I was so glad to hear Aunt Dorothy say this; I loved her twice as much as I did before, because she appreciated Gerald. When he made his adieu, she told me it was a queer coincidence that tho first person 1 met in old Roanoke should turn out to bo tho son of mo thor's old lover, Randolph Bruce. Then she added, wit'u an odd smile, 'I wonder if the feeling will be in&eritea uy me cnuuren; After this occurrence it was not a difficult matter to induce Kate to prolong her visit at least until the holiday* "Yes,"said Aunt Margery, "Beverly farms shall this year, if never before, witness a genuine Thanksgiving, as w*U as a Christmas." And so it was arranged that Aunt Dorothy, as the head of the family, should at once write to Col. and Mrs. Hartley, inviting them to the old Virginia home. ' And Uncle Robert, too." suggested Kate, "our old bachelor uncle, he must also come, for he lives with father and mother, and there could be no real thanksgiving with his dear^ 4b ktpd face absent from the table." In a few ; days the mail brought a reply from Mrs. I Hartley accepting the invitation. During tbi month or more that elapsed ; Kate and Gerald were frequent companions. ! A graduate of the Virginia military institute 1 and finely educated for a profession, he found | in her own ready intellect a charmful sympathy that was greater than even her beauty. He never told his love, but the eyes of both were traitors. One day be invited her to a i stroll, nnd the path led to the old mill where ' they first met. Tli^' bad conversed long and i pleasantly when he suddenly inquired, "Are i you superstitious, Kate?" "No; why do you ask?" "Because in a few weeks we shall probably norf nr?f- tn moot- nrrnin fnr n Inncr timP filld I 1 want some pledge from you that our friend ship shall remain unbroken.See," said Gerald, plucking tv.o rose leaves from a flower < she wore and throwing them into the river flowing at their feet, "if they float down the stream side by side, not drifting apart or sinking, they may indicate our possible future, but if" "What mockeryP* quickly Interrupted! Kate, impulsively laying her hand upon his. 1 "Don't throw our lives into the scales to be balanced by two rose leaves I" The words were spoken before she thought of their full j significance. "No, watch them?there they go!" And the two white winged messengers went out upon their mission. Steadily they continued I their .coarse, side by side, but approaching nearer and nearer each other until just as they were disappearing from view, they were merged, as it were, into one petal "Do you accept the omen, Katef" asked Gerald, with a tender look that meant a volume of love songs. They clasped hands; not another word was spoken beyond the mute eloquence of their eyes, but they understood each other from that moment and for all time. Preparations for Thanksgiving went on apace, ana tney were on a scaie ui suuu mugnitude that even those for a Virginia Christ- j mas could not excol Kate's father and mother and Uncle Robert Hartley arrived in due time, and had been duly installed in the great guest chambers, and what with holly, mistletoe and flowers, the old mansion took on a festive look it had not worn for a generation. Besides the immediate members of the family and the northern visitors, the rector of the neighborhood church, Col. and Gerald Bruce and a few of the most intimate friends of the Bainbridges, living in the vi A GATHERING IN THE EVENING. cinity, were among the invited guests, but not one dreamed of the great surprise in store, j Of the Thanksgiving dinner itself, when' the day arrived and the broad folding doors of the dining hall were thrown open, what need be said save that Aunt Dilsey and her satellites had expended upon it all the re-; sources of kitchen and farm, while tho old J time house servants, proud of their breeding, J had grnccii the lestivo board wim an ine beauty they could command? It was a feast to provoko an appetite. There were rare j | dishes, sumptuously cooked and sumptuously j j served; the choicest fruits aud wines of the I long ago; marvels of workmanship aud age in family plate, china and glass, and innumerable things delicious to the senses of taste, smell and sight?all insinuated into its composition. But it was a dinner long to be remembered in more than aesthetic or culinary respect. Conversation was in its most eloquent and reminiscent stage, when suddenly the old Colonial knocker on the front door rang out with a sharp rat-tat-tat, as it had never sounded through the house before. What can it be) A momentary silence falls upon the little company while Uncle iien Hastens to answer the summons, but in a minute ho returns with his black face fairly ablaze with light. "Miss Doroty?Miss Madg'ry"?the words almost choke him in their joyful endeavor to get out?"Dero's a gem'lum outside wid er red face an' er big crap er whisker, who say ho like ter cum in an' git sum ob dis dinner; he talk so bresb, I 'spec I better as him," and the faithful old servant grins from ear to ear. The words are scarcely spoken before the j burly, broad shouldered figure of a sunbrowned man enters, and with a hearty "Homo again?How d'ye all?"rushes forward : to embrace Aunt Margery, who happens to be sitting nearest to him at the head of the I table. "Brother Willi Brother Willi" and i with a scream of delight the three sisters | throw themselves into his arms weeping for I joy. Yes, after many years of absence and adi venture, the sailor boy, now a captain, had returned to the old homestead, that he had not seen since the war. And what a time they hadl How the gray headed servants, forgetting the grand dinner, forgetting everything in their affection, crowded into the diuing room to see young "Mar's Will" once morel The whole plantation seemed to have gone mad with joy that the first Thanksgiving ever celebrated in Beverly Farms should be so blest. Indeed, for everybody the cup of happiness appeared to have been filled to the brim. But it was not so. There was yet another surprise in store. In the evening there was such a gathering around the big fire in the chimney place as I ' ?? 1 1 ? _.l TTTJM. tU0 OKI panor ucvei uuu miuraxu. ?? nu Dorothy on one side, and Margery?her usually grave face brightened by love?on the other, each holding the brawny hand of their brother, and Kate in his lap, her eyes sparkling with delight at the possession of a new j uncle, Will recounted his adventures during j the preceding twenty years. Ho told them how, after the war, he had found service on an English steamship and, by reason of his naval training at Annapolis, had been rapidly promoted until he became a captain in the Oriental and Peninsular company, but that most of his time had been spent in voyages between far distant ports in the east under circumstances that did not permit him to take a sufficiently long furlough to visit home. Besides, he knew from the letters of his sisters that their financial condition did not require his presence or tbo abandonment of a profession that was yielding him more than i a competence. However, the longing had so I grown upon him to return to the scenes of I his boyhood, he at last hod re*'gned hi3 com| mission and determined fchat henceforth Bev! erly Farms should ba his borae. "And to j think of it," ho added, "that I have found on I the night of my arrival a Thanksgiving party I in Old Virginia a brother-in-law (turning to i Col. Hartley) whom I have never seen and | this lovely niece. Verily, we all have reason j to bo thankful." "But what's this, Kate?' continued the ..1. A. : i captain, vuying >viuj a v;ui iuuaij muu^uv i locket which dangled among other ornaments from a girdle around lier waist. "That's a trinket," replied Kate, "that belongs to Uncle Robert, yonder, and 1 wear it only by bis permission. Tell the story, Uncle Bob, for I always love to hear it." "It is an incident of the war," was the rojoinder, "and at a time like this one has no right to recall sad memories or speak of such a thing as battle and bloodshed.'' Urged by the others, however, Uncle Robert proceeded: "After the assault on Pickett's division at the battle of Gettysburg, among the prisoners who fell into the hands of my regiment was one in whom I became deeply interested. He was a large, handsome, brown eyed man, a native of this state, and, like myself, a major. Though desperately wounded, and with the chances of living all against him, not a murmur of regret, save for his family, escaped fcfis lips. I often visited him, but each visit revealed the fact that his hours were numbered. One morning while seated by his bedside, he asked me to hand him his faded, gray uniform which bunp; at the foot of the cot 1 did so, and taking from one of the pockets a knife, he requested me to rip a place in the left breast of bis coat. There I found a bit of paper wrapped around a small hard substance, which on further examination proved to be a little star. "This," said he, looking at it lovingly, "was cut from the coat of Gen. Stonewall Jackson, my noble leader. It was my fortune to be one of those who bore him to the rear when he fell at Chancellorsville, and when his coat was removed I cut this star from his collar and placed it where you have just now found it?where it would always be nearest my heart. I returned to the battlefield and fought as I never fought before. This souvenir I wish to leave with you in order that you may sometimes think of the Virginia soldier you have befriended. And this," said be, taking the crumpled paper, "is the last leave of absence (Jen. Jack CM ..1,1 son ever gave me. ouuuiu juu mu uu>o mw opportunity, send it to my wife." Before another word was uttered a change passed over his face and he became unconscious. The next day he died. Shortly after that I was transferred to the Army of the West. When the war ended I had the two mementoes inclosed in the little casket that Kate now wears. During this recital, more than one pair of eyes were moist, and the voice of the manly soldier himself, who recalled this episode, trembled as he reached forward and opening the locket said: "See, here is the star of Stonewall Jackson, and hero the furlough signed by him permitting Maj. Albert Fairfax to visit home for thirty days." "Oh, poor husband!" cried Margery, with a great sob, as she fell almost swooning in the arms of her brother. Dorothy and Clara assisted her from the room to her own chamber, where for a time grief held its ,fway? But Margery was made of stern stuff and had been too long the mistress of her emotions to let them interfere with the happiness of such an hour as that, and when she rejoined the company, the old calm was restored and there was not a trace in the sweet, placid features of the great heart ache she had undergone. Approaching Major Hartley as she reentered the room, sho laid her hand in his and said: "You have been my good angel, and God has sent you here that I might look upon the Drave man wno sioou oy mac oiuei brave man in his hour of need, whom 1 loved and have mourned by day and night. Thank you, major, or Uncle Robert, as I may now call you, and remember that this Thanksgiving of ours has broken down all barriers, and henceforth, in this house, there shall bo no | north, no south, no east, no west?only one grand union of hearts." And they all said?amen! It proved especially true in the case of Kate j and Gerald, for when another anniversary; rolled around they sat at the same festive board as husband and wife. Uncle Robert since that time has been a frequent member J of the Beverly household, enjoying with j Capt. Bainbridge the sports of the season, and j finding chnrrn in tne quiec companionsmp 01 Margery, who never tires of listening to the story of Gettysburg and the heroism of her brave husband and his men. History of the Day. Thanksgiving day was a long time in getting itself established- It is not an exclusively American affair, and was not generally observed in the west and south till after the war; but in New England it may be said to date from the middle of the Seventeenth century. Over 3,000 years ago Moses instructed tho Israelites to keep a feast after they got established in the Holy Land. They called it the Feast of the Tabernacles, and I for eiffht days, following the close of harvest, | they dwelt in booths made chiefly of green j boughs and feasted on corn, wine, oil and I fruits. In the course of time a splendid rituai for this feast was developed, including much singing in responsive choruses. Somewhat later the Greeks held a nine days' feast of similar character, in which slaves were allowed to take part, and all criminals except murderers. The Romans had a similar feast in honor of Ceres, goddess of grain. The Saxons had a "Harvest Home," and after them the English, which festival was observed in a sort of way in some of the American colonies. In tho year 1021 the Pilgrim Fathers tried to celebrate it, but it was rather a gloomy affair. In 1G23 a ship loaded with provisions failed to arrive and Governor Bradford appointed a day of humiliation, fastine and prayer, but the expected ship arrived and so they made it a day of thanksgiving. Ninety Indians, headed by Chief Massasoit, took part In 1G31 the Puritans van out of provisions, and Feb. 9 was named as a day of fasting and prayer. As in the other case, the ship arrived, and they had a feast instead. June 15, 1637, there was a general service in all the churches of Now England to give thanks for the great victory at Fort Mystic over the Pequots, and on the 12th of October following a general service and feast, in honor of peace and the settling of some religious | differences. Forty years later Governor Andros ordered the people to give thanks on the first day of December; but they hated Andros and did not thank worth a cent. Sev| eral persons were arrested for treating the I proclamation with contempt, but this struck I the home authorities as rather ludicrous, and his conduct was disapproved. Thereafter Thanksgiving was pretty generally observed in all England and the states settled by her, the governor naming the day. I George Washington recommended to con! gress the naming of a national day in 1789, | for the adoption of the constitution; it j was done, and the day was generally observed. In 1795 the proceeding was repeated. James Madison appears to have issued the first presidential proclamation on the subject, in 1815. in honor of tha return of peaeo. Forty-eight years passed before President Lincoln issued the second one. in 1883. Since then every president has followed the custom and the day is nationally observed at last. A THANKSGIVING ROMANCE. ' 17AS after dlnnav vi| on 010 tfjj; ( vA Made famous by W.C good living: j They broke the wish /jf /OA bone, half In play, | I ^ ^0n0r ?' Tbank?^ j Bw j .&> Kind fate, that favor* ? lM ?l? those who dare?, ^ J-\v> -Ifljy Py Cupid never Allotted him the larger share? The part that she had wanted. Her pretty lips set In a pout. She sighed: "Ah me, I'm fatedl But tell me what you thought about? Your wish you haven't stated." \li|? 1,1 m S tm0 "Alasf he cried, "It's been declared That when the bone la broken, The winner's wish must not be shared. It must remain unspoken. "This fatal rule demands that I The secret shall refuse you; Yet if I'm mum (he heaved a sigh) The chances are I'll lose you. ' "Oh, cruel fate I what shqll I do? (His hand began to tremble.) The fact is that?I?wished?for?you. Why should I, love, dissemble?" The maid replied, her head bowed low, Half hiding Cupid's traces: "Regarding rules, there are, you know, Exceptions in all cases." Tom Massok. Appearances Are Oft DeceitfnL '' Bofora Thanksgiving day there sat, A turkey who was wel) and fat; Yet this fact warrants no presumption, j He died next day of quick consumption. : A Thanksgiving Menu. Oysters on half shell. j Puree of pheasant, consomme royale. Small game patties. Broiled Black Bass. Stewart sauce. Turkey and cranberry sauce. ; Prime ribs of beef. Sugar corn. Mashed potatoes. Sweetbreads. Lardet Escalloped Oysters, t, Green peas. Pineapple. Sherbet 5 Saddle of venison on jelly. Redhead duck. : Chicken salad. Mince and pumpkin pie. Plum pudding. ? Catawba jelly. Roquefort and Edam cheese. Coffee. < Does Her Part. As we sit down to dinner on Thanksgiving day, With never a care to harass; i We laugh and we eat are joyful and gay, 5 And the servant girl gives ua the sass. 2 A Modest Request. nnnpFj Uncle Ezra, who weighs S00 pounds, is taking Thanksgiving dinner at the Slimsons'. 4 Little Willie (from foot of table)?SayJ uncle? J Uncle Ezra?Well, my boy. ? Little Willie?Trade stomachs, will youl J