_Thanksgiving Day, Bed-time._
All day my heart has been overflowing with thankfulness; and to-night
when I accompanied my sons to the beautiful Thanksgiving party at the
big house, where all the young folks from miles around were gathered,
and observed their handsome appearance in their Sunday suits and gay new
ties, and, still better, their ease of manner, and social graces, my
heart swelled with pride almost to bursting. I own to a weakness for
pretty looks and pretty ways; and with the exception of Philip, who
scorned to play any of the games in which girls had a part, my boys
quite satisfied me to-night.
Still later, when we came home and sat around our fire to talk it over,
I in my pink party dress, Nucky and Keats leaning against my shoulders,
Jason and Iry with their heads in my lap, the other eight gathered as
closely as possible about me, it seemed to me I had reached the point
where I could say "My cup runneth over". When was a lonely heart more
truly comforted, a forlorn creature snatched from greater desolation to
brighter cheer? "Yea, the sparrow hath found her a nest", "Thou has set
the desolate in families". Almost a miraculous thing it seems that I
should actually have the desire of my heart,--a houseful of children;
and, instead of the hideous loneliness I looked forward to a few months
ago, the delightful task of bringing up these twelve sons to manhood and
good citizenship. Indeed, I often ask myself, what other boys have such
gifts to bring to their nation? Proud, self-reliant, the sons of heroes,
bred in brave traditions, knowing nothing of the debasing greed for
money, strengthened by a hand-to-hand struggle with nature from their
very infancy (I have not one who did not begin at five or six to
shoulder such family responsibilities as hoeing corn all summer, tending
stock, clearing new ground, grubbing, hunting, gathering the crop), they
should bring to the service of their country primal energy of body and
spirit, unquenchable valor, and minds untainted by the lust of wealth.
Yes, I know that I am greatly blessed. Children of my own could be no
dearer to me, and certainly not half so interesting; and my heart is fed
and satisfied. After all, is not motherhood less a thing of the flesh
than of the spirit,--indeed, the richest, fairest blossoming known to
the human spirit? I believe that if all the sad, lonely, self-centred
women in the land could know what joy dwells in my heart to-night,
within twenty-four hours orphan asylums would be depopulated, city
streets waifless.
Nucky lingered after the others went off to bed, to cover the fire. Then
he opened the front door, and stood looking out into the bright
moonlight. "These is the nights Blant needs me at home," he said,
sighing deeply; "seems like I can't get no peace or rest in my mind for
troubling over him." I crossed the room and stood beside Nucky, also
looking out. As I gazed, his fear was communicated to me, and the fair
moonlight seemed suddenly cruel and chill.
_Saturday._
A mail-carrier rides over from Powderhorn way twice a week. This
morning, while cleaning was in progress, he stopped at the cottage gate.
"I allowed I'd stop and tell you the news from Trigger," he said.
"Another battle fit over the fence last night. I have been looking for
it ever sence Todd and Dalt come back, knowing they wa'n't bad wounded
in the election fight. Blant has been looking for it, too, and him and
Rich has took turns keeping watch of a day, and of moonlight nights.
Last night was Blant's watch; but he was powerful tired from logging,
and the babe was punier than common, and he had to set up with it
longer, and before he knowed it he drapped off to sleep there a-holding
it before the fire; and there he sot till he was woke by chilling about
eleven. Then he walked out to see how the land lay at the fence; and
there was the whole b'iling of Cheevers, with very near all the rails
drug off the old boundary, and a-laying 'em on the new. All hands got to
work with their guns, and anybody'd a-thought sure they'd finish him, so
many ag'in' one; but by good luck all of 'em put together haint got his
aim, and atter a few was wounded, they took to their heels and abandoned
the field. That 'ere Blant is a pure wonder; but such good luck haint
apt to hit twice, and they're bound to git him sooner or later. I hope I
may die if he haint the worst handicapped for warfare ever I seed, with
a family to feed, and a whole passel of young uns to be paw and maw to,
and the babe pindling all the time, and Rich on yan side the mountain,
and his uncle Billy's boys a mile up the branch."
When I turned around to speak to Nucky, who had been just behind me, he
was gone. Great as is my anxiety about him, I realize the uselessness of
trying to send after him, or to hold him back.
_Thursday, first week December._
Nucky returned last night, after nearly a week of absence,--it seems
that Blant was glad of his help this time. He says that on Monday they
gathered together Rich and his uncle Billy's boys and one or two more,
and in broad daylight laid the fence again on the old line, every man
working armed, those who drove the mules that dragged the rails walking
with guns in position, those who laid the rails doing so with guns
tucked under their arms. "I carried my rifle Cap'n Enoch Marrs fit the
British with," said Nucky. But though the Marrs side worked all day at
the fence, and the Cheevers must have known what was going on, not one
of them appeared. "They have had their fill of fighting Blant in the
open," said Nucky; "what they will do now will be to kill him from
cover. Todd he won't stop at nothing. And Blant he haint able to look
out for hisself with so much to tend to, and needs me there to be eyes
for him, especially now, with Christmas coming on, and all the drinking
and devilment that is allus done then. But he won't listen to no reason,
or let me stay."
"I am sure that Richard Tarrant will be with him day and night," I said,
to comfort him.
"Yes; but tha'in't nobody got the eye for a Cheever I got, or can keep
watch like me."
I share Nucky's feeling that he ought to be there to be eyes for Blant;
at the same time I am inexpressibly thankful that Blant refuses to keep
him, and that he is here with me in safety.