Happy Thanksgiving November 27 2008

HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING
What is Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday in October. In 2008, Thanksgiving is celebrated on Thursday, November 27 in the US, and October 13 in Canada. The First Thanksgiving When we think of Thanksgiving today, images of football, pumpkin pie, parades, and turkey dinner complete with cranberry sauce come to mind, as well as plans for a Black Friday shopping spree the following day.

Of course none of these items were present back in 1621, when the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims sat down together to give thanks for natures bounty. Although the celebrants at this particular meal didnt even call it Thanksgiving, this particular harvest feast is the one after which we model our modern-day Thanksgiving celebrations. People of both cultures had been giving thanks for the fall harvest and other gifts of nature for many centuries. It is interesting to note that the religious element, giving thanks to God, was not present at this particular celebration in 1621, even though the Pilgrims were devoutly religious. In fact, some early Pilgrim "thanksgiving days" were actually fasts rather than feasts. Imagine that! However, the Native Americans had their own religious customs and beliefs. As a result, during this "first" Thanksgiving, Pilgrims and Native Americans did not focus on what was different between them, but instead concentrated on what they all shared. The two groups of people worked side by side to hunt and prepare food as equals and friends. Their friendship and cooperation was yet another thing for which to be thankful. Other feasts such as this one took place throughout the New World, where settlers and Native Americans worked together and celebrated together as one. When we sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner, we honor a piece of early American history. The story of the Pilgrims and Native Americans serve as a good reminder for all of us to be thankful for what we have--no matter how much or how little. How Thanksgiving Became a Holiday After 1621, future Thanksgiving celebrations occurred at various times throughout the year. George Washington declared a feast of Thanksgiving in 1789, and presidents issued similar yearly proclamations after that. During the Civil War, poet Sarah Hale

started a campaign to celebrate the holiday on the same day throughout the country. President Abraham Lincoln saw it as a way to unite the country, and he in 1863 he proclaimed a national Thanksgiving celebration on the last Thursday in November. It was changed from the last Thursday to the third Thursday by Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 as a way to lengthen the Christmas shopping holiday. In 1941, Roosevelt finally changed the date to the fourth Thursday in November, proclaiming it a Federal holiday in 1941. Turkey: It's What's for Dinner When the Wampanoag people and the Colonists sat down to their three-day feast to give thanks, they dined on lobster, fish packed in salt, dried and smoked meats, and freshly caught wild game. They did not eat corn on the cob (as Indian corn was only good for making corn meal, not eating whole) or eat pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce since sugar, yams, or sweet potatoes had not yet been introduced to the New England region. Turkey is the big centerpiece of most Thanksgiving celebrations across the United States. Since records of exactly what was eaten at that first celebration in 1621 are fuzzy at best, wild turkey may or may not have even been eaten at the feast. The thing is, turkey was one of the staples of the settlers' diets at that time anyway, as turkeys were in great supply and were enjoyed for their eggs as well as their abundant meat. So, even if the feathered bird wasn't there at the first Thanksgiving, the turkey quickly became a fixture at future tables. Today, many families opt instead for a roast goose (which was almost definitely present at the first feast), a ham (which was almost definitely not present), or the new "gourmet" tradition of turducken (a turkey stuffed with a duck that's stuffed with a chicken).

Thanksgiving is one of the few feasts where even the vegetarians can go home full without much modification of the standard menu. Leave out the roast turkey and you still have sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, apple and pumpkin pie, roast squash, brussels sprouts and a host of other seasonal sides and desserts to pig out on. Of course, you can always add Tofurkey (turkey-flavored tofu) or another meat substitute for the noncarnivores and turkey-pardoners of the group. All the President's Turkeys And just where did that US Presidential pardoning of the turkey tradition come from? Well, the tradition of officially pardoning a turkey dates back as far as Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, or George H. Bush, depending on whom you ask. Photos depict President Truman accepting a turkey at the White House, although it is not known whether the bird ended up on the table or at the farm after the cameras left the scene. John F. Kennedy was presented with a turkey at Thanksgiving and decided to "just keep it" instead of serve it up. And when President Bush Senior was presented with a holiday turkey, he gave a lighthearted speech where he decided to officially pardon the turkey. Turkeys have been officially pardoned since that day.

THANKSGIVING WORD FIND

Z N H M T E L Q I B F Z F S H A P X N I L J V Z S R E H T A E F R N C J X H V I X V S S F I R S F T S M L G P U F K A Z P I F L S C M R F F E P F E X I V L J B G R A M H R N G H A O S C M M L L A B T M A C I F P Z K C Q Y Y O J W O Z S R J F F A C F D L U T P R X Q N G Z A S O N R X I O O F I Q N W E W Z J Y D I X E T A J Y I H C H B D X A J B T Q W P O R J J Z T Z J O F E

C B H B P

W W C C V I A V A P R G Q J Y A M T A U C E A H G E Y E

G G O S

M Q S R G I N Q I T P C P I E

K H H P M E S S

R O B N S C E U S I

Q K V L

N Y S

K R G C K D T R P I P

Y V V G A A T Q V R K U S K X I B Z M I E

U P Y H W K Q X I I S P

L W Y W O I Q U V F L S

D D E W E E P A F Y T

K P

D D T R E

B E M G W O O C T W S X X S L Q F K A K E B S

A Q P

X Y H Y D A S

T E G N I Y D W X J P J J X S P

H U Y N S

N X V O N M M F A N G U S P

V H S

Y X K A S P T O H S I S I

G W A Y Y K I D X W W F

Y L L C E E I

A B R Q Q V O B Y O K V G A H K U D T A G N I J E G I P L G D G N I X J L P Y F L P X K I V A B Y T P

E Y X Y Z U T P S H O Q S S

Z Y A X X A U A M H X N I G K U Y T H A H L P S

H M B R B E M L Q D U M E X H P Q C C P Z P K E V L N I Z E X G D D Z

T V R L H H P R L

O U U K B W B A D N R Y V A R G U L U T I F S I A Z Y T

R E F K R J

Y D U B T

B O R M P Q R M W P

M D V W P A U M S I F M X E C S

R D K R T S P

N L Q A H I

A D Q D N S A J

A B R W B C Z F R F N I

N D B L W S I

A H X O T

U N H N Z

R U Q A J

B C W W Z K A E R R Y Z M M S R R T S L

H Y N Y I U K G E F V S T R S

T X C O R N U C O P I M H K Z G T W T R P V X S

G H U Z

Q D W D I Q J J A E N H E E K V W B C K Y Y T J B Z Q S S Q

N Z C V B I C E T

H V C R A N B E H Z I E A D C S C S I S Y T

Q G K U T

R Q I L

M E D C S

D A M E

C M C W H W N S

R B T O P V F T T

W S

B X A A D K V V A T S C M I G E D J

M V W G N A B C E H E

U H B F

E R H K Z L T O N A V G Q C Z

Q A U E X R A Z E E

C N R F E O T H C E

K M Y W N W J

B U W L D M A T U N P E V E E J H Z M W I

R B B L

X D G N R N E B V M J U X B L N K G G F A T T S

A U U B B A S F D C Q P E T

A U I

H G M N F J T F E L

K A N K W M A S B M Z Z J

E H C V J L P J Q I Y T T C I

R M C E

K D A X Q Y L M Z

P B K D E T O M U X C I X G S P L V G I B V P P R Z V I A D U T

M B I M S N F

K A W Z

V D K U R N J V O K S E V T M P A T H C Y B W P I H S J L F V S I

O A U B B B M B E F N G Z N Q N O K M G G Z E D E T O Y C P M F A S H J I L P G Y F I

G H N H D U E P U D K T F

X R G C W S L E Z I

U C C Q I H U S

O F

D D Y M P D E

N F

H A U R

O H D I H T E D P E

Q C E T T

U U N Q L K A A O I L S Z T J R F E R E

R Y K I

Q D E A L X O I

C D U A H C O C S R E G U M D I S M F E

R J Y Z L

U K Y N M G G X A K I Y O J

D S I F

U A S L

U B B W E

U K M Y V K J J C U F K G P L P F F Y Z O I S V Z P O L P

D U U B X K G A C G D S N F W I Y C J H T H E Q P E U C Z D A J B W I T E

X R B V H E D G B L P

W K M U U J M S E S

Q A N Y R U F

N Y L

W G A R C L M Z S T

Y L

D H H Q J

H H G H G E G Y E N G E

T R A W V V N I

V Y M H V G P I

N I E P

C M B U M I G C B S P L

Q M U A C O Q A K F K W S Q D T B R B Z C Y E P M K P B N A P P A P I

Y V U V I K H I P

M X D N Q E M F H Q Z P I I G F

X X Y S Q S

A D W F

Y A K V W C C U A B B T A Y H W Q B L K P U L V J Y V Q R A S V I G K U R P V I C L

V L

S O C V N T N G P

R U W L

X G E

Bonnett Butter Churn Card Games Cornucopia Cranberry Sauce Drumstick Fall Leaves

Family FarmFeather s First Feast Football Gravy Boat Harvest Hunting

Indians Mays Parade Maize Mayflouwer Napping Pilgrims Prayer Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkins Raking Leaves Scarecrow Shopping Ads Straw Bales Stuffing

Teepee Thankful Turkey Visiting Wattle Wishbone

Instructions: Try to make as many different words out of this word:

THANKSGIVING
_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

Instructions: With each letter of the alphabet, name one thing you are thankful for:

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _____

Ii am thankful for

a__________ b__________ c__________ d__________ e__________ f__________ g__________ h__________ i__________ j__________ k__________

l__________ m__________ n__________ o__________ p__________ q__________ r__________ s__________ t__________ u__________ v__________

w__________ x__________

y_________ z__________

Thanksgiving Trivia
1. T/F Thanksgiving is only celebrated in the United States? ___________________________ 2. The Greek Goddess of Corn is: A. Demeter B. Cornucopia C. Ceres D. Grainophillia 3. The first department store to hold a Thanksgiving Day Parade was: A. Macys B. JC Penney C. Gimbels D. None of the above 4. What is the name of the rock where the pilgrims landed? _____________________________ 5. The Indians who were invited to the Thanksgiving feast were of the Wampanoag tribe. Who was their chief: A. Massasoit B. Pemaquid C. Samoset D. Squanto 6. What was the name of the ship the Pilgrims sailed on? _______________________________ 7. Who was the captain of that ship?_____________________________________________ 8. Thanksgiving became a national holiday thanks to this woman who was the editor of a magazine called The Godeys Lady Book. Who was this woman? A. Sarah Hale B. Sarah Parker C. Sarah Bradford D. Sarah Standish 9. In Canada, they celebrate Thanksgiving in what month? ______________________________ 10. The term cornucopia means what? ____________________________________________

11. What was the original name for the pilgrims? A. Puritans B. Partisans C. Settlers D. Journeymen 12. The word turkey is said to come from the Hebrew word Tukki which means: A. Big Bird B. Pheasant Bird C. Wild Bird D. Turks Bird 13. Captain John Smith founded what colony in Virginia? _______________________________ 14. T/F The pilgrims took beer with them on their journey? _____________________________ 15. The town of Plymouth, MA celebrates this on December 11 every year. A. Miles Standishs Birthday B. Forefathers Day C. Priscilla Aldens Birthday D. William Bradfords Death 16. T/F The real Plymouth Rock is cracked? ________________________________________ 17. T/F Indian corn is for decoration purposes only and not for cooking? _____________________ 18. In what year did the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade first take place? A. 1914 B. 1924 C. 1934 D. 1944 19. Why is the male turkey called a Tom Turkey? A. Because it is more politically correct than using cock male B. Its named after Thomas Jefferson C. While the Indians were preparing them, they beat on their tom-tom drums D. Its from an 18th century political cartoon 20. It is believed that how many women survived to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in 1621? A. 5 B. 10 C. 15 D. None 21. The first Thanksgiving was believed to last how many days? A. 1 day B. 2 days C. 3 days D. 4 days

22. Every year the President pardons a turkey and sends it to live at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, VA. Which President was the first to start this tradition? A. President Andrew Jackson B. President Millard Fillmore C. President Harry Truman D. President Warren G. Harding 23. Before being harvested and sold, an individual cranberry must bounce how many inches high to test that it isnt too ripe? A. 1 inch B. 2 inches C. 3 inches D. 4 inches 24. T/F The first meal eaten on the moon by astronauts Buzz Aldren and Neil Armstrong was a roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings? _________________________________________ 25. Which balloon was the first balloon in the Mays Thanksgiving Day Parade? A. Mickey Mouse B. Felix the Cat C. Big Bird D. Betty Boop 26. T/F Turkeys can drown if they look up in the rain? ________________________________ 27. T/F The following turkey towns are real places in the United States: Turkey, TX; Turkey Creek, LA; Turkey, NC; and Turkey Feather, NM 28. T/F Historians have proved that the pilgrims didnt really wear those funny hats and buckles on their shoes? ______________________________________________________________ 29. The longest balloon in the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade is? A. Spiderman B. Superman C. Snoopy D. Barney the Dinosaur 30. Back in the early 1600s the pilgrims didnt have which of the following utensils to eat their Thanksgiving Dinner with? A. Spoons B. Forks C. Knives 31. How many pilgrims were on the Mayflower? A. 92 B. 102 C. 112 D. 122 32. How long was the voyage from England to the New World? A. 66 days B. 86 days C. 106 days

D. 126 days 33. T/F At the first Thanksgiving, there were more Indians than Pilgrims? ___________________

34. Plymouth Rock today is as big as? A. a car engine B. a nose on a face of Mt. Rushmore C. a mailbox D. a house 35. Back in the early Thanksgiving celebrations, they also liked sporting events and took bets. Of course it wasnt football, but what was it? A. Archery B. Knife Throwing C. Shooting D. Horseshoes 36. Which President declared Thanksgiving a national holiday? A. President George Washington B. President Thomas Jefferson C. President James Madison D. President Abraham Lincoln 37. The first Thanksgiving football game was started in 1934 by which team? A. Pittsburg Steerlers B. Kansas City Chiefs C. Detroit Lions D. New England Patriots 38. Why is Thanksgiving always celebrated on a Thursday? A. It was sacrilegious to celebrate on a Sunday. B. It took a lot of time to prepare the meal. C. Mid-prayer was on Thursdays D. Thursday was the day they landed in the New World.

Thanksgiving Secret Decoder Game

Instructions: write an acrostic poem by starting each sentence with the corresponding letter.

T_____________ H_____________ A_____________ N_____________ K_____________ F_____________ U_____________ L_____________

Instructions: write an acrostic poem by starting each sentence with the corresponding letter.

T_____________ U_____________ R_____________ K_____________ E_____________ Y_____________

Instructions: write an acrostic poem by starting each sentence with the corresponding letter.

P_____________ I_____________ L_____________ G_____________ R_____________ I_____________ M_____________

Millionaire Mikes Thanksgiving

He was a young millionaire sitting in a wheel chair on the pier waiting for the boat. He had turned his coat-collar up to shut out the wind, and his hat brim down to shut out the sun. For the time being he was alone. It was Thanksgiving, but the Millionaire was not thankful. He was not thinking of what he had, but of what he wanted. He wanted his old strength of limb, and his old freedom from pain. True, the doctors had said that he might have them again in time, but he wanted them now. He wanted his girlfriend with him, too. His girlfriend had been very sweet and gentle about it, but she had been firm. As he could recollect it, their conversation had run something like this: "But I want you with me, all day. Today of days." "But, Billy, don't you see? I promised; besides, I ought to do it. I am the president of the club. If I shirk responsibility, what can I expect the others to do?" "But I need you just as much - yes, more - than those poor families." "Oh, Billy, how can you say that, when they are so very poor, and when every one of them is the proud kind that would simply rather starve than go after their turkey and things! That's why we girls take them to them. Don't you see?" "Oh, yes, I see. I see I don't count. It couldn't be expected that I'd count - now!" And he patted the crutches at his side. It was despicable of him, and he knew it. But he said it. He could see her eyes now, all hurt and sorrowful as she went away. . . . And so this morning he sat waiting for the boat, a long, lonely day in prospect in his bungalow on the island, while behind him he had left the dearest girl in the world, who, with a group of wealthy girls, was to distribute Thanksgiving baskets to the poor. Not that his day needed to be lonely. He knew that. A dozen friends stood ready and anxious to supply him with a good dinner and plenty of companionship. But he would have none of them. As if he wanted a Thanksgiving dinner! And so, alone, he waited in the wheel chair; and how he hated it. How could he bear to be in a chair rather than a car? Since the accident, however, his injured back had stopped him from driving cars, and he relied on his crutches or the wheel chair, in which he was pushed around by John, an employee. With a frown the Millionaire twisted himself about and looked behind him. It was near the time for the boat to start, and there would not be another for three hours. Where was John? From the street hurried a jostling throng of men, women, and children. Longingly the Millionaire watched them. He did not want to spend the next three hours where he

was. If he could be pushed on to the boat, he would trust to luck for the other side. With his still weak left arm he could not propel himself, but if he could find some one... Twice, with one of the newspapers that lay in his lap, he made a feeble attempt to attract attention; but the Millionaire was used to commanding, not begging, and his action passed unnoticed. He saw then in the crowd the face of a friend, and with a despairing gesture he waved the paper again. But the friend passed by without noticing. What happened then was so entirely unexpected that the Millionaire fell back in his chair dumb with amazement. "Here, Mister, youre not doing yer job! You can't sell nothing that way," scoffed a friendly voice. "Here, now, watch!" And before the Millionaire could collect his wits he saw the four newspapers he had bought that morning to help pass the time, snatched into the grimy hands of a small boy and promptly made off with. The man's angry word of remonstrance died on his lips. The boy was darting in and out of the crowd, shouting "Paper, here's yer paper!" at the top of his voice. He didnt return until the last pair of feet had crossed the gangplank. Then in triumph he hurried back to the waiting man in the wheel chair and dropped into his lap a tiny heap of coins. "Sold out, partner!" he crowed delighted. "Sold out!" "But....I.....you...." gasped the man, speechless. "Aw, forget it, it wasn't nothing" disdained the boy airily. "You see, youve got to holler." "To holler?" "Sure, Mister, or you can't sell nothing! Ive been watching you, and I saw right off that you wasn't doing yer job proper. Why, partner, you can't sell papers like you was handing out free donuts at a picnic. Youve got to yell at 'em, and git their attention. Of course, you can't run like I can" - his voice softened awkwardly as his eyes fell to the crutches at the man's side - "but you can holler, and not just sit there shaking 'em easy at 'em, like you did a minute ago. That ain't no way to sell papers!" With a half-smothered exclamation the Millionaire fell back in his chair. He knew now that he was not a millionaire, but a "Mister" to the boy. He was not William Seymore Haynes, but a cripple selling papers for a living. He would not have believed that a turned-up collar, a turned down soft hat, and a few jerks of a newspaper could have made such a metamorphosis. "You'll catch on in no time now, partner," resumed the boy soothingly, "and I'm mighty glad I was here to set you going. Sure, I sells papers myself, I does, and I knows how it is. Don't look so flabbergasted. It aint nothing. Shucks! Aint we got to help each other out when we can? The Millionaire bit his lip. He had intended to offer money to this boy, but with his gaze on that glowing countenance, he knew that he could not. He had come suddenly face to face with some- thing for which his gold could not pay.

"Thank you," he stammered embarrassedly. "You - you were very kind." He paused, and gazed nervously back toward the street. "I was expecting some one. We were going to take that boat." "No! Was you? And he didn't show up? Say, now, that's tough - on Thanksgiving, too!" "As if I cared for Thanksgiving!" The words came tense with bitterness. "Aw, come now, forget it!" There was a look of real concern on the boy's face. "That ain't no way to talk. It's Thanksgiving!" "Yes, I know. For some it is." The man's lips snapped shut grimly. "Aw, come off it! Never mind if your pal didn't show up. There are other pals. Theres me, now. Tell you what, you come home with me! There won't be no boat now for a heap of time, and I'm going to Thanksgiving dinner. Come on! It ain't far. I'll wheel you." The man stared frankly. "Er - thank you," he murmured, with an odd little laugh; "but ..." "Shucks! Of course ye can. What are you going to do, sit here? What's the use of moping like this when youve got an invite out to Thanksgiving dinner? And youd better catch it while it's going, too. You see, some days I couldn't ask ye - theres not grub enough! But I can today, cause we got a surprise coming." "Indeed!" The tone was abstracted, almost irritable; but the boy ignored this. "Sure! It's a dinner - a Thanksgiving dinner bringed in to us. Now, ain't ye coming"? "A dinner, did you say? Brought to you?" "Yeaup!" "Who brings it?" "A lady what comes to see me and Kitty sometimes; and she's a peacherino, she is! She said she'd bring it." "Do you know her name?" The words came a little breathlessly. "You bet! Why, she's our friend, I tell you! Her name is Miss Daisy Carrolton, that 's what it is." The man relaxed in his chair. It was the dearest girl in the world. "Say, ain't you coming?" urged the boy, anxiously. "Coming? Of course I'm coming," cried the man, with sudden energy. "Just catch hold of that chair back there, lad, and you'll see."

"Say, now, thats something, like," crowed the boy, as he briskly started the chair. "'It ain't far, you know." Neither the boy nor the Millionaire talked much on the way. The boy was busy with his task; the man, with his thoughts. Just why he was doing this thing was not clear even to the man himself. He suspected it was because of the girl. He could imagine her face when she found that it was to him she was bringing her turkey dinner! He roused himself with a start. The boy was speaking. "My! but I'm glad I stopped and watched you trying to sell papers. Think of you sitting there all this time waiting for that boat and on Thanksgiving, too! And don't you worry none! Ma and Kitty will be right glad to see you. It ain't often we can have company. It's usually us taking things other people give to us - not us giving ourselves." "Oh," replied the man uncertainly. "Is that so?" With a distinct shock it had come to the millionaire that he was not merely the disgruntled boyfriend planning a little prank to tease the dearest girl in the world. He was the honored guest of a family who were rejoicing that it was in their power to give a lonely cripple a Thanksgiving dinner. His face grew red at the thought. "And I say, what is your name, partner?" went on the boy. "You can call me Mike,'" retorted the man, nervously wondering if he could play the part. He caught a glimpse of the beaming face of the boy, his benefactor, and decided that he must play it. "All right, then, Mike. Were here," announced the boy in triumph, stopping before a flight of steps that led to a basement door. With the aid of his crutches the man descended the steps. Behind him came the boy with the chair. At the foot the boy flung wide the door and escorted his guest through a dark, evil-smelling hallway, into a kitchen beyond. "Ma! Kitty! Look here!" he shouted, leaving the chair, and springing into the room. "I've bringed home company to dinner. This is Mike. He was selling papers down at the dock, and he lost his boat. I told him to come on here and eat with us. I knowed what was coming, you see!" "Why, yes, indeed, of course," fluttered a pale-faced little woman, plainly trying not to look sur- prised. "Sit down, Mr. Mike," she finished, drawing up a chair to the old stove. "Thank you, but I -- I --" The man looked about for a means of escape. In the doorway stood the boy with the wheel chair. "Here, Mr. Mike, maybe you wanted this. Say, Kitty, ain't this grand?" he ended admiringly, wheel- ing the chair to the middle of the room. From the corner came the tap of crutches, and the man saw then what he had not seen before; a slip of a girl, perhaps twelve years old, with a helpless little foot hanging limp below the bottom of her skirt.

"Oh, oh!" she breathed, her eyes aflame with excitement. "Its a wheel chair! Oh, sir, how glad and proud you must be - with that!" The man sat down, though not in the wheel chair. He dropped a little helplessly into the one his hostess had brought forward. "Perhaps you'd like to try it," he managed to stammer. "Oh, can I? Thank you!" breathed a rapturous voice. And there, for the next five minutes, sat the Millionaire watching a slip of a girl wheeling herself back and forth in his chair his chair, which he had never before suspected of being "fine" or "wonderful" or "grand" as the girl declared it to be. Shrinkingly he looked about him. Everything was tattered and torn, broken and battered. He had almost struggled to his feet to flee from it all when the boy's voice stopped him. "Its coming about 12 oclock, the grub is; and it's going to be all cooked so we can begin to eat right off. There, how's that?" he questioned, standing away to admire the proppedup table he and his mother were setting with a few broken dishes. "Now ain't you glad you ain't down there waiting for a boat what don't come?" "Sure I am," declared the man, gazing into the happy face before him, and valiantly determining to be Mike now no matter what happened. "And ain't the table pretty!" exulted the little girl. "I found that china cup with the gold on it. Of course it don't hold nothing, 'cause the bottom's fell out; but it looks pretty - and looks counts when company's here!" The boy lifted his head suddenly. "Look here! I'll make it hold something," he cried, diving his hands into his pockets, and bringing out some small coins. "You just wait. I'll get a bunch of flowers up at the square. We ought to have flowers, with company here." "Hold on!" The Millionaire's hand was in his pocket now. His fingers were on a gold piece. "Here," he said a little huskily, "let me help." But the fingers, when he held them out, carried only the dime that Mike might give, not the gold piece of the Millionaire. "Aw, go on!" scoffed the boy, jubilantly. "As if we'd let company pay! This is our show!" And for the second time that day the Millionaire had found something that money could not buy. And thus it happened that the table, a little later, held a centerpiece of flowers - four near-to-fading pinks in a bottomless, gold-banded china cup. It was the man who heard the sound of the car in the street outside. Instinctively he braced him- self, and none too soon. There was a light knock, then in the doorway stood the dearest girl in the world, a large basket and a box in her hands.

"Oh, how lovely! You have the table all ready," she exclaimed, coming swiftly forward. "And what a fine ... Billy!" she gasped, as she dropped the box and the basket on the table. The boy turned sharply. "Aw! Why didn't you tell me?" he reproached the man; then to the Girl: "Do you know him? He said to call him Mike.'" The man rose now. With an odd directness he looked straight into the Girl's startled eyes. "Maybe Miss Carrolton don't remember me much, as I am now," he murmured. The Girl flushed. The man, who knew her so well, did not need to be told that the angry light in her eyes meant that she suspected him of playing this masquerade for a joke, and that she did not like it. Even the dearest girl in the world had a temper - at times. "But why are you here?" she asked in a cold little voice. The man's eyes did not swerve. "Jimmy asked me to come." "He asked you to come!" "Sure I did," interposed Jimmy, with all the anxiety of a host who sees his guest, for some unknown reason, being made uncomfortable. "I knowed you wouldn't mind if we did ask company to help eat the dinner, and he lost his boat, you see, and had a face on him as long as my arm, he was so upset about it. He was selling papers down at the dock." "Selling papers!" "As it happened, I did not sell them," interposed the man, still with that steady meeting of her eyes. "Jimmy sold them for me. He will tell you that I wasn't doing my job, so he helped me out." "Aw, forget it," grinned Jimmy sheepishly. "That was nothing. I only showed him you couldn't sell no papers without hollering." A curious look of admiration and relief came to the face of the Girl. Her eyes softened. "You mean..." She stopped, and the man nodded his head gravely. "Yes, miss. I was alone, waiting for John. He must have got delayed. I had four papers in my lap, and after Jimmy had sold them and the boat had gone, he very kindly asked me to dinner, and - I came." "Whew! Look at this!" cried an excited voice. Jimmy was investigating the contents of the basket. "Say, Mike, we got turkey! You see," he explained, turning to Miss Carrolton, "he

hung back for a while, and wasn't fast coming. And I did hope it would be turkey - for company. Folks don't have company every day"! "No, folks don't have company every day," repeated the Girl softly; and into the longing eyes opposite she threw, before she went away, one look such as only the dearest girl in the world can give - a look full of tenderness and love and understanding. Long hours later, in quite a different place, the Girl saw the man again. He was not Mike now. He was the Millionaire. For a time he talked eagerly of his curious visit, chatting excitedly of all the delightful results that were to come from it. He would provide rest and comfort for the woman, a wheel chair and the best of surgeons for the little girl, school and even college for the boy. Then, after a long minute of silence, he said something else. He said it diffidently, and with a rush of bright color to his face - he was not used to treading quite so near to his heart. "I never thought," he said, just touching the crutches at his side, "that I'd ever be thankful for these. But I was almost thankful today. You see, it was they that that brought me my dinner," he finished, and he could not hide the shake in his voice.