Edith Halifax

Thanksgiving Gabble

As I looked out my foggy window thanksgiving morning, I noticed the leaves which were bright shades of orange, yellow and red only just last week were now turning a dull brown. "I guess winter is inevitably imminent," I thought.
Just then I realized, our thanksgiving party is tonight, I must get ready and help mother and our maid get the table put together for our guests. Opening my white French closet doors I reached in and picked out a light green dress with cap sleeves and white ribbon across the waist and laid it on my bed, beside it my only pair of long white gloves with a small stain on the left thumb. "Hopefully nobody will notice that," I thought.
I hope that our only maid Martha would be able to find time to do my hair before our guests arrived this evening. But to keep my nice clothes clean I put on a my regular day dress and an apron and headed down stairs to help.
"I just can't believe they're coming," said mother. Uncle Walter smirked, "well you better believe it, I wrote a letter inviting them to our thanksgiving party and received their telegraph just this morning. "Who's coming?" I asked. "Good morning," said mother. "Why the people who nearly ran us over Sunday afternoon," said Uncle. I swallowed hard. "So we'll be entertaining strangers on thanksgiving?" Mothers eyes darted at me and I already knew exactly what she was thinking. I am not five and twenty yet, but I will be very soon. Most of my friends are married and those who aren't are younger then me. I can't help that every man who has called on me is the most dull person I've ever met. I've made up my mind that I will only marry for true love or marry a rich old widower for wealth to keep my family from poverty, because I will not live my entire life with a man I can't stand. If only Wallingford had an actual gentlemen.

Just then Martha entered the room and with that the discussion was quite over. So Martha, mother and I took to the kitchen while uncle husked corn with our side hand John.
I had just finished cooking cranberry sauce as Joanne popped her head around the kitchen door. "Good morning," she said. "More like good afternoon," I teased. She bounced around the kitchen taste testing everything and dipping her finger in my pan. "Hmm your sauce needs more sugar, Edith." I glared at her, "you only think that because you're a child and cannot eat anything without sugar." Girls girls I think I ought to be the judge" said Martha dipping a spoon in and tasting. "Mmm it is quite tart but I like it that way." "Add just a touch more sugar," said mother winking at me, "just to be safe." Joanne was quite pleased with her "contribution" to our hard work and pranced off to go get her nice clothes on.
"Mother if she acts this way while the guests are here I may not be able to tolerate her for long." Martha's lips pierced. I could tell she had something to say but she remained quiet. "I don't think you have much choice in the matter Edith, Joanne is much younger then you and if you want to attract a suitor you must be faultless tonight," said mother.