in putting up the carefully prepared colored leaf
emblems, and arranging the grasses, fruits, and vegetables. Over every
pointed window was a garland of variously colored grasses, mixed with
bearded golden grain, and between each, one of the leaf emblems was
lightly tacked to the wall. From each gas-burner depended a rustic
basket, made of twisted sticks dipped in a cheap solution of gilt
powder, and filled with purple and white grapes, mixed with scarlet and
golden apples. Bouquets of ferns and grasses graced pulpit and baptismal
font. Against either end of the communion-table leaned a wonderfully
constructed cornucopia, from whose capacious mouth seemed to be pouring
out green squashes, yellow pumpkins, red and white beets, brown
potatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, parsnips, and golden ears of corn,
packed in with cereals and nuts. On the table itself was a mighty pile
of all the fruits attainable so late in the season, and the decorations
were completed by a cross nearly six feet in height, composed entirely
of white everlasting flowers, placed in the window just above.

It was great fun to arrange all these pretty things, and the fun might
have degenerated into irreverence, but for the presence of Mr. Morven,
who occasionally said a few words concerning the sacredness of the
place, and managed to give the whole affair the appearance of a happy
service of the Lord and his church, so that each boy and girl went away
with a share of the gladness of those who work for God.

The Thanksgiving congregation was an unusually large one. The mills were
closed, of course, and many of the work-people who, perhaps, would have
hesitated at the idea of spending their rare holiday time in a church,
thought better of it when they remembered that doing so would certainly
please their employer. Not a very worthy motive, certainly. But there
are many motives which draw people to the house of God, not all of which
will bear close inspection. None the less, however, are they thus
brought under hallowed influences, and it may be that germinating seed
will be thus sown in their hearts, which the wayside birds will not
quite carry away.

The Methodists, who usually held Sunday services at the school-house,
three miles off, held none on Thanksgiving day, and were glad of a good
opportunity to see and attend the pretty new stone church on the hill.
Many of the neighboring families in the country round had city visitors
come to "spend Thanksgi