epted Mr. Crooker's offer.

Interviews between his mother and his employer soon followed,
resulting in something for which at first the boy had not dared to
hope. The lonely, childless old man, who owned so many houses, wanted
a home; and one of these houses he offered to Mrs. Hampton, with ample
support for herself and her children, if she would also make it a home
for him.

Of course this proposition was accepted; and Bert soon had the
satisfaction of seeing the great ambition of his youth accomplished.
He had employment which promised to become a profitable business (as
indeed it did in a few years, he and the old man proved so useful to
each other); and, more than that, he was united once more with his
mother and sisters in a happy home where he has since had a good many
Thanksgiving dinners.

A THANKSGIVING STORY[15]

BY MISS L. B. PINGREE.

A three-minute story for the littlest boys and girls.

It was nearly time for Thanksgiving Day. The rosy apples and golden
pumpkins were ripe, and the farmers were bringing them into the
markets.

[Footnote 15: From "Boston Collection of Kindergarten Stories," J. L.
Hammett Company.]

One day when two little children, named John and Minnie, were going to
school, they saw the turkeys and chickens and pumpkins in the window
of a market, and they exclaimed, "Oh, Thanksgiving Day! Oh,
Thanksgiving Day!" After school was over, they ran home to their
mother, and asked her when Thanksgiving Day would be. She told them in
about two weeks; then they began to talk about what they wanted for
dinner, and asked their mother a great many questions. She told them
she hoped they would have turkey and even the pumpkin pie they wanted
so much, but that Thanksgiving Day was not given us so that we might
have a good dinner, but that God had been a great many days and weeks
preparing for Thanksgiving. He had sent the sunshine and the rain and
caused the grains and fruits and vegetables to grow. And Thanksgiving
Day was for glad and happy thoughts about God, as well as for good
things to eat.

Not long after, when John and Minnie were playing, John said to
Minnie, "I wish I could do something to tell God how glad I am about
Thanksgiving." "I wish so, too," said Minnie. Just then some little
birds came flying down to the ground, and Minnie said: "Oh, I know."
Then she told John, but they agreed to keep it a secret till the day
came. Now what do you think they did? Well, I wi