The oldest girls, Tilly and Prue, decide to finish the dinner though they had never made a turkey with stuffing before, nor had they ever cooked plum pudding. The story line is simple: Mother and Father are called away suddenly the day before Thanksgiving because Grandma was “failin’ fast,” leaving their 8 children behind. Savory smells were in the air on the crane hung steaming kettles and down among the red embers copper saucepans simmered, all suggestive of some approaching feast.” Dinner with the Bassetts “The big kitchen was a jolly place just now, for in the great fireplace roared a cheerful fire on the walls hung garlands of dried apples, onions, and corn up a loft from the beams shone crook-necked squashes, juicy hams, and dried venison. This story’s descriptions however, folded me into its time and place such that the Bassett farmhouse was a home I truly wanted to visit and live in, even for a short time: I never was a fan of descriptive writing, wishing instead for the plot line to simply proceed. It’s a simple story of a time long ago and far away (very early 19th century), starring a country family in New Hampshire, “poor in money, but rich in land and love …” Familiar themes but I never grow tired of them, especially when the world today is so full of uncertainty and misery. From Aunt Jo’s Scrap-Bag comes “An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving,” one of many charming short stories Louisa May Alcott wrote after the success of
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