That night, after Sis had gone to sleep, and his mother had lain down beside her, cheerfully remarking that bed was cheaper than fire, and that she was glad there was a good wood lot on the Elbridge place, Obadiah, behind the sheltering canvas partition that separated the kitchen from the bedrooms, wrote the following letter:
Dear Uncle:—Last year our crops were burned up by the drought and this year they were swept away by a cyclone and all the stock was killed, and father will not get his pay for carpenter work until December. If there was no hole in the dollar you gave me when I was a baby I would take it and buy something for Thanksgiving. I wish you would send me a dollar without a hole in it as soon as you can and I will send you the one with a hole in it. I would send it now but I have not got stamps enough. I hope you are well. We are all well, only ma is homesick. Your sincere nephew,
Obadiah Waddle.
P. S.—Please send your answer right to me, because I want to surprise ma with some things for Thanksgiving.
The next morning he set off to look at his most distant quail traps, found them empty, and circled round to the village, where he posted his letter.
The days crept slowly by, and times grew more and more uncomfortable in the little sod house. Often when Obadiah was doing his "sums" his pencil would shy off to a corner of his slate and scribble a list of items something like this:
| 2 cents to Pa | $.02 |
| Stamps and paper (to send the D) | .06 |
| Powder and shot | .10 |
| Tea and sugar for Ma | .30 |
| 1 lb. raisens | .15 |
| 6 eggs | .08 |
| 1 lb. butter | .20 |
| ——— | |
| .91 | |
| More powder | .09 |
| ——— | |
| $1.00 |
Sometimes he would set down half a pound of "raisens" and add "candy for Sis, .05," but this was in his reckless moments. Sober second thought always convinced him that "raisens" would bring the greatest good to the greatest number about Thanksgiving time.
He casually asked his mother how long it took people to go to California.
"Well, Uncle Obie's newspapers always get here about four or five days after they are printed. Dear me! I must write to your Uncle Obie just as soon as we can spare the money for paper and stamps. He'll be glad to know we are all alive and well, and that's about all I can tell him."