The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-12-08
TODDLEKINs THANKSGIVING.
HY EBEN L REXFORD.
PART I.

one day, otis November, amt it? AM
Thanksgivin' IL be along fore we
know it,"
The three little Green boys-Tom
and Ned and Josy-whom almost ev-
erybody called the three Toddlekins
(for some reason that / can't explain,
unless it was because they were such
little feilows), looked at each other
and put on three very sober faces.
They knew what grandma was
thinking of when she sighed. So did
the mother of the three little Todale-
kins, and sighed, too, but in a kind of
smothered way, 50 that no one should
hear her.
You see they were poor-very poor
The boys were too small to do much
work, and Mrs. Green had to earn a
living for all of them by taking in
sewing. Grandma knitted stockings
and mittens for the stores, and earned
little to help along; but, put it all
together, they had only poor living.
Now winter was coming on, and
there were clothes TO be bought for
the boys, and wood must be provided
for the long, cold days before them,
and rent had to be paid.
Mrs. Green had all she could do
to make both ends meet. Sometimes
1t seemed to her that there was no
way out of the trouble that comes to
poor folks every now and then, but
grandma would say:
Don't you go to gittin' down
hearted, Sary Ann. There's ailus
some way pervided for them as trust
in Providence. I've found it so, an
I've lived coed many more years
than you have. Sometimes it looks
/ oil L,,N
the Lord at His word, it'll come out
right. Jest you mark that, Sary
Ann"
"Sary Ann" wasn't one of the wo-
men to stay dOwn-hearted. She had
a happy faculty of looking on the
bright side of things, and the conse-
quence was that the three Taddlekins
boys had pleasanter and more cheer
ful home than many boys whose ia
theirs and mothers have plenty OF
money, and have no need to worry
about where the bread for tomorrow
is coming from.
1T allus seems to me as eff twas a
kind of duty to keep Thanksgiving a;
my folks used to-" said Grandma
Green. "They never let the day &c
by, after l could remember, 'thOut
hevin' a real old-fashed dinner, with
roast turkey an punkin' pie an cram
berry sass"
I'D like to have nice dinner fol
this Thanksgiving, if we could AFFORD
II" said Mrs. Green. "But we can't
and that's all there is to be said abou
1t. We will have to do as the chill
dren do-play we're having turkel
and all the other good things, and lie
II go at that, What do you think o
that plan, my three little solemn
faces ?"
And the TOddlekins' mother locke,
at her thoughtful boys and laughed
little, try-hard-to- be-cheerful laug
but there was Il sound in it tina
would have made you feel sure tina
only slight way back of it ther
were tears. But the brave little VIC
man wasn't going to let them be see
by any one, if she could help it. Tor
and Ned and Josy didn't say wha
they thought of it, but got up, present
ly, and went out into the hall. Their
they sat down on the stairs, each on
looking more solemn than ever.
81 say, boys" spoke up Tom, by an
by, 81 wish l could get Il turkey 70
Thanksgiving"
Now wasn't it funny? Both tn
other boys were thinking of the yer
same thing.
81 wish could" said Ned.
$50 do l." said Josy. "Pd like
bring one home 'thout mothers know
ing anything about it, an just pop
right under her nose ThanksgIvil
mornin'. Wouldn't it be jolly p
"You bet your boots it would" sal
Ned. give good mind to see oil
Uncle Dave, an try if can't do somt
thin to pay for one"
Then, as if sorry he had said VIII;
he had, Ned shut his mouth suddenl
and not another word could the boy
get out of him.
You see, an idea had just poppe
into Ned's head, and he had sal
enough to pop the same idea into Il
heads of the two other boys; but
didn't dream that they were thinkin
of the same thing he was.
That afternoon Uncle Dave-everl
body who knew him called him tn
Leaned over the counter of his me-
market and bakery to ask the olde
little Toddlezins if he wanted an
thing.
eyes, 1 do" answered Tom, promp
ly. 81 want to know if l can't {
sOmethin'-run Grants, or bring
wood, or carry stuff to folks-an' get
turkey for Thanksgivin'. Mother
sowin' hard as she can when she cl
get work, but, you sec, ev'ry thing
high that she can't make enough
afford turkey, an l heard her :;
we'd have to 90 'thout one. So
thought if 1 could earn one, "
Soc"
Eyes, I see" said Uncle Dave, SIN
ing good naturally down upon j
visitor. you'd like to kinder ia
her by s'prise with it."
Eyes" answered Tom, ''you're ju
right l would"
avail, 1 guess I can find suthin'
We to do" said Uncle Dave. "LemI
see. There's that pile o wood out
the back yard. It's too fur from t
door TO be handy. You may pile
up agin the side o the shop, if "
think You can afford to do the job t
a turkey.
"Hoorav - cried Tom, tearing o
of the shop toward home.
His first impulse was to "run a
tell mother" Then he remember
that he was going to surprise her.
wo nder If can keep it all to IN
self till Thanksgivin' comes y he mi
tered, while his eyes twinkled.
must, for it'll be all the nicer If 5
don't know uOthin' about il till bIii
in the turkey. An l won't let on
the boys, either. If / did, they'd
Just sure TO tell of it."
About an hour after that, I'm,
Dave looked up from his day-bOok
see Josy Toddlekins standing by (
counter with a half-scared o0k on