The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-05
DARK GOBBLERS.
The Kind of Meat the Judge Intro
 duced to His Guests.

JuuSS ERuCAeOA1 WSA Auo"u JVAiSs and a gentleman of the old Arkansaw school, treated with scorn the idea that the best turkeys came from the north. He holdssthe opinion that the Arkansaw turkey is the best in the world ; in fact, he goes farther and declares that no one but the old-time negro understands cook ing the great bird. Several days ago, the judge, meeting old Harkney, said to him 1:
 Harkney, I am going to give din. ner at my house next Wednesday and want your assistance"
 "Yer ken git it, jedge. Whut yer want me ter do2
 "l want you to get me couple of tur- keys, the best you can find, cook them nicely and bring them to my house just before dinner time, say about twelve o'clock"
 "Pll do dat, fur knows whar ter git de bes' in de country"
 "All right. What will you charge mel"
 "Wall, sah, thinks dat gittin' lem, am cookin' lem an fetchin' 'em ter yer house oughter be wuf fl dollars"
 "That's pretty steep, but go ahead and be sure to come on time."
 "I'n do it."
 Harkney, having no money, was pug zled to decide upon a plan of action. He knew that turkeys were in demand and that their roosts were closely watched. At length he concluded to take his old army gun, go out into the woods and kill a couple of wild turkeys. He vent, bat could find none. He needed five dollars and he hated to relipquish the enterprise. The next day he took his gun and went out again, but his ill luck of the day be- fore was repeated. His spirits were very low as he walked toward home.
 "Dn's no chance fur CT hones' man heah, ;" he unused. "Great mine ter kill CT couple O dem buzzArds. Wander sets t~o on de groun'. I'se nightly tempted" he continued as he rested his gan on the fence. "Da's right up elost tergedder. Lemme sec how 1 copl' teck sight"
 He glanced along the gun.barrel. The gun fired. The buxz ards fell over and Auttered. Harkney climbed up on the fence and looked all around. No one was in sight. He approached the dead buzz ards. He had to hold his nose. He took them to a bayou and dressed them as well as he could. Then putting them iato sack he took them aouie. That night he worked on them. He scalded them, rubbed them with lime and ashes and then proceeded to bake them. He took down quart bottle of cheap per fume- something negro always has os hand-and from time to time basted the buzz ards with the liquid. When the bug zards were cooked, they were certainly dark, but there was no scent of their original odor hanging about them. Jast before setting out for the judges resi- dence, he gave the gobblers another cologne bath. He took them around to the iudgc's kitchen and said to the cook
 "Heahs de dark gobbiers |! p.csa;.ed de jedge. Whar Is de gennerman ?"
 "In de house. My, how sweet dem birds does smell. Whut yer say da is ?"
 "Dark gobbles-wild ones. honey. Go tell de jedge dat I,se heah."
 When the adge came out, he surveyed the buzz ards and said:
 Harkney, they are not very large"
 "Oh, no sah, dis sOTisr turkey 5oss grow big. Da's called de dark gobblers. an aldough dar meat is dark, it's de sweetes' meat in de vorp. jes hap pened ter git dese- DA's de fuss hab seen in dis coupuy fur twen'y yeahs. Jes' smell Q 'em, jedge-"
 sAh, hah," said the judge when he had saiffed the cologne, @shey do smell sweet. Well. hsre's your money"
 "Thank yez, sah. Say, jedse, a Ihad % much szoable eistis' dem dark gob- bIezs doaa yer think y9 oagatss gia me jes' CT bout = dollar mo'7 It vuz hard vor q gittin' 'en aa' q psstuut nan down sovs said d oaghf tez bs vuf eight dollau in de least."
 "Wsli. hsEs's aaoehes dellax.n
 Thanhss, ahr
 Wh0 ths conpasy had saa dovn ss|