Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-01-14
BARTY's TURKEY.
A Thanksgiving.day Story.


Miss Sarah Wilhelmina Appleby put
her head out at the window and spoke
rather impatiently.
Barty O'Flanigan was small boy
with big basket and bigger voice,
while his brogue was something won-
derful to hear.
''It's the foine fat turkey the misth-
ress is afther promisin' me fur me
Thanksgivin' Pm wantin'," replied
Barty. "Shure, did MT ketch her
ould horse rs was afther runnin' away,
an hould him till the arrums iv me
was broke intirelyP An sez the misth-
ess to me, sez she. 'Barty,' sez she,
come up an take your pick iv me
foine fat turkeys fur your Thanksgiv-
in dinner, sez she. An it's here l
am, Miss, be the same tokcn."
Miss Sarah Wilhclmina remembered
her aunt's promise. but Tim has
gone to the station" she.said. you'll
have to como again when he can catch
one for you.
..An' why couldn't ] ketch it my
sell, an me mother waitin' to pluck
the feathers aft it, an the misthress
sayin' l could have me pickp" queried
Barty insinuatingly.
II don't know whether you could
catch ono. Barty; you're so small"
said Sarah Wilhelmina doubtfully.
1.-The legs ov me is long," said Bar
ty, displaying them with pride, "an' l
can ketch any thing at all, SO me moth
er sez-barrin' the maysles."
Now Sarah Wilhclmina was in hur-
ry, for she was going away to spend
Thanksgiving; and Martha Washing
ton was down cellar ami Nancy had
gone on an errand.
II know Aunt Doxy wouldn't wish
him to be disappointed" she said to
herself; and then she added aloud,
"Oh, we'll, Barty; you may catch one
if you can; all the turkeys are out in
the tield"; and with that, Sarah Will
helmina rushed oil to her train, while
Barty betook himself to the field where
the doomed Thanksgiving turkeys were
enjoying the frosty November air.
Two hours afterward Miss Eudoxia
Appleby, the mistress of Pine Hill
Farm, reached home with her small
niece, Rebecca Ellen, and her nephew
Thaddeus.
"pm almost sorry l let Sarah Will
helmina CO. said Aunt Doxy sadly.
'sI'm afraid we shall have very lonely
Thanksgiving"
As they usually had very jolly
Thanksgivings ut Pine Hill Farm, Becky
and Thaddy grew sad also, and Becky,
looking wisttully out of the window
at little house at the foot OF the hill,
said:
''Bctter 'vite The people at the cot
tage; then't wouldn't be lonesome"
Aunt Doxy spoke severely, almost
sharply. ''Bccay." she said, ''those
people in the cottage are not such as l
approve OF, and neither of you children
must even go near the fence"
Nobody in Cressbrook knew just
what to think Of the cottage people.
as Aunt Doxy called them. They had
taken the little house in the early
spring. and had added peaks and ga
bles and little piazzas to it, and had
painted it in red and olive and yellow.
until Aunt Doxy declared it dreadful
sight to see.
And she didn't like the looks Of the
people any better They wore fantas-
tic tincry and appeared as if they were
always going TO fancy-dress ball.
The man who took care of their horse
and COW had been seen in Roman
toga. The lady Of the house fed the
chickens in a Mother Hubbard dress OF
sea-green organdie, with poke bon
net on her head aud ridiculous dove
perched on hcr shoulder. Aud the
children--a boy and gtr. Of about the
same ages MS Thadty and Becky.
looked like Il iii y grandfather and
grandmother who had just stepped out
Of some old pictureframe, or so Aunt
Doxy thought She even contemplated
building very high fence between the
two gardens, lest Becky and Thaddy
should take IN interest in the small
antique-looking persons who lived in
the queer cottage.
OF course they took an interest in
them, and many stolen glances be-
sides; they soon found out in some way
that the children at the cottage were
udtucu hupcTL uHu hdTgucIlIcS duu
that they were kind and pleasant play
mates.
But-in the midst of the children
horrifying assertion to Aunt Doxy, thai
they didn't believe Rupert and Mar
guerite were very bad children aftel
all, there came revelation that almos
took the good lady's breath away.
Emancipation, or Nancy, was the
very black daughter OF the equally
black Martha Washington, whom Miss
Eudoxia had imported from the Soutl
for household "helps" soon after the
war. And Nancy now burst, almost
breathless, into the room with the
cry:
.Oh, Miss Doxy! de Princess goner
'Gonep She hasn't flown over the
cottage fence, has shep" exclaimed
Aunt Doxy, in great CONSERVATION.
"Wus'n dat, declared Martll;
Washington. bustling In after hel
\ daughter ..Wus'n dat, Miss Doxy
she's been pulled froo de fence!''
Aunt Doxy was fond OF pets and hac
great many, but her heart was espcc
! tally set upon her pea-fowls--" Primo,
and Princess Charming The Prince
was u great, splenuidly shaped pea.
cock, with n magnificent display oI
tail-feathers; the Princess was of Il dul
<nlnr and had n n tai l. faa nj hars t0 slrt.,,d