The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-11-26
POOR LITTLE DOT.
A Thanksgiving Story for Young and Old.

A Thanksgiving Story for Young and Old.
"Prince," was big bronze turkey,
handsome, fat, and lazy, and the prop
erty of Miss Martha Bassett. This
lady was housekeeper for, and sister
of, honest Timothy Bassett, who had
never-as his sister declared-"s spanked
up enough" to ask any woman to
marry him. Just why she had never
married did not appear; unless, per-
haps, no man had ever spanked up"
to ask her. For Miss Martha was not
calculated to inspire very large
amount of sentiment in any mans
heart, although, under somewhat I'M
promising exterior, there was hidden a
warm and tender heart.
But somehow it had become slightly
encrusted with selfshness, and a GER
tain kind of pride. Not personal van
ity, be it distinctly understood; for
Miss Martha was not beautiful, and
was perfectly well aware of it.
Consequently, after her somewhat
scanty locks were safely and smoothly
disposed of for the day, there was no
more time wasted before her mirror
But this good lady's pride was all in
regard to her housekeeping and poul-
try. Her butter always came hard"
summer and winter; no moths ever
molested her woolens; her preserves
were never troubled with uneasiness,
and clearer jelly was never seen than
that which stood upon the shelves of
Miss Matthias storeroom. AS for
poultry-well there was simply no bet
ter in the country-eggs the year round,
and nice fat chicken to kill at any
time.
And this brings us back to Prince.
Little Charley Smith gave the bird
this rather fanciful name, and it had
always chung to him. AS Charley en-
Enthusiastically and, somewhat slangily
exclaimed, upon seeing Prince for the
first time, that "he was the boss COB
bier of the whole crowd, and no mis-
take, and he must be named Prince"
And as Charley was the only child of
Miss Martha's, and Timothy's favorite
niece, whenever he expressed wish it
Immediately became law to that adj
miring and abject household. Luckily,
the young gentleman's visit was not
of long duration.
AS it was, be became in the three
weeks he did stay, extremely domineer-
ing and eXacting. Then, too his name
for the big, bronze turkey was so en-
tirely appropriate that it was never
forgotten
Sometime late in the summer, Miss
Martha secretly resolved that Prince
should grace the Thanksgiving board
of her dearly beloved pastor, the Rev.
Theodore Humphrey. Accordingly, as
cool weather approached, Prince began
to receive larger share of corn than
any of the rest of the flock. Turkey
like, he did ample justice to all that
was put up before him, and a week
before Thanksgiving was a sight to
feast the eyes of any turlley-lover, be
he minister or otherwise. But there
came u day-or rather a ni@ht-when
Prince came up among the missing, or
did not come up" with the flock. as
they filed slowly into the yard, Indian
fashion, from the surrounding fields,
where they had been dsconsolately
wandering about over the stubble,
wondering what had become of all the
grasahOnpers and bugs.
Miss Martha stood on the door-rock,
with shawl drawn over her head, and
a dish of corn in her hand, counting
the wanderers as they slowly ap-
preached for their evening meal. "One,
two, three-whyl where is Prince.-