Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-02-05
DARK GoReLEas.
Ext r%aordinary Birds Whose Meat Drove n
Number of Arkansas Dignitaries TO De-

Judge fullerton, a well known jurist
and q gentleman of the old Arkansas
school, treated with scorn the idea that
the best turkeys come from the North.
He holds the opinion that the Arkansas
turkey is the best in the world; in fact,
he goes further and declares that no
one but the old-time negro understands
cooking the great bird. Several days
ago, the Judge, meeting old Harkney,
said to him:
"Harkney, / am going to give q din
ner at my house next Wednesday and I
want your assistance"
Eyer kin git it. Jedge. Whut YER
want me ter do?"
II want You to get me a couple of
turkeys, the best you can find, cook
them nicely and bring them to my
house just before dinner time. say about
twelve o'clock.
"I'n do dat, fur l knows whar ter gi.
de bes' in dc country"
"All right. What will you charge
me?"
"Wall, sab, 1 thinks dat gittin' 'em,
an cookin' 'em an fetchin' 'em ter yer
house oughter be wuf fl dollars"
That's pretty steep, u go ahead
and be sure to come on time"
.:I'll do it,"
Harkney, having no money, was pnz-
zled to decide upon q 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 went,
but could find none. He needed five
dollars and he hated to relinuuish the
enterprise. The next day he took his
gun and went out again, but his i'll luck
of the day before was repeated. His
spirits were very low as he walked to.
ward home.
:'Dar's no chance fur er homes man
heah,' he unused. s.Greatmine ter kill
er couple O dem buzzards. Wander sets
two on de groun'. Use nightly tempt
ed" he continued as he rested his gun
on the fence. 'Da's right up clost ter
gedder. Lemme see how 1 coul' teck
sight"
He glanced along the %gun-barrel.
The gun fired. The buzzards fell over
and luttered. Harkney climbed up on
the fence and looked all round. No
n was in sight. He approached the
dead buzzards. He had to hold his
nose. He took them to a bayou and
dressed them as we'll as he could. Then
putting them into a sack he took them
home. That night he worked on them.
He scalded them, rubbed them with
lime and ashes then proceeded to bake
them. He took down a quart bottle OF
cheap misunderstanding Il negro al.
ways has on hand-and. from time to
time basted the buzzards with the
liquid. When the buzzards were cook
ed, they were certainly dark, but there
was nc scent of the:c original odor
hanging about them. just before set.
ting out for the Judges residence, he
gave the gobblers another cologne bath.
He took them around to the judge
kitchen and said to the cook:
"Heahs de dark gobblcrs 1 promised
de ledge. Whar is de g~ennerman?"
'.In de house. My, how sweet den
birds do smell. Whut yer say da lisp"
ozark gobblcrs-wild ones, honey
Go tell de Jedge dat Use heah."
When the Judge came cut, he sur
yeyed the buzzards and said:
"Harkney, they are not very large
"Oh, no, sab, dis sorter turkey doal
grow big. Da's called de dark gobblers
an aldough dar meat is dark, it's d.
pened ter git desc. Da's de fust | hal
seen in dis country fur twenty yeahs
Jes' smell O. EN- Jcdge.''
"Ah, hail." said the Judge when he
had shifted the cologne, .'they do smell
sweet. Well, here's your money"
"Thank yer, sab. Say, Jedge, ez
had so much trouble gittin' dem dark
gobblers doan yer think yer oughtcr cir
me jes' CT bout er dollar mo-? 1t wuz
hard work er gittin' EN-, an er restunt
MAJ down town said da oughter be WI
eight dollars in Gle least
swell, here's another dollar"
"Thankee, sah."
When the company had sat down tc
d~inner-when the Rev. DR.. Bogglewortl
had asked a blessing-the Judge said:
81 have thepleasure of Introducing you
all to a kind Of meat you doubtless
never saw before. Those birds are darl
gobblers, a species of wild turkey now
extremely rare DR.. Boggleworth, viii
you please carve one?"
The doctor took the carving-knife
drew one Of the dark gobblers TOWARD
!, him, and began to cut into the flesh. A
sitting stencil arose. The doctor pu'
down his knife, turned away from the
table, and gasped. The Judge, whose
nose had begun to wrinkle, attemptedtt
say something but could not. The odol
grew more pronounced, and, with on
impulse, the company arose from tht
table.
'.They are buzzards," the minister
gasped. s'Let us go out and stand ii
the lot"
The Judge was disposed to take Z
shotgun and kill Harkney, but he knew
that a man occupying his position coule
not well afford such a measure. Sevcra
days elapsed before he met the cid nc
gro. Harkney attempted to dodge the
Judge, but, when finally cornered, he
took off his hat and said:
"Mawnin', Judge, mawnin', sab"
81 am thinking" replied the Judge
striving to be calm, ':if it would not bt
better, law or no law, to take a CUR
and kill you"
"W'y ledge, WAITS de matter wild yer?'
"You infamous scoundrel, to bring