Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-11-28
NO. 4S.


all withered and gone Here is your
Thanksgiving dinner, snails ~ he said.
gravely. "You are thieves, you know be-
cause you used to eat the peas and celery
but suppose you get hungry Just the
same. The snails said nothing, but per
haps they we're grateful
Then the boy went and looked over the
fence for a little while Two bows were
lighting for an apple out in the street and
presently the bigger boy got it away from
the smaller one, and the smaller one cried
Here hi ~ said the boy, to the one who
had lost the apple. wait minute :" He
ran to the kitchen, and brought back
great round, rosy apple, three times az big
as the one for which the boys had been
| fighting.
Take this - he said to the little boy.
Are you hungry +"
"Yes, be !" said the bov. who was very
ragged and very dirty.
But you will have your Thankseivinp
dinner soon, won't you y asked our boy.
The other nodded "Salt fish and tatersl"
he said.
Our boy looked very serious. "No tur-
key /" he asked.
well, guess not, said the other. whose
name was Jimmy Jawkns
THANK ye" he added gruffly. "Im
going to give it to Sis. She can't eat salt
fish"
And he went off rubbing the apple on
the sleeve Of his grimy Jacket.
The boy looked after him with a troubled
face. He knew that this boy lived in lit
tie yellow cottage down the Green Lane,
and that he had FIVE brothers and sisters,
and that his mother was very poor, but he
had never spoken to him before. He was
still thinking about them when the bell
rang for dinner
He went hand-in-hand with Cousin Sa-
rah, and they sat side by side, because they
thought it would be more sociabe
When Mary brought in the turkey it
looked almost big enough to carry her in
stead. 1t was like brown mountain, all
smoking hot, and smelling, oh so good
And it pulled out its breast, and held its
arms and legs close to its sides, and looked
as proud as if it were still strutting about
the barnyard.
Cousin Sarah carved it, and gave the
boy the drumsticks, which he liked best
and took piece of the breast herself but
that seemed to make very little impression
on the great turkey
The boy was silent for a while, for he
was hungry, and the drumsticks were very
good Presently, however, he said, "Cous-
in Sarah p
Yes dear - said she
Must people give thanks when they
haven't anything to give thanks for =
why, what do you mean, dear boy
Every one has something to be thankful
for, and you have very great deal"
Yes | know have /" said the boy. Il
have papa and mamma, and you and"
here he ran his eye over the table-''tur-
kay 1
toes and rice and gravy aud celery, and
what we are going to have for dessert, and
my guinea pigs.
But must people be thankful for salt
fish and potatoes, when they haven't any
thing else at all ~
Cousin Sarah thought they must. be
cause salt fish was a very great deal better
than nothing, and the boy returned to his
drumsticks finished the first and began on
the second
Presently he said, "WiD you have some
more turkey, Cousin Sarah p
mo, dear, thank you have had quite
enough"
The boy drew long breath Then I
can have the rest of the turkey ~ he said,
in tone of satisfaction, because mamma
told Mary she might go to dinner with her
sister after we were done.
Cousin Sarah looked at him in amaze
ment. MY dear little boy" she said,
what do you mean The rest of this
huge turkey Why, you would die and
anyway you couldn't eat half of it."
Il don't want it myself" the boy ex-
planned. Il want to take it to the Jaw
kinses, because they have nothing but salt
fish and potatoes, and am afraid they
may not know that they ought to give
thanks for that
Cousin Sarah thought it very probable,
from what she knew of the Jawkins fam
lily. but she listened with interest to the
boys story about Timmy Jawkins, the ap-
pie, and the salt fish
Then she rose and said, "You shan take
the turkey to them, dear boy | am sure
1t is just what your mamma would like.
Only, | think you will have to let me carry
1t for you, for it is almost as big as you
are"
So Cousin Sarah took the turkey on its
great blue platter, and the boy took the
cranberry sauce in one hand, and dish of
apples in the other, and off they went.
The people whom they met looked very
much surprised to see a young lady carry
ing huge turkey through the street. but
Cousin Sarah didn't care for that, but only
thought how pretty the boy looked, trudging
N'SA'h DNASiN hei hOlhluE MS tTduDeITN
sauce SO carefully, and looking round every
now and then to see if she was all right.
So they reached the poor little cottage
where the Jawkinses lived, and they stop
ped moment outside the door to take
breath, for they had been walking fast.
They heard a child crying inside, and
then tired wOmans voice said, Its all
there is, dear, 'cept taters Try a tater.
and then Timmy II give ye the pretty ap-
pie, Do now, Sissy, like good girl Doc
tor said ye must eat, else ye wouldn't new
er git well.
At this moment Cousin Sarah opened the
door, and stood holding up the great tur-
key, while the boy marched in bravely
with his two dishes
Here is your Thanksgiving dinner" he
said, looking round at the six hungry faces
which were clustered around the bare Ia
BILE. You must give thanks, you know,
even when it's only salt fish, but thought
you could give more thanks for turkey and
cranberry sauce cause I'm sure | could
myself. And for the first time in their
lives, the Jawkins children did give thanks!
Youths Companion.