Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-09-24
GRANDMA'S TURKEYS.

haicheu, anu Aheh was Disappointed.
"0h! grandma, l am going to have
such a nice lot of chickens to sell next
fall, said Emily Howe, pretty black
eyed, rosy-cheeked girl of fifteen, who
lived on a farm few miles from the
| town of Waterville, in Maine.
Grandma Howe looked up from her
knitting, and said; ''Seems to me,
Emily, it's early to count Your chick
ems; you haven't got hen settin' yet,
| hev you?"
YES, l have Just put thirteen eggs
under old Top-lznot and mother saws L
may have all the chickens She matches
for my own. shall take good care of
them, and about Thanksgiving time,
when they will be nice and fat, cut off
their heads, carry them to Waterville,
sell them to Mr. Jones, that's where
father sells chickens, take the money
and buy me red cashmere dress"
We'll, Emily, you hev got your plans
made a good ways ahead, but / wouldn't
calculate too much on the chickens till
they are Matched; they may turn out the
same way my turkeys did once"
How was that, grandma? Please tell
me all about it while | am resting. /
walked away over to Mr.. Porter's to
get the eggs to put under old Top-knot"
Ibid you, dear? Well, will tell you
| about my old white turkey.
''When | was married we went to live
on the Springer farm, about twenty
miles from my fathers. Long in April,
in sugaring time, the year after l was
married, ] told your grandpa | wanted
to go over to fathers to get some new
sugar-we didn't hev any sugar-place
on our farmland see if mother couldn't
let me hev some turkey eggs to set
under one of my hens. Mother was
good hand to raise turkeys; some falls
she would hev thirty to sell, and l
wanted to try my luck at turkey raisin.
Your grandpa said I'VE would go the
next Saturday and stay over Sunday.
That he would get Mr.. Baker, he lived
near by, to see to the chores.
$50 we went. | remember what a
nice sleigh-ride we had the snow had
gone away considerable but we started
early in the mornin' before it begun to
thaw, and lib, that was the colts name,
went like a bird. O, dear me, it was
fifty years ago, but | remember just as
well how pretty the snow and ice
| looked sparklin' in the sunshine. We
got over home before noon. and father
was goin' to sugar o IF that afternoon, so
we all went to the sugar-place; there
was quite a mum Der of the neighbors
there, and we had fine time.
81 told mother | wanted to get a set
tin of turkeys eggs. She said l was
welcome to EN-, but like enough they
would get broken goin' home, and bet
ter take the old white turkey, that she
always Matched out a good brood, but
she ginerally stole heI nest, auf It was
considerable trouble to look after her,
but was welcome to her
Il told mother | knew ! could find
her nest, and if she would let me hev
the turkey ! would bring her two of
my yallerlegged pullets when ! came
over again.
Your grandpa fxed a box and put
the old turkey in it, and we brought
her home. She seemed as contented as
could be, and in a few days, when the
snow was gone, she would wander off
into the fields and pastures but always
came to the barn at night | thought
it was time she was laying and hunted
in the barn and shed for her nest
After awhile she left off comm home
nights, and then | knew she was set
tin somewhere and thought it was in
the pasture back of the house, as she
always came from that way when |
called the hens to be fed and as soon
as she was done eatin' she would
go back that way. | followed her
ever 50 many times but just
as soon as she noticed me she would
start up and fly and get out of sight be-
hind the bushes and trees in no time. ]
hunted the pasture all over for that old
turkeys nest. | knew if ! didn't find
the nest before she Matched, the little
ones would half of them die before she
got them home: little turkeys are very
tender things. ! noticed she always
went in one direction, down toward the
brook, that was at the further side of
the pasture.
Zone day when she came to be fed, /
threw some corn on the ground, scatter
ing it about, 50 it would take her some
time to pick it up.
''Then ! started for the pasture, and
went along in the direction had seen
her 90, for some distance then hid be
hind a stump. Soon | saw the turkey
comm and she had passed me and was
almost out Of sight I stepped careful
" along keeping behind bushes and
stumps, 50 She would not see me if She
looked back. followed alongin that way
as much as quarter Ola mile and began
to think she hadn't any nest, sine was
Just Wauderir turkeys are such crea-
lures to wander yoE know, but along
mp by the brook She stopped by stump.
where some bushes we're CROWN round
it, looked round and then crept under
the bushes I knew her nest was
there. and sure enough it was, with
fifteen great speekled eggs in il. She
came right oH the nest when She saw
me. 50 had a chance to count cm.
oh! grandma, wasn't you pIeased?"
Il guess I was, and | couldn't help