St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-26

! naun hten able 10 pick up 4 penny.
4 And how delightful ii would have been
If lie could have earned a couple of dol
lars. and could have come in this morn
Ing Juggling bird almost as big as himr
sell, and have lifted ii to the kitcheB
table anu said: There's your turkey
/ dearest mother. Please God. You'll neEeF
lie without turkey on THANKSGIVING
day while I'm at the forer'
Tom was very low in his mind that
afternoon. 1t was a-reary aftern56n.
the trees all bare, the leaves blowing
along the ground. the skies Ieaden WITH
Impending rain and a wind beginning
TO pipe out of the dark east that prom
! ised storm and made him think OF ship
wrecked craft and drowning sailors.
lie was never quite SO certain that he
was some day going to be a sea captain
when the wind blew from the east as he
was at other times. He sat. at
/ twilight listening to the wind, on
his stool by the fire. which was
poor fire Of cinders. the coal was so
| low, with his head in his hands. feeling
very badly used and very melancholy.
1t was gloomy world and he was on
the wrong side OF it: he didn't see how
/ 1t was ever going 10 get any better.
! Little Sue was prattling to her mother
/ III an engaging way, and his mother
mother smile? His father lay on his
| pillows in the adjoining bedroom, look
| ing at them through the open door with
/ an expression on his face almost as sad
I as Toms, not quite. for Tom saw no way
| out OF the coil; but the good man among
! his pillows knew thar, heaven willing,
/ his family would be all right when he
/ should be on his feet again. But as Tom
now and then lifted his head and looked
! round II did seem very depressing TO
/ think OF that sick man. that tired Nav,
that dear mother. that gentle little Sue,
/ without any THANKSGIVING dinner 10
/ speak of, and that Ned TwOmbly-he
/ took up his cap and stole out of the
/ house presently, not meaning to 90 any
/ where IN particular, but just to be NOV
ing. i was all uncOnSciOusly 10 himself
/ that his feet followed the path down hill
/ that led past the TwOmbly's house.
/ L was the f00t-path or the pasture,
and the bars being down for the last
bringing in Of harvest across the fields.
/ the path took him straight by the
FwOmbly kitchen ana the pantry whose
! window was wide open. The light from
! window in the wing OF the house
! shOne full upon .he pantry. ana there on
/ the wludOwshelI was plainly visible
! the biz turkey set 10 cool, Just
/ roasted, a shining golden Drown, she'd
/ ding its savOry aroma upon the frosty
/ air: aud near il stool glass bowl of
Quaking cranberry sauce. and, as he
paused a moment and looked in. there
/ was surely = dish or cracked walnutS
with some great punches of raisinS and
a nan ot iWcy red suow-apDleS. and
veS-a huge mInce pie. one OF the kind.
1 Tom knew without tasting 1t. full of
rdiSlnS and cltrOn and cider and all good
q ID
Of it.
Ana this gO0dly array was Just the be-
ginning OF the TwOmoly's Thanksgiv-
iug. This TURKEY they were to have
cold. evidently; the other wOuid be not.
Two turkeys FOR Ned TwOmbly. and he
and Sue with none. AMI then and
there Il hungry imp of evil whispered in
Toms ear. why not take that turkey
and carry it home?
1t would be stealing. to be sure But
the TwOmbiys would never feel the loss
or IL. They didn't need. nobody needed
TWO turkeys. 1t wOu.d not he hurting
any one. And ne could tell his mother
lt had been given 10 him: il would be
easy enough 10 get ND story that would
convince her. And that would be lying.
one sin always tumbieS on the heels of
another.
But could he not sustain the burden
of the two sins for the sake of giving
his mother and the girls such "a dinner
as that turkey would make? There was
no trouble atali about it; he cOuld reach
the shelf on tiptoe. He had only to put
up his hand and take it by the ends OF
the two drumStcks; he could lift Ii mp
so gently 40 one would hear: and he
could make of with it into the darkness
entirely Unseen and unknown. But II
never could be traced-fOr were not
turkeys all much alike. ami did not ey-
eryOne have turkeys on the day before
/ Thanksgiving?
And Sue could have her wishbOne.
and his father perhaps just one bit of
the sideOOne. and his mother should
! have that luscious m0rSel of the brown
outside wing: lie could see them all en-
toying it. and he nimself-he was nun
gry for that turkey down to his very
toes. On. how tempting il was. How
delicious it would be! He would carve
1t himself, and to be able TO give Sue
that wiShOone.
Suddenly Tom turned and took to his
! heels and ran as if that whispering imp
( of evil were after him. Up the path
/ through the gate ne went. across the
/ pasture. through the fallen bars. over
the field into his own yard. through the
! L
! door. The gloom seemed 70 be tull of
! live things of darkness. seemed 10 he
/ sWarming with evil essence OF which he
| had been about To become one: they
! were close upon him. all about hin; he
/ thought he felt them: he knew there
was no such thing-and yet II he did
not gain his fathers fnOtStep. his moth
! er's side. they would have MIN. he would
/ be one of them, He had almost been
/ thief. He had almost been liar. He,
/ Tom Powers He would never be able
! To look his father in the face, to hold up
| his head under the blue sky, TO say his
! prayers again.
He tumbled in at the door; but his
! mother only thought he had tripped his
/ foot. and held up her finger warningly.
I for his father had fallen asleep. And
/ he sat down again on his stool by the
! fire and looked about him awhile. and
/ wondered presently if he had not been
asleep himself. and II that terrible
/ moment had not been a dream. May
/ had come home. ana little Sue, sitting
! beside her. was repeating her Sunday
! school Iesson-"The Lord Is my Shep-
! herd: / shall not want and Toms blue
/ eyes were taking it in, and he was
/ thinking that it didn't need turkey to
/ be thankful for his mother and she and
| Nav. and that his father was getting
well. when there was rap OH the door,
! and Mrs. TwOmbly opened it. Now,
! Mrs. Powers, my dear" she said, while
! Toms heart beat in his throat, as
he felt sure she had come to
! denounce him as a thief. now,
nv dear, you're not 10 be
/ offended But [ know what a house is
/ where there's sickness. and there's no
/ time nor strength to spare for stuffiingl
and roasting fowl. And I've cooked
this turkey and brought it ND to YOU
myself, that you needn't be bOthering
hope you'll ike the dressing; 1 al
ways put raisins and bread-stuffing in
/ the crop. and mashed potatoes with a
dust of pepper and sage in the body.
! And here's the cranberry sauce, and
here's the mince pie [ dare say it