The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-26
A THANKSGIVING STORY.
ny HARRIET PRESCOTT srorronp.

anu iiiiilCo pie Dclorc, Dut now lnat the
father was disabled and there was only
Nays little earnings to go and come
upon they must be content with din
ner OF corned beef. They did not. have
as good as that every day, by any
means. But what was corned beef,
Tom Powers asked. beside a turkey
stuffed with buttercd and pcppcrcd and
mashed potatoes; great crisp, brown
turkey, such AS belongs to Thanksgiv-
ing Day OF right.
Ned Twombly's going to have turkey
and ducks, too, and chicken pic" Tom
said to his mother. lies going to have
two turkeys. l saw them going in"
"Well, dear, We must make believe
orr dinner tastes like turkey" she re-
piled. "And ii father is able to come
to the table Pm sure that will make it
Thanksgiving enough, turkey or no
turkey"
"Corncd beef for man who's been
kept alive on grucln groaned Tom.
"0h, VIC shall have some granum for
him."
ITS real good, granum is" said little
Sue.
at isn't tarkey," said Tom:
mo, it isn't turkey" said Sue visit
fully.
swell, dear, l wouldn't talk about it
any more" said the mother, going on
with her work. at would make YOUR
father feel so ii he knew YOU missed it
this way. And he feels bad enough ut
the best"
'IIe wouldn't feel SO bad ii he saw a
turkey on the table, just as always"
said Tom.
There, there, that will d." said his
mother
ut isn't the turkey, just Tor the sake
OF eating it, said Tom, contidcntially,
as he and Sue went out picking up
chips that afternoon. cts because it's
part of Thanksgiving; it's because it
doesn't seem Thanksgiving without it;
it's because everybody else has one.
Though the drumstick is awful nice"
81 like the wish-bonc best" piped
Sue.
Turkeys don't have 4 good wish
bone like chickens"
"But you can make hoppers out OF
them that hop all across the room,"
said Sue.
"And the gizzard chopped up in the
gravywith hot potatoes Oh, I say,
it's shame to have corned beef on
Thanksgiving Day."
"Yes," said Sue. "But corncd beef is
good with cabbage, too"
That was too much for Tom-Sue not
awake 10 her wrongs. "Thc idea" said
he, "of your having to eat corned beef
and 20 without turkey! You, almost q
babyw
'l'm not almost q babym cried Sue,
Indignantly. I'm n great help to
mother! she says so. Pm only little
smaller than you. And l guess
can cat what the rest can, any way.
So"
II mcan," said Tom, "that mothers
and girls should have nice things" and
his mind reverted to the turkey going
into Ned Twombly's, to the ducks there,
to the two turkeys. What did they
want OF two turkeys? There we're only
four or five in the family. Were they
going to kill themselves eating? And
ii there was to be company, one turkey
and the ducks and chicken pie ought
to be plenty. 1t only showed how un-
fair everything Washed Twombly and
his great, healthy father and mother
and Jane with two turkeys, and he with
his sick father and delicate sister Sue,
and his tired mother. and poor May,
with no turkey at all, with nothing but
that hard salt beef, which he hated, at
least which he hated Tor Thanksgiving
Day. They might just as well have
baked bcans-baked beans for Thanks
giving Day. How much better was Ned
Twombly than he was, that Providence
should be so good to him? He wasn't
any bettcrl lie whipped boy hall his
size last week, and he told the teacher
a lie about it afterward. Well, then,
Toms thoughts ran OIL. perhaps Neds
father was smarter. But he wasn't any
smarter; he he'd never done a days work
in his life, while Toms father had al
ways worked. And then Tom lett the
task OF trying to adjust the workings OF
the universe to his sense OF Justice
only it still seemed very hard, very
cruel, very unjust indeed, that Ned
Twombly should have two turkeys and
he should have none ut all. How could
there be jollity about Thanksgiving
Day with just piece OF salt beef on
the table, with the sense OF poverty
brought home to you in such way rs
that--and what was there to be thank
iul for? IIewas sure he wasn't going to
be thankful for salt bcef-although, to
say truth, he would have liked it very
well for supper tonight, having had
only crackers and water for dinner.
Oh, il he were only man and could go
down to the provision shop and order
home 4 whole bill oil fare! He had
tried hard to get some errands to do,
or any little job oil work, hut TO no pur.
pose he hadn't been able TO pick up u
penny. And how delightful it would
have been ii he could have earned 4
couple CT dollars, and could have come
in this morning Juggling bird almost rs
big rs himself and could have lifted it
to the kitchen table and said: "Thcrc's
your turkey, dearest mother. Please
God. you'll never be without n turkey
on Thanksgiving Day while I'm at the
fore p
Tom was very low in his mind that
afternoon. 1t was q dreary afternoon,
tho trees all bare, the leaves blowing
along the ground, the skies lcaden with
impending rain, and wind beginning
TO pipe up out OF the dark east that
promised storm and made him think OF
shipwrecked craft and drowning sail
ors. He was never. quite SO certain
that he was some day going to DO q sen
captain. when the wind blew from the
nnst ns L. q ,rnr Of othnr t;,mn.. -lIo 60