Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-08-20
GRANpMA.S TURKEYS.

49,
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?"
ayes, I have just put thirteen eggs
under old Top-knot and mother says
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"
"Well, 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, ! viii 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 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 10 set
under one of my hens. Mother was a
good hand to raise turkeys; some falls
she would hev thirty to sell, and |
wanted to try my luck at turley-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 II begun to
thaw, and lib, that was the colts name,
went like bird o. dear me, il was
fifty years ago, but / remember Just as
well how pretty the snow and ice
looked sparlxlin in the sunshine We
rot 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 number of the neighbors
there, and we had a fine time.
Il told mother | wanted to get set
tin of turkeys eggs. She said was
welcome to em, 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 her nest, and it was
considerable trouble to look after her,
but / was welcome to her.
II told mother / knew / could find
her nest. and if she would let me hev
the turkey | would bring her two OF
my yaller-legged pullets when | came
over again.
your grandpa fixed box and put
the old turkey in it, and we brought
her home. She seemed as contented as
could be, and in few days. when the
snow was gone, she would wander of
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 il was in
the pasture back of the house, as she
always came from that way when
called the hens to be fed, and as soor
as she was done eatin' she would
go back that way. ! followed hel
ever so many times, but JUS
as soon as she noticed me she woulC
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 OLE
turkeys nest. / knew if l didn't FIND
the nest before she Matched. the LITTLE
ones would half of them die before sh,
got them home: little turkeys are verl
tender things. l noticed she Away
went in one direction, down toward thu
brook. that was at the further side o
the pasture.
Zone day when she came to be fed,
. threw some corn on the ground, scatter
ing it about, so it would take her som,
time to pick it up.
"Then started for the pasture, an'
went along in the direction had seei
her go, for some distance, then hid be
hind a stump. Soon I saw the turlxe,
} comm and she had passed me and wa
almost out of sight l stepped careful
" along, keeping behind bushes AM
stumps, so she would not see me if sh
looked back. followed along in that wa,
as much as quarter of a mile and begal
to think she hadn't any nest, she wa
Just wanderin'. turkeys are such crea
lures to wander you know, but alonl
up by the brook she stopped by a stump
where some bushes were growiR' roun
it. looked round and then crept undo
the bushes. I knew her nest wa
there, and sure enough it was, wit
fifteen great speclzled eggs in il Sh
came right off the nest when she saE
me. 50 had a chance to count 'em.
ssOhl grandma, wasn't you pleased?
IL rness / was. and ] couldn't bel