The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-11-18
miscellaneous.
THE MIKADO'S FATE,
A THANKSGIVING TRAGEDY.

1t was about the first of November
that the big turkey, the Mikado of
the farm-yard, was given house all
to himself and everybody waited upon
him in the most untiring manner. At
first he IS somewhat astonished at
SO marked a change in his fortunes.
Such extraordinary consideration as
he now received at everybody's hands
amazed him for a time, but he soon
settled it in his mind entirely to his
satisfaction.
"Ho, no he said. "Ha, ha! They
have just learned my worth have
always known that was great ge-
MUS, with brain as big as a wash
tub, and l think the other turkeys,
poor, insignificant things, and the
chickens, sorry creatures, knew it also.
At least, they have all shown a whole
some respect for my power, but must
admit that l have been slow to i'm
press the people with my Importance.
1t has come at last, however. See
how they truckle to me, kow-tow to
me, supply my every want almost be-
fore it is felt, and make menials of
themselves to cater to my pleasure -
This he said to himself as he walk
ed by himself. The other citizens of
the farm-yard looked at him with
glowering faces and the bitterness of
envy in their hearts. He had always
tyrannized over them, and they hated
him with hatred all the more dead
ly because it was concealed under the
mask of respect. Now, though he
had never done Il humane or generous
thing in his life, they beheld him
housed and Toasted like a king, with
IL 4
him every hour. They couldn't I'M
derstand it; they saw no justice in it,
and they murmured against it.
A poor, Woodworking hen, who had
brought up her family by the strict
est economy and most faithful indus
try, and who had been robbed of her
heartless Mikado, spoke her mind
about it:
Its an outrage" she said, IAN out
rage on all decent fowls to see that
brute of Mikado in clover up to his
comb while the rest of us scratch from
morning till night merely to keep
life in our bodies. Such things are
rapidly creating All aristocracy of sex
In the future when male or female are
both equal before the law there will
be none of this. But it's the way of
the world, and always has been The
basest and least deserving get into
power, because they are SO coarse that
they can ride right over any obstacle,
having no sensibilities to wound.''
Here a great swell of a cock, a mon
opolist of high degree, looked away
and pretended not to hear; but the
others listened attentively, sighed,
and admitted that it was hard to rise
in the world while such monsters as
the Mikado had the power to Cypress
A middle-aged anarchist sputtered
around at n great rate; but IS he had
always talked rather more than he
should they didn't give him the clos
est attention. A fair and fat hen of
good figure smiled scornfully, and said
one could expect nothing but coarse
vanity from IL person of really low
pedigree like the Mikado. For her
part, come what would, she had the
comforting knowledge that the blood
of the Brahmas flowed in her veins
Her ancestors were Asiatic kings.
Then she strutted around to show off
her figure, which really was perfect.
A Young turkey, who was consider
ed something of Il crank because he
wore glasses, was greatly given to
philosophy and metaphysics, had
gone so far as to lecture a little and
was thinking of starting newspaper,
here piped up: cit is my opinion,
friends, that we are to blame for our
lack of success. The Mikado is mere
ly carrying out the theories of the
new school of Boston thinkers and the
occultists of the east, which he has
dropped on, verify believe, through
my teaching. He has powerful will,
and he has secretly and pefsistently
demanded the good things of life and
is getting them. The great force, my
friends, is mind. But while we have
been talking about it, he, like the pi
rate he is, has gobbled the idea and
put it into operation"
An old and opinionated cat that had
been apparently sleeping on a fence
post now had word to say: You
are very inexperienced creatures
have (Which none of you are likely to
do, am sorry to say, for reasons it
would be indicate now to mentionl
you will know that what appears
sometimes to be great good fortune is
really the greatest curse that coui1
befall us. | will not here go into I AZ
ticulars, but will entreat you not to
be envious of the Mikado. This is a
very dramatic world. The man woo
is up to-day may be down tomorrow.
Envy no one. Perhaps your hard lot
is better a thousand times for YOUR
souls good than the wealth of a Gould
or Vanderbilt, or even the Mikado.
Ben Franklin spoke wisely when he
said:
He that is down need fear no fall,
He that is humble none at ALL"
Just then the Mikado, whose doors
had been opened by the beautiful
daughter of the house to give him an
hours walk in the sunshine, came
near them with lordly gait, head erect
and wings scraping the earth in over
whelming pride. In spite of the cats
sermon on humility, in the face of the
fact that they knew she spoke the
truth, they felt shriveled and mean in
the presence of this petted and ad
mired creature. He walked near them,
smiling scOrnfulIy and said