The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-05
TOPHET'S TURKEY.

''She's as black as tophet" said grand
mother. and that is how the little girl got
one Of her names. Her real one was Pearl
Araminty Aedula, but nobody thought Of
calling her anything but just Tophet. and
when she was little she didn't mind what
paop,e called her. 50 they didn't cal her
too often to run eTTands.
T0phet's mother use to wash for the peo-
PIE at the white house. and when she died
one cod damp day. the grandmothsr Up
there said 70 bring the little CIR. TO them
and they would see what could be made Of
her.
Tophet didn't want 10 be made anything
of. Ali she wanted was 10 be let alcne
to amuse herself. She knew she didn't
rea,-y be,oag to anybody. and nobody be-
-oaged to her; she thought it al ont sit
ting fat in the dirt in a fence corner away
over by the far meadow. She Ci1a'; cry
about il. but she twisted the grass up by
the roots and savage,y pounded il down
again, and dug up jagged rocks with her
bare hands until Jhey were torn and bleed
ing. That was Taphet's way Of working
off her feelings.
There she was hidden away, out Of
sight and sound Of the house. when she
should have been bringing in the clothes
picking up chips. or peeling the potatoes
for supper. None Of these things disturbed
the child she was just about as miser-
abe as she could be. and little seeding
more or less didn't matter.
L don't b'lieve anything in this word
is Just as miserable as 1 be-" she was
thinking.
"Cheep. cheep." called a shriL lite voice
the other side OF the fence. "Chsep,
cheep, it came nearer, and a funny. bare
htt.e thing with sJragg-y feathers and
scrawny legs came fOunder.ug through
the tail grass, calling pitifu-y for help
and something TO eat.
'Yo certny is installer" said T0qhet
critically, watching the sJubb.e tangle its
toes and cut through its bare skin.
Where's yO' mother? Did she go an
leave You too? Then yO' come along o
me. 1 guess we b"Ongs 10 each other.
And she went home by the barn 20 make
a nest for her founding, fed it tender,y on
bread and water and covered ii up with
piece Of cd flannel. Never did an
adopted mother take more care Of her lit
tie one than did T0phet Of her poor, for
lorn baby turkey.
Bless me. if it isn't the turkey egg I
put under Cd Brownie 50 as to have a
turkey for Thanksgiving" said grand
mother, land after she Matched il out she
wouldn't let 1t stay with her other chicks,
but lost it purpose.y out in the fed
If nobody knew where the turkey mother
was, and the hen foster mother didn't want
II, the little turkey was hers. because she
had found it and taken care Of il, rea-
soned TOpheJ to herself, and when she fed
the chickens she took the turkey TO one
side and gave him not only more than his
snare or the corn meal pudding, but bits
Of her own bread and butter as well
And SO the days went OF. TOphet's tur-
key grew TO be a big Pump fellow with
beautiful crimson headgear and Haunting
tail. He strutted around the barnyard
driving everybody out Of his way except
Tophet; he would eat from her hand and
LEI her smooth his speck.a1 p,umaga.
spreading IL even wider for her benefit
Thanksgiving morning Tophet was sent
to Widow Green's. two miles down the
road with basket Of good things for the
widow and her crippled son. When she
got back it was well on 10 10 o'clock, and
as she came by the kitchen door, the first
thing that struck her Mortified eyes was
a turkey head lying in heap Of dragged
feather. Her poor turkey, her one belong
ing had been ruth.6ss.y murdered and
stripped Of his beautiful feathers, while
she was too far away TO save him!
Tophet's grief and anger ragged furious
" until it nearly consumed her. Dashlng
into the house shs saw her darling lying
naked and cold on the pantry table, and
somebody was sharpening a knife on the
grindstone in the cellar-way.
Grabbing her turkey in one hand and
picking up the bucket Of feathers with the
other. TOphet sped away across the fields
to the fence corner where she had first
found him. and there with double her cd
time ''misableness." she dug grave, and
lined it with dead grass, and spread his
beautiful feathers about him, laying his
head tenderly on top.
When she returned TO the house, she
found everybody in CONSERVATION over a
t~av11ro'S TnVEtpriOIlS visit and D0rk-clODE
frying for dinner. Not much of a
Thanksgiving" said grandmother, and
Tophet agreed with her.-Frances NJ. Ben
son in the Queen Of Fashion.