The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-24
THANKS ON The FLY.
BY JOHN HARsERToN.
Copyright 1925


distributing bills of fare announcing that
dinner was now ready.
The first passenger to respond to the
invitation was a prosperous looking man
I'm one Of the forward cars. He hurried
into the dining car, took a seat looking
rsarward, polished his glasses before he
uo.sed them on his nose, and then looking
.ntently aft as if expecting some one.
Soon two other men entered, the pros
Derous-looking man stopped them as they
were passing him, and he said:
Gentlemen, misery loves company, and
as we're all away from home on Thanks
Giving day. suppose we're all more or less
miserable. Won't you sit right here?"
The later arrivals sized the speaker up
a moment; then one Of them said: you
bet! while the other remarked:
.ItIl take a pretty good dinner to keep
me from going on being sorry that I'm
not at home"
Just my fix" said the prosperous-look-
ing man. i've never been away from
home on Thanksgiving day. I've had all
sorts of homes and all sorts of dinners, but
no matter what they were they were with
the folks, and the folks are what 1 live
for"
There's no place like home respond
ed the man who said, You bet" the other
man said:
..NTav be we need a disappointment once
in a while TO make US realize what COM
forts we have, and are not properly
enough thankful for
"Just so, added the prosperons-looking
man: then he arose suddenly, put his hand
on the shoulder of a timid-looking little
man who had entered and seated himself
in the inner seat of the last table, and
looked as if he telescoped his spinal col
umn so as to take as little room and seem
as inconspicuous as possible.
81 beg your pardon, sir said the pros
perous-looking man, but this isn't the
day when any man away from home
ought to be alone, if he can help it, l and
two other gentlemen, strangers TO me,
need a fourth to fill the table; we would
be greatly obliged if you would join us
"I-ah-I shall want mere mouthful,"
was the reply. land, as you're so Kind 1t
is only fair for me to say that I'm afraid
/ wouldn't be very good company. I've
things on my mind thai
MY dear SIR so nave I'D IKE 70 cry
this very moment. Misery loves company
Do join us Eat as little or as much as
you like, and talk or not, as you please
The little man looked timidly toward
the table where the two other men SAT
looked up at the man who had invited
him. and then followed him.
Now, gentlemen said the prosperous
looking man, none of you know me anu
I'm nobody in particular anyhow, but
want to say in self-defense that I've moth
ing to sell-not to-day-PYe no checks
that l want to cash, and I'm not going
to suggest a game after dinner. Hoping
that these remarks will disarm suspicion
/ want TO beg of you, as a special favor
that you will let me be host to-day. The
difference will be of little consequence one
way or the other to your pockets or mine
Int will no a
heart. As l said before, l never before
was away from home on Thanksgiving
day. I'm proud TO say, further, that 1
and my folks have always kept open
house on Thanksgiving day. Sometime
there wasn't much to do 1t with lremem-
Der one year when the best that we could
offer the passerby was parched corn and
frosted persimmons but some of them
enjoyed it. so it went right to mothers
to do something for his fellow-creatures
on a day like this and what have asked
for will be a great favor to me. You won't
refuse, will you? OF course you won't
Don't make any mistake about mel I'm
not purse-proud and I'm not putting on
airs; but the better dinner can set up
to-day the happier III feel, and all of
you know that it isn't often that you can
make fellow-be7ing happy with SO little
You've got master way of putin
things, my friend said one of the party.
u call you my friend, because I've eaten
parched corn an persimmons myself, an
been mighty glad to get EN-. I'll stand
by you, an pass the kindness along the
next Thanksgiyin' find myself to home.
Gosh! If l could be there now!'
So say |. for myself" remarked an
other 4 believe there is some good rea-
son for all of our disappontments, but
II does make me wretched to be away
from home to-day"
You gentlemen" said the little man,
have noticed my own feelings most ac-
curatey. | am so full of trouble"
"A full stomach is good antidOte, to a
certain extent" said the seif-appointed
host. Our troubles will wait fof us; but
don't let's let the dinner wait, for it may
get cold. Here, waiter!'
The host ordered four portions of all
most everything on the bin of fare; then
he ordered couple of bottles of the most
expensive claret on the list, two bottles
OF cider, and begged his guests to take
drink.
The dinner soon began to unlock the
hearts, as well as the tongues, of the
quartet, and all began to disclose the
matters which We're uppermost in their
I'd be at home to-day" said one. "if
my brother away off in York state.
hadn't telegraphed me that one of his
wild boys was going to make a runaway
marriage down here, and he wanted me
For the family's sake, to stop him if
That's queer" said another of the
guests: Pm on something of the kind
myself-not the same case, of course.
one of my wifes sisters, as nice girl as
ever knew is teaching school about fifty
miles east of here and wrote us a few
ried. She didn't seem to know much
about the man, and she's under age,
anyhow. according to law; and my wife
isn't well enough to travel and she's been
lying awake nights to- think about it and
Worry about ii, SO I've had to neglect my
business and come off here on the chance
of persuading the girl that she's making
2 mistake, perhaps. l suppose all of YOU
know what sort of a job it is to reason
with very young woman who's got her
heart set upon one man in particular
The more character she's got the more
likely she is to make a fool of herself -
"H'mH' said the host. Did you ever
notice that when you were out of sorts
and felt cross everybody you met seemed
in the same condition? Turn up at the
bank some morning with q small balance
and big note you want to have discount
ca. and every man you meet there is in
exactly the same fix. Now, ridiculous as
IT may seem, I'm out this morning on the
same sort of job as you two gentlemen
one of my clerks, bright enough fellow
nut not exactly trustworthy, failed TO
turn up this morning, so did some of my
money. / don't care for the cash but I
heard that he had girl on the brain and
nad boosted that he would be married in
Il week to the handSOmest girl in the