Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-11-19
A I thanksgiving Story.

1t was very hard to go without a
turkey on Thanksgiving day. But
there seemed nothing else to do. They
had always had a turkey and cram
berry sauce and mince pie before; but
now that the father was disabled and
there was only Mays little earnings to
go and come upon they must be con-
tent with a dinner of corned beef
They did not have as good as that every
day, by any means. But what was the
corned beef, Tom Powers asked, be
side a turkey stuffed with buttered
and peppered and mashed potatoes; a
great crisp brown turkey, such as be-
longs to Thanksgiving day of right
Ned Twombly's going to have tur-
key and ducks, too, and a chicken pie, -
Tom said to his mother. He's going
to have two turkeys. l saw them go
ing"
Well, dear, we must make believe
our dinner tastes like turkey" she re
piled. and if father is able to come
to the table I'm sure that will make it
Thanksgiving enough, turkey or no
turkey"
"Corned beef for a man who's been
kept alive on gruel!" groaned Tom.
ooh, we shall have some granum for
him"
IT'S real good, granum is" said lit
tie Sue
1T isn't turkey" said Tom.
mo; it isn't turkey" said Sue, visit
fully.
well, dear, I wouldn't talk about
it any MORE said the mother going on
with her work. ct would make your
father feel so if he knew you missed it
this way. And he feels bad enough at
the best
Gle wouldn't feel SO bad if he saw a
turkey on the table, just as always, -
said Tom
There, there that will do" said the
mother.
ct isn't the turkey, just for the sake
of eating it, said Tom confidentially
as he and Sue went out picking up
chips that afternoon. Its because
it's part O. Thanksgiving; it's because
it doesn't seem Thanksgivin without
it: it's because everybody else has one
Though the drumstick is awful nice
II like the wish-bone BEST pipet
Sue
Turkeys dAn't have a good wish
bone like chickens"
But you can make hoppers out Of
thu m that hop all across the room,
said Sue
and the gizzard chopped up in the
gravy with hot potatoes-Oh, I say
it's a shame to have corned beef OF
Thanksgiving day."
Yes" said Sue. But corned bee
is good with cabbage, too"
That was too much fox Tom-Su
rot awake to her wrongs. "The idea,
said he, "of your having to eat cornet
beef and so without turkey! You, al
most a baby"
I'm not almost a babyr' cried Sue
Indignantly. I'm a great help t
mother! she says 50. I'm only a 1ittl
smaller than you. And I guess I cal
eat what the rest can anyway. So"
Il mean said Tom, that mother
hLO So1A 10 nave niue G11uSS, du
his mind reverted to the turkey goin
into Ned Trombley's, to the duck
there, to the two turkeys. What di
they want of two turkeys? There wer
only four or five in the family. Wer
they going to kill themselves eating
And if there was to be company, on
turkey and the ducks and a chicke
would be enough for anyone
how unfair everything was-Ne
Twombly, and his great, health
father and mother and Jane with tn
two turkeys and he with his sick fatht
and his delicate sister Sue and his tire
mother, and poor May with no turke
at all, with nothing but that hard sa
beef, which he hated, at least which /
hated for Thanksgiving day. The