Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-11-29
WiGdy: A Thanksgiving Story,
~ IDA SHEpLER.

Wifi" and Aunt Mollie Jameson's fat
| sides shook with yexation.
Windy, as ne was commonly called, not
that he talked so much, as that he was
always singing, with nteriectional yawps
and bowls between the words of his tune
| full melodies, good naturally answered:
Use g'wan a-git T'anksgivin' turkey.
Use done tard OBJ possum."
''Yaes, yo' is g'wan acome some snide
game aroun' de white folkses turkey
roost," snapped Aunt Mollie.
NANNY, yo' is got so obstreperously
hard to lib wifi sence you done got
r'hgion. See; Pse gwan a-git wild
turkey" and from under his ragged coat
Windy took n muskrat trap, and shook
it in her sight.
BE ca'ful yo' dom mus'rat somebody s
turkey into dat ar trap. Pse done made
ma peace wifi ma Creatah, an Use not
g'wan a-have hit opset or unsettled by
no disbedient snipe lax yo'."
But Windy was now out of hearing
| Over in a heavily wooded bend of the
| river, the week before, Windy had come
upon signs of wild turkeys and their
roosting place. Visions of bringing one
or more home for a Thanksgiving sur
prise to his widowed mother had taken
| possession of Windy's mind. He said
nothing about the find for fear more ex
pert hunters would get them away from
him. The old gun in his mothers cabin
was only to be slipped out as last
emergency. 1t went off always at its
own pleasure, and then at both ends.
Windy feared it on this last account.
Traps and dead falls of various kinds
he had set, but there is nothing so wary
as wild turkey. Today he would make
his last eflcrt in that line, and when he
came tonight to reconnoiter, the old gun
would come along. Windy came swing
ing up the lonely river road In front of
an old-fashioned frame house, young
George Ashton was saddling his riding
horse, while Maggie his little wife, with
her l0-months-old baby, stood watching
him.
Il would much rather you would not
60 today, George, for YOU cannot be here
for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow"
she was saying.
Il must go, Maggie. Landers sent me
word the land was to sell today. 1t will
go cheap, and | want it. If it is already
sold against reach town, | will come
back tonight. If it isn't | will not be
home until tomorrow some time. Here
is Windy. He can eat my share of the
dinner. | leave my baby and wife in
your care, and don't you forget that,
Abraham, Robert and all the rest of your
name
Windy hurried by, his mouth spread
open with wide grin. Young Ashton
invariably had kind word or joke for
| the little darkey.
When Windy came treading softly
back that night, the old gun under his
arm, every trick and continuance had
| failed. The turkeys had been there, sped
them and gone. He was not sure they
would come back again to their roost in
the thick sassafras bushes and fallen top
OF tree. There was nothing more to be
done now about it, but to hide away in
the fallen leaves by log and trust they
| would
Some of them did finally come; but
scenting danger as they came, stepping
and craning their necks and quirking SO
long, that Windy felt they never would
settle At last one old fellow placed him
self so that Windy could distinguish him
from out the rest of the gloom. But
would he ever quit turning and qurkina
low notes of warning to the others? 1t
certainly was late.
Silently, breathlessly Windy raised the
gun and laid il on the log in range OF
that black mass, just rs he laid his
finger on the trigger, with loud squawks
and tlutters of alarm, every turkey STAN.
pcdcd, and rs they did so from their
midst came such blood curdling scream
and cry as Windy had never heard upon
this earth before and with il came q
hidcOus apparition, swinging Il club and
springing almost over the boy. and away
without seeming to see him.
Shivering, Windy arose. And dat an
dc wcy de debhel looks, am il? ?" he NUT
tered, staggering OF. As he struck the
river road. he began to run, and then, tC
keep up his courage, to sing. A religion.
tune was what he tried to switch oil on
hut all that suggested was:
Hey day. Melindy. Clndy. Tell me whal
Melindy Ciudy'S gone
started to lichhcn on de tail oh kite
Tell me. etc
Higher and wilder went the tune. a:
faster and faster he ran.
Two hired men and one woman wcr,
kept i'll the Ashton house to attend I,
work and chores At noon Mike cam,
To Maggie, saying that word had com,
his mother was very sick and he mus
come home. Then Ann. the cook. began
to look glum. When Maggie asked In,
reason of this. she said that herself an,
Joe, the other hired man, had intended
going to party that night, but now sh,
supposed she could not 90 ana leave heI
mistress alone, Maggie was SO kind
hearted that she could not see any ON,
disappointed, She told Ann that she III,
rot believe she would be afraid 10 STAY
il they would be back promptly at IL
which Ann promised,
After they had gone Maggie locked al
Of the doors, and then she set to work
to iron the weeks washing. 10 keep her
self employed, SO that She might NOT
have time to think of being afraid
After q while the baby Weakened. nm
Maggie put it down near the huge old
fireplace, where she was heating he,
irons, and gave il some playthings. But
row she began to be frightened. for sh,
imagined she heard outside door knob.
slyly turned The front windows over
looking the river were merely curtaine5