The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-21
ABUNDIO'S ASTEC TURKEY.
By H. b. Fullerton.

II Olga AbundioI A yer 81 hay unos
| guajalotes para la comida de la mana
| ma"
Although the words We're Spanish
they were strongly impregnated with
Americanism. They, however, convey
ed TO the clever Aztec servant the de-
sire of the Americans and their COM
panion to partake of turkey on the
morrow, and that he was to see If the
turkey, which was a native bird, could
be secured Hence, beng a wise and
loyal servant. Abundio mounted his
pony and disappeared down the bridge
path.
Then three men, Yankee, a West
erner and an Englishman, were drink
ing coffee and smoking in the twilight
near their matched roof abode house
situated half way down the eastern
slope running from the central table
land of Mexico to the Gulf. They had
resolved to have an old-fashioned
Christmas dinner. The Englishman
insisted ON plum pudding and the
Americans on roast turkey with cram
berry sauce.
The plum pudding had been obtain
ed. 1t came in tin can and the Brit
on's pride was rather Jared" to find
that 1t bore the name of a New York
purveyop of canned luxuries. The cram
berries, with great trouble and con-
siderable cost, had been brought by
steamer, by rail and by burro.
But the turkey had been left till
the last moment. They thought that
Mexico, the hunting grounds were near
enough to supply their need.
But when Abundio returned con-
sternation came with him. His saluta-
tion mo hay, nj una!" told it all.
There was no turkey.
council of war was convened and
the result was a compromise. Roast
goat was the best substitute for tur-
key found by the foreigners.
Abundio hesitated and respectfully
asked permission to procure some
thing nearer the turkey that had been
so wistfully longed for. This was
readily granted on the ground that
Abundio could not get farther away
from turkey than goat.
No questions were asked Christ
mas Day dawned bright and clear.
The luxurious semi-tropical MONDAY
brought with 1t the summons to din
ner. There was a homemade table.
with covering as fine as linen woven
from fibres of the maguey, and made
beautiful by immense punches of the
Flor de Noche Buena," the Holy
Night Flower" known to Americans
as Poinsettia. 1t blooms in Mexico
a day or two before Christmas. Its
brilliant scarlet set off by the delicate
green of it's foliage, together with the
exceeding care given to every detail
by Abundio, made the three men
hopeful,
The cranberry sauce appeared all
right and pudding ditto. The splendid
assortment of tropical fruits added
fuel to the fires of hope. Heavy bets
were made as to Just what Abundio
would produce as substitute for tur-
key.
Abundio's appearance with a large
platter showed k1at he had found
something; but the expectant ones
could not tell what until 1t was set
before the head of the house, when to
their horror they discovered it to be
an iguana, the curious grant lizard of
the South.
lie was served as he had lived, with
skin on bristles erect, legs bent under
MN anu open. Ills beautiful
pink and green tints had changed to
brown in the cooking and his long tail
was coiled naturally around the plat
ter. He was fully up to the average
size, being about three feet long, and
two feet of him at least was tail
The trio, while they would not have
hesitated at the weird lobster or dia-
bolical looking crab, were somewhat
shy of eating a lizard. The West
erner was the first to try It, Although
he said nothing, his actions showed
plainly that only promptness would
enable the others to find out anything
definite about Abundio's substitute
Informality reigned supreme and
not a word was spoken until the gem
tie Yankee bethought himself of the
gratitude due to Abundio, and they
thanked him by the thousand and
they used the superlatives that only
the Spanish language can contain;
and Abundio ate cold goat with a few
crumbs of the pudding and knew that
in giving his masters their first taste
of iguana he had gained for himself a
position of comfort as long as the
Gringoes remained in the Land of Fruit
and Flowers.