Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-12-23
A CHRISTMAS GRANDFATHER
aXzNe 'sss9rA
sNSNf|S ..$ASa ~
BY J. FINDLAY BROWN.


Y ACKIE sat on the front door step
and pondered deeply. Tomorrow
was Christmas, and for Christmas
~ he must have turkey. A turkey!
Jackie's mouth watered at the
thought. A whole, big beautiful turkey,
brown and dripping, on mothers big
old-fashioned platter, with the funny lit
tie houses and trees and things in blue
on a white ground. 1t had been moth
er's grandmother's, you know, and was
very old. That was why mother kept it
up on the top cupboard shelf and took
it down only on Christmas and New
Years and Thanksgiving.
But last Christmas and New Years
1T had not been taken down at all. Some
how, it had not seemed a bit like Christ
mas or anything to Jackie, last year.
Never since father didn't come home
from the hospital, and mother and Jackie
had come to live in the queer little brown
house that was so close to Squire
Grants big stone one.
There was something queer about
Squire Grant. He lived all alone in his
big, old house, and his beautiful big
farm was rented out to another man all
the time. The people that came to see
mother never spoke of him, and mother
herself never mentioned him except
when Jackie asked some question about
him. He always looked very cross, and
Jackie thought he must be bothered a
good deal with the stomachache; that
made people cross.
Suddenly, on the still morning air,
clear with frost, came the sound of
turkeys gobbling. 1t was the Squire's
turkeys across the field. Jackie listened
a moment. Then he brought his hands
together with a little clap. Why not go
to the Squire and ask him to give him
a turkey for Christmas?
He jumped up and ran into the hall.
He would have to tell mother, or she
would be anxious. He opened the kitch-
en- door and looked in. Mother was
peeling potatoes for dinner.
'I'm going down the road a little
piece, MOTHER" said Jackie; "I'll be
back soon" and before mother could
answer he was out Of the door. 1t was
only little distance to the Squirrels
and soon he was climbing up over the
tall iron gate that stood at the foot of
the wide lane. He went up the steps to
the back porch and knocked at the door.
There was no answer.
Jackie ran down the steps and across
the yard to the barnyard gate. It was
a big one. He was just getting down
the other side when he was startled nv
a deep voice behind him.
what are you doing here, young
Znan?"
Jackie turned to find himself face to
face with the Squire himself.
"Oh," he said, in a relieved tone. sis
it you, Squire? was coming down to
find you."
He held out his hand in his pretty.
friendly way, and the Squire took it
rather gingerly.
Sand pray, what were you coming
down to find me for?"
Il wanted to see if 1 could get q
turkey" said Jackie, in his simple, di-
rect little way. "To-morrow's Christ
mas, you know. l wanted to 'sprise
mother. She's always 'sprising me, and
she's so good-oh, you don't know how
good mother is! There's only mother
and me, and 1 thought-you see, it
wouldn't be like as If you really gave
me the turkey, for I'm going to pay for
it soon as I'm big enough. You could
hardly 'spect me to pay for it right now,
could you? But when I'm big I'm 60
ing to have farm of my own, and
mother and me will live there and I'll
have ever so many cattle and horses and
things. Mother says grandfather had
farm like that. Grandfather was moth
er's father you know. And mother had
a little pony-she called it Trix-and
she used to ride it all over when she was
a little, little girl. Just think. Hav-
ing a pony all for yourselfr'
He looked up with sparkling eyes, and
the Squire smiled beneath his scowl.
did your mother ever tell you any
thing else about your grandfather? he