Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1906-11-29
THE GREAT sANDTOWN TURKEY THEFT.

Oue VI lhoeo uooh PSOPiS "HO w
see others prosperous, even though 1t
does not interfere with them at all.
He lived in Sandtown and raised
turkeys, like everybody else. He
earned lot of money, because he
fattened his turkeys well. 1t was his
only generous deed, for he begrudged
even the food that he gave himself,
and as for others Well, Deacon Van
dertassel once said that Noah VAN
skittle was 80 mean that he would
walk three miles to borrow a match
rather than use one of his own to
light his fire in the morning.
Noah Wamskittle did not like Dea-
con Vandertassel at all, and he liked
him even less after he heard this.
So some days before Thanksgiving
day, he went to a poor man in Sand
town and said to him:
"You know that we will all have
to ship our turkeys tomorrow. Now,
you have only so, and if you do not
get good price for them you will be
hard-pressed for money this winter.
Well, 1 know way to make the
prices higher for you. If you will go
to Deacon Vandertassels place with
me tonight we can cut holes into his
turkey houses and let all his birds
fly into the woods. He will be quite
unable to catch them again in time
for shipment and the people in the
city will be glad to pay you high
prices for yours.
The poor man, whose name was
Bill Lego, made believe to agree with
the mean man. But really he did
not agree with him at all, for he came
of poor but honest parents, and was
very much like them himself. So
he devised a cunning plan.
That night he went to Ncah's house
and said to him: "Let US 60 to do
this deed. But we will have to go
into the woods just behind your house
and work around through them for
several miles, so as to approach the
deacon's place through the under
brush in the back. 1t would never
do for us to be seen"
THAT is good idea, said Noah.
"But l do not know the way through
the woods"
81 will guide you" said poor but
honest Bill. Il fear, however, that
you will find it rough going, for we
cannot dare to carry lantern. "
He took hold of Noah's arm and
off they went, up and down and in
and out, through thick and thin and
thorn and swamp, this way and that
way, twisting and turning, till Noah
was nearly dead and only his great
meanness kept him going.
At last, scratched and bruised and
full of mud, weary and suffering, he
fell into a deep mudhole, which,
strangely enough, had been avoided
cleverly by poor but honest Bill.
"Never mind" whispered Bill,
helping him up, 1--WE have arrived.
Noah looked through the UNDER
brush, but be could see nothing ex.
| cept a black mass Of something in the
darkness.
"Those are the bsrns,' said Bill.
"Here, take this saw and saw holes
into the walls there and will creep
around the other way and scare the
turkeys SO they will come out.
Noah, madden and meaner than
ever, worked hard and sawed big
holes, out of which the turkeys scut-
! tied. Then, as scared them up, off
they few into the woods until the
whole, big flock had vanished.
| AS soon as the last one had gone
| poor but honest Bill seized Noah and
said: ave must hurry back md we
must go the same way We came"
"Oh, dear. oh, dear" groaned Noah
But he followed, and once more h'
was dragged through mudholes and
creeks and over stumps and rocks IN
| til his shins and nose were skinned
and every part of him was sore.
At last they emerged on roa'
and in few moments they were a
Noah's front gate and the mean ma
hurried to bed.
The next morning he could hardl
get up. because he was so sore. Blu
he crawled out to feed bis turkeys.
When he got to the barnyard, hi