Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-11-28
A TURKEY HUNT.
BY Linda Woodruff Beach.
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We came very near not being thankful
at all this year-for how was 1t possible
to be thankful without turkey? And this
desirable bird so pertinaciously lodged
our earnest attempts to apply the pos
sessive pronoun that we began to despair
Of ever owning one, and, unfortunately,
we wanted three.
Any one could spend the summer In the
but Thanksgiving and Christmas would
be new revelation Of beauty and COM
fort to people accustomed to confined
views and brick walls. So we stayed and
chestnutted, and gathered stacks of
bright-hued maple leaves, and wrote such
glowing accounts of the good times we
were having to all our friends and rela-
tives that two or three of them, without
ceremony, invited themselves to spend
Thanksgiving with us. We then conclud-
ed that we might as well make merry
party of it, and invited number more,
until about eighteen or twenty people had
promised to eat their Thanksgiving dinner
at our table.
A lovely day in Indian summer, and
with that soft haze over the purple-tip-
ped mountains in the distance, two wom-
en- of us drove off in most unromantic
expedition after turkeys. We had been
furnished with regular list by the neigh
Dor, and we agreed first to attack GER
tain Mrs. Shines. A woman in a sun
bonnet issued from the gate as we drove
up, and In answer to our inquiry, in
formed us that Miss Shines was jest set
tin to-" As 1t was approaching the hour
of noon, this probably meant that Mrs.
Shines was on the eve of dining.
The house looked Theoretically sealed.
The door was opened by the very lady we
were In quest of, motherly looking per-
sonage, who appeared to have been try
ing to do half dozen things at once, as
her hands were foury, the bosom Of her
dress was stuck with pins, while the skirt
was wet with recent dabbling in the
water, and she was hastily disposing of
some edible which had evidently been pop
ped into her mouth just as she came to
the door.
Having told her where we lived, how
long we had lived there, how long we ex-
pected to live there, and various other
things relating to our domestic matters.
we worked our way gradually to the tur-
keys, and modestly asked her il she could
accommodate us with three.
Passing through the doorway that OPEN
ed into the kitchen, Mrs. Shines threw her
voice upstairs, and shrieked
"Emmerline! Em-mer-Hnei"
"Haow" was the reply, in voice that
seemed to break the drums of our ears.
"How many turkeys can we spare to
SELF"
.
"Can spare any," said the dredful voice.
"Shol" returned the old lady as she
.sadsd the colloquy; guess we ken spare
one. How'll that do?"
We informed Mrs. Shines that it
wouldn't do at all. The offer of one tur-
key in place of three was perfect insult,
and rather indignant that our time had
been wasted for nothing, we left our
hostess to finish her "settin' to-"
The second one on the list was of the
male persuasion, "and as great an old
screw as ever lived" we were confidential
Up informed. We found him at work in
the barn, very hard-looking specimen
indeed. When he was made aware of the
ma ture of our errand he eyed us suspi-
ciously. Seemed to him we were takin'
time by the forelock; it wanted three hull
weeks to Thanksgivin' yet"
We were taking time by the forelock,
we admitted, because people made such a
rush for turkeys at the last that we were
afraid of not getting any then.
That's Jest it," he rejoined, with a
shrewd grin, "and guess I'll keep mine
till they go up"
Several people in succession, who had
refused us their own turkeys strongly ad-
vised visit to JOB Tiller." He had no
end ola flock, and maybe we could make
trade.
To Job Tiller we accordingly went.
As soon as we had said turkeys" he led
the way to the back yard, where we be-
held pen of turkeys, hens and gobblers,
at least fifty all told.
"Shootin' comes off on the 25th," said
the proprietor.
We exchanged a look of interrogation.
shooting? What shooting? We want
ed to buy turkeys"
twenty-five cents chance" respond
ed Mr.. Tiller.
We were turkeyless, and all those ex-
pected guests doomed up before us as a
hungry multitude clamoring to be fed. We
were approaching our cottage in dis
pirited frame of mind, when we encoun-
tered small boy, and some happy in
y a N