Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-01-08

cara
For Mr.. Moore, from Murphy
Grant & Co"
The turkey was dressed, and nicely
wrapped in paper with only the head
and feet showing. | took 1t, and put
il under the desk. not suspecting any
thing, and went on with my work.
Pretty soon, Mr.. Whipple, the vice
president came through, and l stopped
him, and thanked him for the turkey.
We exchanged a few pleasant remarks,
and each of us went about our work
When l started for home later l felt
better than l had done for weeks. l
felt that we had good, clever people
out here like the friends / left at home,
what a pleasant surprise 1t would be
for those at home to know that mad
made friends, and was associated with
nice, clean people. When l reached
home, Mrs. Moore met me at the door,
and | greeted her with:
Just see what nice Christmas
present l have
"Where in the world did you get It,"
she asked.
| told her to take it and feel the
weight of it, and look at the card.
Amt that nice!" she exclaimed. Il
intended to get one as l came home,
but Bess would not let me, and l am
so glad l didn't"
I called to Bess to come and see IL,
and to get q large dish to put II on,
which she did, and l proceeded to take
IF the wrapper l cut the string and
took the paper off and was little sur
prised to find it had another wrapper
Of burlap, and l began to get sus-
picious: but cut the other cord, and
found a fifteen pound rock rolled up
in more burlap.
Joe Moore remarked, Papa, that
turkey ate too much gravel"
l had to laugh, but 1 will admit that
| was hacked badly, and felt like a
fool.
knew that 1 was not the only
sucker in that crowd, and swore that
would get even with them If 1t took
me a year. and cost me months sal
ary to do it.
1t was the best joke that / have had
played on me since / moved to Ala
nance county, N. c., away back In
1888. when W. A. Erwin Of West
Durham, N. c., and F. o. Walton OF
the Charlotte Supply Co. stole my
chickens, and had me shooting at them
with blank cartridges.
| will not attempt to describe the
laugh and the fun they had at my ex-
pense when l returned to the store the
day after Christmas; but before an
other day passed, I sold the whole
push for fifty cents.
AS went to the store that morning
I stopped at wine shop, and had six
quarts of colored water bottled, and
labeled Bourbon Whisky" The corks
were nicely put in. and capped with
tin foil, and was a handsome package.
When l went in I was as meek as
Moses, and answered.: Nov boys,
that was the best joke that l ever had
played on me. 1t was all right and II
is up to me to treat"
AS opened up my package OF whis-
ky, l could see them begin to soften
at once, and the compliments they
paid me, and the nice things they had
to say, made me feel sorry that had
not given them the genuine article;
but when / thought about carrying
that blamed fifteen pound rock for
twenty blocks, I wished that I had
put a quart of ipecac or croton oil IN
each bottle.
Every one of them took that liquor
like they hadn't had any in six
months, and others stood around with
their tongues hanging out.
There are not less than fifty men
working in that store and I could have
sold them all just as easily. One fel-
low wanted to know:
Mr. Moore is that the way they do
in the south?"
l told him it was, and he said we'll
this will entitle you to life member
ship in the club. and / thought. Yes,
blame you, I wonder what you Will
think when you taste that liquor"
Another one declared:
You are a good fellow all right, and
my heart is with you"
l thanked them for their expressions
of friendship, and told them that we
had all been so busy since had been
with them that we had not had time
to get acquainted; but that they
would know me.
I live in Oakland and those suckers
live in Frisco, the great Metropolis
of the west, but they packed that col
ored water home with them, and tried
| to drink II.
They took the joke good naturedly
| the next morning, there was crowd
lined up to meet me, and many OF
them congratulated me on my sue
cuss.
1t was amusing to hear the different
ones give their experiences. On the
way home one fellow said. Moore
certainly did take that joke nicely,
another one said, "Yes he did, but 1t
was a damned shame he went to all
that expense" Some one tried to buy
bottle from one of them, but he
would not sell it because a friend had
given 1t to him.
Another one invited friends in to
help drink his whisky, and before they
opened the bottle, he told them about
the joke they played on me- and how
nicely took it, and that I set up the
whole crowd to a bottle Of whisky
each. His wife said, Now. 1t would
be Joke on you If it was not liquor.
He said that this was the first time
that he suspected any thing, and when
they opened It and tasted 1t, they ac-
tually put him out of the house, and
locked the doors. This fellow brought
his back to the store next morning,
and when l got there had a glass
and was trying to treat everybody.
No one has said turkey to me again.
but they are still giving the "tea kids
as they call them, time. I neglected
to say that this is what they call the
annual turkey" and 1t has been played
on some body here for years. / am the
first one to get even with them.
The people on the outside got on to
| it. and all day strangers dropped in,
and would say, Il heard you are giving
awav whisky here and l would like
to have bottle" Mr.. Horner, the
cashier, would give them all the same
answer. "Mr Moore has charge OF all
the whisky and he is out to lunch" but
I was standing near enjoying the joke
We all had good time. but I would
like to have spent it with the friends
| at home.
THos. P. MOORE.
|