Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-01-03
THE HANDMADE TURKEY


running cutters
From the more pretentious saloons
came the jangling of electric pianos;
from the second-c class ones the rasping
was of oyerworked monographs and the
odor Of the free hot stew"
Life was always noisy and restless on
the Chute, but the holiday atmosphere of
Thanksgiving eve, with its rafiies and
necessary extra shopping, permeated ev-
cry nook and corner of shop and tene-
Inent with additional spirit.
The Chute, like each stratum of So
ciety. had its stringent rules of etiquette
and good form, not the least important
| of which was the idea that no one who
| aspired to be one of the inner circle
Of the Chute could possibly celebrate
Thanksgiving without turkey. What
| you dined on the balance of the year
was your business; your Thanksgiving
o.nner was everybody's business.
Not all the fowls that adorned the diff
ferent tables of the Chute on Thanksgiv-
ins were obtained by strictly fair means,
which fact seemingly bore no weight
with those surrounding the festive board
| On this particular Thanksgiving eve
| Jess Gardiner hurried home, her thoughts
concentrated on some unseen object
ahead: oblivious alike to the slushy
puddles and the admiring gances of the
young bluecoat who was wont to receive
a pleasant smile and CHEEKY good even
! ing" at this corner.
| Tonight Jess brow had two little fur
rows between the deep-set brown eyes,
and a determined expression had settled
around the red lips. She was thinking of
the many Thanksgiving when her father
had come home, usually little the worse
| for being a party to an endless chain of
| holiday treats, but, nevertheless, with the
turkey. Since he had gone Jess had fol-
| lowed up the ime-honored custom; but
circumstances had been such this year
that she was brought to the very eve of
Thanksgiving without the slightest ves-
| tige of turkey.
| Her meditations were brought to an
abrupt end by the appearance of her own
door, on which she gave several taps
with the toe of her shoe.
| The door was opened slowly by
small boy with wonderfully surprised
| look. Not that there was anything to
! lie surprised about, but because the ex-
preston was produced by peculiar arch
of the eyebrows ana certain bristly
quality of his sandy hair.
Hello, joint" said Jess, dropping sew
eral small bundles on a chair.
| "IIoNdyi" mumbled the boy, scanning
the bundles critically.
| The simple evening meal having been
hastily eaten and cleared away, Jess
stepped about briskly, pulling down the
shade, pushing the bolt of the door in
place, and finally removing the bundles
to the table.
John wriggled on the edge of his chair,
waiting for Jess to explain what was on
her mind.
"Now I'm going to fix our turkey" re-
marked the girl, untying a bundle of
cardboard.
Johns eyes glistened. There was to be
turkey, after all. The corners of his
mouth moistened unconsciously and he
swallowed in exultation. John was only
II, and consequently his chief interest in
! Thanksgiving was centered around the
| luscious fowl.
"Where is it? ?" he asked softly.
Right here. Pm going to make it,"
answered Jess. with an air of decision.
John stared stupidity.
"Of course you don't understand; you
amt got no sense or pride" cried Jess,
exasperated by her small brothers in
eredulous look
| John carefully scrutinized his chapped
hands and the wart on his thumb, wisely
keeping silent, but inwardly wishing his
sister didn't have such crazy ideas.
Anyway, I'm going to make tur-
key" continued the girl, as much to her
self as 70 John, "and if | can't make a
frame and cover it with veal SOS it
would fool a turkey hisself, then my
name amt Jess Gardiner"
at might look all right, but how about
/ the taste ~ propormded the dubious child,
hoping to dash cold water on such pre-
posterous scheme in its infancy.
'John Gardiner, do you consider few
mouthfuls of vittles more important than
| family pride?" cried Jess, glazing at the
small hoy so disgustedly that he flushed
q deep red, and managed to stammer,
Nav" in half hearted manner.
| Jess was astir early on Thanksgiving
morning, swaddling the curious looking
frame in slices of veal, until it was a
marvel of ingenuity, while John watched
| HPI WITH u SOitiuu lace. WOHutIlu2 H ut
would be called upon to eat the card
board drumsticks for the sake of family
pride.
"Sure, your turkey has the smell of a
| foine bird" exclaimed old lady Carney,
dropping in on her way to the Pleasure
House Saloon. And it's a whopper, as
yer liyiu'l" stealing a glance in the oven
as Jess purposely opened it for mere
| second.
Nine pounds; that's enough for John
and me-" came the offhand answer
jess was eontented and light hearted
as she tidied up the rooms, humming
popular airs and occasionally opening the
oven to allow the odor of the browning
meat to escape Suddenly she was inter-
rupted in her song by the hasty entrance
of Mrs. Kelley, followed by her daugh
ter Molly.
Where did you get your turkey,
Jesse" breathlessly asked Mrs Kelley
"How do Won know | have turkey ~