The Newtown bee., 1909-11-26

or them went rolling aboul the klt' chen floor.
 Homer nodded.
 For how long?" she asked eagerly
 For q week." HOmef's freckle disappeared in the crimson glow O enthusiasm that overspread his face
 Eighteen dollars for nothin' bu eXhlbitin' q bunch O turkeys! Seemi to me some folks must have money tC throw away" Mrs Tidd stared per plexedly over the top of her glasses
 "I'll tell you about 1t, mother. Homer took a chair and planted hli feet on the edge of the oven. "Ml Richards is goin' to have a great Thanksgiyin' food show, an he wants flock of live turkeys. He's beer drivin' round the country looking fol some. The postmaster sent him here
 He told him about Dan'l Webster'i tricks"
 That don't make Dan'l any better eatin'," objected the mother.
 Maybe not. But dont you see? We'll" Homer's laugh was an em. barrassed one. "I'm goin' to put Dan'l an Gettysburg through their tricks right in the store window"
 You be n't?" and the mother looked in rapt admiration at her clever son.
 q bel" answered Homer, triumph antly.
 q don't know, boy, jest what think O it." said his mother slowly. "Tain't exactly a-a gentlemanly sort O thing to do, be it?"
 q reckon be n't gentleman, mother" replied Homer, with his jolly laugh.
 Tell me all about it"
 "Well, l was feedin' the turkeys when MT Richards druv in. He said he heerd l had some trick turkeys an he'd like to see 'em. Lucky enough, I hadn't fed em; they was awful hun gry, an I tell you they never did their tricks better"
 What did MT Richards say?"
 "He though it was the most amaz- in thing he'd ever seen in his life. He said he wouldn't have believed turkeys had enough gumption in them to learn a trick of any kind"
 Did you tell him how youd fused with them ever since they was little chicks?"
 'I did. He wuz real interested, an he offered me three dollars to give a show three times day. He's got a window half as big as this kitchen. He'll have it wired in, an the turkeys will stay there at his expense. Along before Christmas he'll give me 22c a pound for en-"
 "Well, I VOW, Homer, it's pretty good pay"
 MT Richards gave me commuta- tion on the railroad. He's to send after the turkeys an bring 'em back, SO I won't have any expense"
 Homer rose and sauntered about the kitchen, picking up the apples hat had rolled in all directions over he floor.
 *
 A week before Thanksgiving the .orner in front of Finch & Richards great market looked as it was wont 0 look on circus uay; only the eyes if the crowds were not turned expect | Lntly up Main Street; they were riv- ted on window in the big store. oassersby tramped out into the snowy treet when they reached the mob at he corner. The front of the store yas decorated with a fringe of plump urkeys. One window held a glowing mountain of fruit and vegetables ar anged by some one with a keen eye 0 ocolor-monstrcus pumpkins, splen- id purple cabbages, rosy apples and usset pears, green and purple grapes, nowy stalks of celery, and corn ears S yellow as sunshine. Crimson beets with snowy parsnips, carlet carrots, and silk-wrapped nions. Egg-plants gleaming like eep-hued amethysts circled about cauliflowers, while red nd yellow bananas made gay mosaic valks through the fruit mountain, Wherever a crack or a cranny had cen left was a mound of ruby cran- erries, fine raisin punches CT brown uts.
 It was a remarkable display of merican products; yet, after the rst "Ah" of admiration, people assed on to the further window, here six plump turkeys, supremely | Innocent of a feast-day fate, Tapped 1 leir wings or gobbled impertinently hen small boy laid his nose fiat gainst the window. Three times a ay the crowd grew 20 deep. It .ughed and shouted and elbowed one nother good-naturedly, for the thanksgiving spirit was abroad. Men 'ssed children up on their stalwart loulders, then small hands clapped ] ;statically, and small legs kicked ith wild enthusiasm. t The hero of the hour was a I eckled, red-haired boy, who came l aping through a wire door with an ' d broom over his shoulder. Every g Irkey waited for him eagerly, hun t lily! They knew that each old fla l iliar trick-learned away back in t lickhood-would earn good feed. ] hen the freckled boy began to y histle, or when his voice rang out s a shrill order, it was the signal for | an'l Webster, for Gettysburg, for nanda Ann, Mehitable, Nancy, or q arragut to step to the center of the i age and do some irresistably funny m with a turkeys bland solemnity. ] one of the birds had attacks of stage fight; their acting was as self-pos- c ssed as if they were in the old farm U rd with no audience but Mrs Tidd c lean smiling over the fence with c .c nl !