Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1912-11-28


He thought Of 1t all as he tramped
after the turkey. 1t seemed to him
suddenly that his quest took on n
sacred significance. He had promised
Mandy a turkey. He must keen his
promise or be less a man.
The blackness Of the November
night settled over the forest. As he
came out upon n craggy turn Of the
path he could see, far up, the light
In Mandy's cottage window. He knew
that she was making her simple prep
arations for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Without the turkey there would be
only the usual fried meat and corn
bread. with perhaps a little festivity
added In the way Of simple pudding
with raisins in 1t. Jed had bought
the raisins at the store in the city
many miles away, on one of the rare
and tedious trips when he laid in his
stores for the winter.
With the thought Of the city came
a vision OF the shops as he had seen
them then. Men did not hunt for tur-
keys there-they bought them from
the butcher, above whose stalls the
big birds hung in plump rows.
He laughed little as he thought OF
them, and laughed again as a resolve
grew slowly in his mind. Then he
counted the money in his pocket. 1t
was enough. There would be many
miles to travel to the city and back
again. But Mandy would have her
turkey for the next days dinner.
All that night the snow fell. BY
morning the road were almost i'm
passable. Mandy, high up in the lit
tie cabin, looked out with anxious
eyes. Suppose Jed had hunted all
night, and had been lost in the forest?
Such things had happened even to
experienced woodsmen. when they
we're overcome by cold. She prepared
simple dinner, bearing patiently the
complaints Of her father and of the
disappointed children.
Jed amt no good" said the old
man as he stuck his fork into the
fried meat. Il thought he said he'd
bring a turkey"
He did say SO" Mandy responded,
"but they amt any wild turkeys left
in the woods"
'"They's plenty of turkeys for them
as hunts Them sneered the old man.
Jed amt no good"
Hes better than the rest Of you"
Mandy flared, and then apologized
penitently. 81 didn't mean to be
hateful, father
But the childrens disappointment
was harder to bear.
81 don't want to be thankful" little
Annabel walled, when Mandy tried to
talk of the reason of the feast Il
want some turkey-and l want it be-
fore / can be thankful bit"
Mandy felt, however, that if she
only knew that Jed was safe she
could raise her heart in Thanksgiving.
Nothing else mattered now. A neigh
Dor had struggled through the snow
to say that 1t was the worst storm
In years, and that nothing had been
seen of Jed since the night before.
Daylight died, and night darkened,
and Mandy set a candle in the win
uO". ouc hlt" Nlldl Jtu "Oulu CODlt
straight to her II he came back alive.
Indeed. she felt that even If he were
dead his spirit might return to her
over the snow.
The figure that staggered suddenly
out of the darkness into the circle of
light made by the candle might have
been a ghost, so white was it with
the flakes of the falling snow, SO
noiseless the footsteps on the covered
ground.
jedi" Mandy shrieked, and ran to
meet him.
He was worn out with the journey,
and fell on his knees before the fire,
but in his arms was a bundle which
he held out to Mandy. Il brought
your turkey, DEAR" he whispered, and
fell over in dead faint.
And when he walked, Mandy was
bending over him. "Oh, Jed" she
said, land that amt all got in the
city, sweetheart"
1t was not until the next day when
Mandy served the turkey all brown
and cracking that he told the good
news. He had been promised a place
in the butcher shop where they sold
the turkeys, and Mandy and he would
be married, and with dad ID the chill
dren they would move to a house
lower down on the mountain side. Il
am going to keep a horse" Jed said,
land l can drive home every night,
and some day | am going to have a
business of my own, Mandy"
Mandy's eyes shone. Il always felt
that you were different, Jed" she
roughness of his coat, "and-and now
know it."
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