The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-24
The Thanksgiving Rooster
A True Story
BY PArTEN BEARD

yoev lived with his mother and Jim
In Whistleyflle. and Whistleville Is
bull, up along the railway tracks
where are dingy factories and small
wooden houses. Joey's house had a
vara about II, and IN the yard struttcd
Jim. He, too, had grown UP among
the cinders, but his long white tall
feathers showed no trace OF SCOT Inn
was the cIeanest. handsomest white
rooster you ever saw and Joey was
proud OF him.
When he came home from schoot
lonely, for his mother was still work
ing in the hat factory. Jim would al
WAYS be In the yard to greet MIN.
,yhe., .Jaey game hack with his basket
from picking up coal for his mother
of OF the railway tracks. Jim was
there 10 play with. He was friend
in need and friend indeed. Long
hour. passed before Joey's mother
ga me home from work and. unfortu-
natety joey got into mischief more
thar nnce az he was playing In the
street.
, one thing that Joey did that ne
ought not was to make faces at the
nice little girls who went past the
brown house on their sedate way TO
sewing school.
step with Jim strutting about the
ward in solitary content. Joey kicked
the steps with the worn toe OF his
boot and wondered Mt the Injustice
tina, Girls could have all the fun OF
a club of their own while bows had
TO pIa- with ROSTERS. The Hftfe
girls had such a good time. II did
no, seem fair that teacher" shouldn's
| have boys sewing club too. IN
| deed. Joey knew already how 10 sew
buttons on his clothes. His neither
had no time to do 1t for him
So that Friday afternoon joey
made faces at the little girls, bnl
stna, was not all. He followed then,
70 the door of the "club" and declared
!tna, he was coming In too.
/ You can't. Joey. Go away.
screamed all the little girls, Go
thome-tfis is girls club"
/ But joey pushed his Stout little body
ipast them and into the room. Once
in there. he turned defiantly on the
little girls.
Il guess I'll go where l want" he
asserted.
i What would have happened nobody
knows II hand had not this minute
been laid upon his shoulder. 1t was
ia lady's hand. very soft and white
| not ike ms fuotict AA"'so 'sA"t WAS
/ hard with work
| Little boy somebody said, you
will have to go out again. This is
a little girls sewing school Boys
do not come In here"
II know IT," retorted joey There
isn't nothln else 60 do. Why ain't
there a boys club don't mind
| lie rning to sew even IL 1t Is girls club
I'm goiu' to stay"
| The little girls piled into the room
through the doorway they had been
blocking. Their mouths were wide
open in horror They waited for
something to happen.
| Something did. But II was not what
they expected. Miss Bianch let Joey
stay.
True he made faces surreptitiouslI
at the little girls when Miss Blanchs
back vas turned, but he sat by HIM
self IN corner till the work WIS
given out. Then, at Miss Blanch's
command. be went obediently to the
wash basin and iathered a pair of
very grimy hands. For you can't
sew with dirty hands. you know" Miss
Blanch asserted.
After that Joey sewed marble bag
He sewed IL carefully though the
stitches were large and uneven. Il
ain't got any marbles to put in it,
The offered. when Miss BIanch came
J TO fnck at HIS work I'd = rather
make a present for my mother.
| would" So Miss Blanch converted
tho marble bag into an oblong PIN
cushion and stuffed II herself. after
the sewing school broke up, and
made bow of ribbon to sew at one