Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1914-11-26
The Tale OF A Turkey.

into the world through the shell Of tur-
key egg. think there must have been
shower just before my birth, for the leaves
on the bushes glistened in the morning
sun with drops of water. remember
that wobbled from under my mother and
looked around curiously. wondering what
was and where had come from no.
ticed several other little turkeys just like
myself and several more arrived through
out the day. The next day my mother
took US all out walking and ! began to
feel the Joy OF living. As time went on
grew rapidly, more rapidly than by
brothers and sisters, and my mother was
very proud OF her handsome son. She
used to talk TO me more than she did TO
the others. When We wandered through
the woods or across the fields she told
me all about men. had seen them in
the distance working in the fields, and
often our flock came quite close to them,
but learned from my mother all that |
knew about them. She said that my
purp 0se in life was to grace the table OF
one of the men we saw in the fields. She
said that there was one way to avoid that
purpose and that was TO Starve IT IT
before Thanksgiving. and ! would be
spared because ! would not be worth
killing. Now that way Of avoiding my
mission never appealed to me. II was
put into the world to grace the table OF a
man and 10 have The children exclaim at
the tenderness and sweetness ofmy flesh,
should certainly be ambitious to be the
best turkey that those children and their
father and mother and friends ever ate.
And that became my abiding prayer, that
should so keep my health and spirit
in such condition that nv flesh would be
the finest, the sweetest, and the most
tender in the memory OF man. My moth
er in talking these things over with me re-
luctantly acquiesced with my opinion and
sadly agreed that perhaps my philosophy
was right and worthy OF a true turkey.
And so as fall came on and Thanksgiving
approached grew into magnificent
adolescence. was the best looking tur-
kew in all that section, and when the men
passed us they remarked upon my splen-
did physique with JOY in their eyes. |
became proud and naughty. All the
young hens adored me because there was
no turkey OF their acquaintance which
had attained the Joy OF lite as | had al
tanned il. And mark you that this con-
dition was all because Of the single TACT
that had determined in my youth that !
would fulfill my destiny with never shirk,
never a grumble. Thus my happy frame
of mind kept me far above the plane OF
my companions, who were continually
planning and scheming how they could
avoid their duty and 20 through the world
without doing anything useful or worth
while. About two weeks before Thanks
giving the men came and drove most OF
the flock to the barn yard Oh how they
did feed us All the other turkeys ale
with sullenness and detection but with my
ambition in mind ate the corn with Joy
and happiness, for realized that these
men were being good to me in that they
were assisting all IN their power to the
attainment ofmy life ambition. After that
they did not need to drive US in, but called
us three times day and we all came at
the call.
Four days before the eventful day the
men called us in for the morning feed and
instead OF feeding us in the barn yard
they threw the corn in the stable. Some
of the more timid turkeys hesitated about
going into the stable but with a little
coaxiug they all finally went in. Then
the men proceeded to catch them and put
them in crates. was disappointed in
that. 1t certainly was an undigniied way
to 90 to ones triumph. However, ! did
not intend to spoil the JOY Of an entire
lifetime by an lndiscreet act so close to
the end, so did not attempt to escape
from the hand OF the men. But they did
not molest me. When they had all the
turkeys in crates they opened the stable
door, carried the crates 10 a wagon, and
when the 10 ID was strapped on. drove off.
was very sad. They LEFT me penned
in the barn yard all alone. Why had !
been subjected 10 this humiliation 2 Was
not the finest turkey in the lot q? And
vet the men had lett me- My ambition
was not to be realized. was failure.
moped about the barn yard all morn
ing in despair About noon a little girl
came out and threw some corn on the
ground but was too despondent to eat.
The little girl, noticing my sadness, said,
"Poor old turkey Are you sad because
you are going to be killed tomorrow I"
| At those words listened more sharply.
Perhaps after all my life was not TO be
miserable failure. She continued, Papa
saws YOU are the finest turkey that he has
ever raised, and that he has never seen
the like of you, and we are going to have
lots of company to help eat you"
NV troubles were over. ! sweIled up
right there and the fuilness OF my life
opened out to me in that moment. Even
though were to die on the morrow. there
was nothing but Joy in my heart. In my
youth | had formed definite determi-
nation to live out my life in the fulfill
ment OF purpose. and now the fight was
over. had done my work well. To all
the other turkeys death was a horrible
thing because they could see no purpose
in it. They saw nothing bnt the death
itself, the departure from an earthly ex-
isteuce. and il was therefore terrifying
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