Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-12-25
MRS, JANEWAY'S SURPRISE

IF you please, sir" said a small voice |
which seemed to come somewhere from |
the region of the butchers elbow. how |
much is your smallest turkey2"
John Gaunt, for he was the pro-
prietor of the market, and everyone
said his name Just fitted him, not so |
much that he was g. tall, thin man, but |
that he was such plain one. Hearing |
this child's voice, he turned sharply. |
He had Just been showing a boarding
house keeper madam one of his best
and finest turkeys that had tipped the
scales at twenty-five pounds. This
soft, sweet voice was such change
from that of the. one who stood in
front of him that he couldn't swing
around to it all at once.
Two large blue eyes looked up into
his face, eager for reply. She was
small, yes, everyone said small for her
age, and dressed in gray. In her arms
she carried a large doll. The face of
the doll contrasted oddly with Jessie's
old-fashioned face.
IF you please, SIR" she repeated,
this time a little louder than before,
how much is your very smallest tur-
key?"
stand aside, little girl, 1 have no
time to bother with children, and on a
busy night, tool"
How much is it, please?" she said
once more:
Two dollars" said the butcher, and
| turned away to wait on fat lady
who wanted a prime rib roast of beef
Jessie stepped back slowly and Won
dering if John Gaunt had any little
girls of his own.
Just a few minutes before Mrs.
| Gaunt had entered the market, and in
| time to hear her husbands remark,
| and called Jessie to her. Mrs. Gaunt
| had been a child once, and of poor but
| respectable parents, and more than
once had had someone speak harshly
to her.
You are very small to be sent to a
20. amt sent" said Jessie. I just
| came, me and Freddie.
Il thought I heard you asking the
price of turkeys?"
| so l did, ma'am.'
| Where is your money!
Il haven't any," confessed Jessie,
| hanging down her head.
How did you expect to buy tur-
key without any money!" quickly ask
| ed the butchers wife.
| Il wasn't going to buy tonight.
was going to. wait until I had some
money: if they didn't cost too much.
l only wanted to know the price,
Aren't you the little girl who lives
around the corner in the double frame
house with the long porch in front?'
asked Mrs. Gaunt. We sell you soup
BONES sometimes
30, yes: we can't afford much meat
Mother sews and says it's awful slow
work to make enough money to sup
port herself and US children. 1 pull
the hastings for her, and she don't al
ways get work. Freddie works for the
cigar makers, and his firm is on a
strike. That's my brother" nodding
toward Freddie. He sells papers, but
he don't earn much. There's the baby
too, and she's so cross"
'Why!" said Mrs. Gaunt. Where
is your father?"
!, A heavy cloud swept the child's
brow.
He was a house-painter and fell and
was so hurt they took him to the hos
, pital."
, rs the doll yours?"
mo. ma'am. It's one l dressed fol
, Nellie Riley. Mother says I am rea
: handy with the needle. so when have
all her hastings pulled and the house.
| work done, and the baby dressed, I'm
let sew on dolls clothes. Mrs. Riley
is to pay me twenty five cents for it
only l am to take it out in bread; yoJ
| know she keeps a bakery. Sometimes
she gives me stale pies and cakes fol
: the children"
It's a pretty DOLL" said Mrs. Gaunt
who had taken it in her hands and
l was examining it. How neatly it il
dressed. and your sewing is fine.
/ have two little girls-twins-and / an
going to give them dolls for Christmas
r l bought the dolls and two trunks 70
their clothes, but 1 cannot get time t.
' dress them. Now if 1 buy material
"Oi" said Jessie, opening her larg,
eyes Would you trust me to dres
them? I'm most certain 1 could sui
you. 1 will take great pains and CIV
: | erybody says l sew neatly. l made
blue silk hat for Lottie Maynard's dol
once, and real velvet coat"
Yes" said Mrs. Gaunt. you ma,
4 make the whole wardrobe want on
a dressed in blue and the other in pink
t Come to my house on Monday and
I will give you the material and tn
4 dolls"
t 20! Wilt but please don't mentiol
/. X to mother. nor anyone"
e rs it a secret?" said Mrs Gaunt
Il do not approve of girls having sc
e cIets from their mothers"
dts Freddie's secret and mine,
e speaking in a whisper. Mother is S
d poor and she works so hard. and sh
= told US not TO be disappointed II sh
: could not buy any turkey for US thi
year. and that we would not starve o
II good wholesome soup. 1t would be a
g she could afford, but it is as Freddi
n says:
q Christmas would not seem Xix
a Christmas without poultry Of som
v kind
we had a real nice small turke
last year, cause father was alive an
:, had good wages. But this year"
II Here Jessie's voice choked and he
a eyes filled with tears.
= Yes, yes, 1 understand" said Mr.
Gaunt, but tell me your name"
MY name is Jessie-Jessie Janewa
s but when I went to school the Chi
s dren called me Jessie January. Freddi
n and 1 thought if we could surpris
mother with a real turkey all by ouI
% selves how nice 1t would be. We wer
o going to save all the money we coult
II