The Washington herald., 1915-11-21
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Tim Cronin's Thanks
giving Adventure
BY JOSEPH A. kIBoURNE.

ny JOSEFh A.
On the night before Thanksgiving
last year, when Tim Cronin, fifteen
years of age and as sturdy as an
athlete, went home from his day OF
hard work in the packing department
of a big dry goods establishment in
New York city he was met at the
door of the humble tenement in East
New York by his sisters. Nora and
Ursula, bright looking girls Of twelve
or thereabout-
Where's that turkey" demanded
Ursula
Didn't you get one, Tim" follow
ed Nora. with tears in her voice.
TITS a burning shame" declared
Mrs Cronin. Indignantly. as Tim en-
tered. AN no other man in the fam
lily. Tim. but yourself. Upon my word.
it's a very stingy boss you have"
Hanging his hat on nail and re-
moving his coat and then proceeding
to give his face and hands a vigorous
scrubbing at the sink. When he had
finished, he seated himself at the wait
ing supper table. without the formality
of resuming his coat, and at once be-
gan a spirited attack on a savory stew
which his mother prepared from a
recipe of her own. and quite good
enough. Tim often asserted. to go on
the bill of fare of the Hotel Astor.
81 get the turk just the same" he
managed to announce between the
mouthfuls.
How" from the girls in unison.
Well, you see, it's just this way"
Tim went on with agravating DELHI
Grafton. About o'clock this after
noon We got the tip that carload
of turkeys ordered by the firm hadn't
shown up. OF course that made US
feel a little blue. but just before quit
ting time Mr.. Smithson-he's the boss
of our department. Smithy is-came
around and told US that the load of tur-
keys had come in from the West, but
couldn't be unIoaded In time for US to
carry them home. So we're all TO go
over to the store the first thing in the
morning and get our baskets"
.'Hurrah cOr old smithy,'' from impul-
sive Ursula.
The joy of anticipation sent every
member Of the Cronin household to bed
with care-free, happy heart
Next morning Tim and his mother rose
bright ana early and ate their simple
breakfast of bread and coffee without the
company of the girls. who were at last
in such a deep slumber that even the
l.oo lrat hoA
ceased to distract them. Although he
did not wish to let it be known. Tim was
quite as impatient as any one to set eyes
on the appetizing collection of dainties
that awaited him on the other side Of
the river and he set out for the ferry
long before he needed to do so. When
the ferry boat landed in the slip on the
New York side, he found that he had
more than an hour to wait. so he de-
cided to walk up to the store, and thus
save a nickel toward the sum he was
accommodating to buy his mother and the
girls Christmas presents that would make
them open their eyes in establishment.
Promptly at o'clock he appeared in
the basement of the great store and was
nut in possession of the basket, which
was tagged Timothy Cronin. $50 Turner
street, East New York" 1t was very
large basket with a cover. and when Tim
hung II on his arm and started home
ward II seemed to him that it was going
to be about as much as he could do to
manage it. Strong as he was and &C
customed to lifting heavy parcels, he
realized that 1t was going to be pretty
strenuous tug for him to land that basket
at his home. Not for the world, how
ever, would he have had It lighter. When
he thought of the toothsome things II
contained, he told himself that he might |
even be willing to have it little heavier. |
He was not sorry. however. when he
reached the ferry and deposited his
precious burden on the floor of the mems |
cabin and sunk into q seat close by. Be- |
ing a holiday and still quite early In |
the forenoon, there were few passengers |
on the ferry boat. The cabin In which /
Tim sat was practically deserted. only
one other person occupying it He was |
q short man of a very dark and foreign |
ASPECT who sat at the extreme end near
est the forward exit There was moth
ing about him to attract the attention
and Tim probably would not have no
tIced him but for the fact that he was
in possession of basket which was
rather larger than the one at the boys
feet.
I'm sorry for him IL his turkey and
other fixings are as heavy as mine, and
that basket looks as II they were a good
deal heavier. Wonder what all he's got
anyway" Tim wondered.
MY basket is safe enough" conclud-
ed Tim. He's got all he can manage
with his own"
So he skipped up the stairway. with
the intention of taking one good look
I'D and down the river and long breath