Speaker 1: They got the turkey by missus Margaret Etting. The shop
of mister Ona Sander Golong looked that twenty fourth of
December like a bower. Two young cedar trees stood, one
on each side of the doorway. Long garlands of evergreen
sprinkled with bright berries were festooed all over the walls,
and every turkey there, and there were lots of them,
hanging like some new kind of gigantic fruit from the
mass of green that covered the ceiling had a gay
ribbon tied around its neck. And such a wonderful picture
in the way of freshness and color as the big
window presented to the passers by bunches of crisp, light
green celery leaning up against heaps of brown, pink eyed
potatoes and honest red onions, fiery looking peppers side by
side with golden oranges and yellow lemons, hard smooth, shining
cranberries trying to look as though they were sweet, great
fat pumpkins, piles of green and piles of rosy apples,
bunches of fragrant thyme, and more turkeys, some with and
some without their feathered coats, but all, as I said before,
with gay ribbons around their necks. Dear me, if Santa
Claus could have only looked into that window and peeped
into that shop, how pleased he would have been, and
how he would have laughed, And he certainly would have
taken mister Oner sandig Along for a long lost brother.
For never before did mortal man so strongly resemble the
children's old Christmas friend, snow white hair, long, snow white beard,
twinkling blue eyes, round, fat, red, good natured face, a
fur cap on his head, bunches of holly berries pinned
here and there on his shaggy jacket, and a laugh, good, gracious,
such a loud, hearty, mirth provoking laugh that the very
people on the street hearing it, began to smile and
feel that Christmas was here. Indeed, and I tell you,
mister Oner sander Goalong was busy that day, and so
were all the men and boys employed by him. Turkeys
and other things that had been ordered the evening before,
Turkeys and other things that had been ordered early that morning,
and turkeys and other things being ordered all the time
were to be packed away in huge baskets and sent
to their respective destinations. But he wasn't so busy, but
that he stopped a moment from his work to give
a piece of meat to a poor dog that had
trotted hopefully into the shop, having evidently translated the name
Golong over the door into come in, and was asked
for it with his eyes. And as he rose from
patting the dog, he saw two children standing before him,
also asking for something with their eyes. They were poorly
dressed children, but the girl had a sweet, bright face,
and the boy was as jolly looking a little fellow
as you could find anywhere. His cheeks were as round,
if not as red, as mister Golong's, and his merry
black eyes actually danced in his head. Now, if there
was one place in mister Onosander Golong's heart softer than
the rest, it was the place he kept four children.
And so when he saw these two looking up in
his face, the boy with boyish boldness and the girl
with girlish shyness, he said, in the cheeriest, kindest manner, Well,
small people, what can I do for you? We would
like to tell you a story, answered the boy in
a frank, pleasant voice. Tell me a story, repeated mister
Golong in a tone of great surprise. Yes, sir, please
a Christmas story, was the reply. Bless my heart, What
a queer idea, said mister Golong, and he laughed, a
silent laugh that half closed his eyes and wrinkled his
nose in the funniest way. Wouldn't you like to hear, one,
asked the girl, coaxingly. Of course I would. I'm very
fond of stories. But I don't see how I can
spare the time. We're so busy just now and likely
to be until night, said mister Golong. It's only a
short one, said the boy. A very short one, added
the girl. Well go ahead, said the good natured old fellow,
and he sat down on a barrel of potatoes, and
his young visitors placed themselves, one on each side of him.
One Christmas time, the boy began. There was a big
tenement house in this city, and ten families lived in it.
And every one of these families set one knew they
were going to have turkey for their Christmas dinner. They
knew it's shore the day before Christmas, all set This one,
the family that wasn't sure the day before Christmas morning,
lived on the top floor, and it was it was
missus Todd Neil Tod, Hetty Tod, and Puppy Tod prompted
the girl. Yes it was them, said the boy, and
went on with his story again. Missus Todd was Neil's
and Hetty's mother. They hadn't any father. He died three
years ago, and Puppy was their dog. Missus Todd is
one of the best mothers ever lived. And she sews
button holes on boy's jackets for a big store. And
Hetty cleans up the house and gets the supper and
such things. And I I mean Neil runs errands for
folks when he can get a chance after school. His
mother wants him to go to school till he's fourteen, anyhow,
because a boy that has some education can get along
better than a boy that don't know anything. And this family,
though they were very poor, had always managed to have
a turkey dinner till the Christmas I'm telling about. And
Missus Todd she loved turkey, didn't Hetty and Kneel asked
mister Golong, closing his eyes and wrinkling his nose again,
And he hurried away to wait on a stout lady,
all covered with glittering jet ornaments and bugles. Who must
have been a very particular customer. She talks so loud
and so much, didn't Hetty and kneel, he repeated when
he came back. Oh my, I guess they did, said
the girl, her eyes sparkling. They'd a been funny fellows
if they didn't, added the boy. But upon their words
and honors, they wanted it more for their mother. She's
such a good mother and has so few good things
to eat than they did for themselves. And it made
them feel awful bad when she came home and cried
cause some wicked thief had stolen her pocket book with
half a week's earnings in it, and the two dollar
bill that the boss had given her to buy a
Christmas dinner with. Besides, and so the boy kneil. He's
kind of a nice chap, ain't he? Hetty? Awful nice,
replied Hetty with a mischievous little giggle. And he says
to his sister, she's awful nice, ain't she? Hetty? Kind
of nice? Said Hetty with another little giggle. He says
to his sister, continued the boy, don't say anything to mother,
but put on your hat and bring a basket, and
we'll make a try for a merry Christmas dinner, turkey
and all. And they went round the corner to a
beautiful market kept by a gentleman who looked exactly like
Santa Claus. Mister Ona Sander Galong laughed aloud this time
and flew to wait on another particular customer. So he
looked like Santa Claus, he said with a chuckle. When
he sat down on the barrel of potatoes again the
very image of him, said the girl, with great emphasis.
The boy began. The boy once more had run errands
for him two or three times, and each time had
got two apples or oranges besides the regular pay. And
he was good to cats and dogs. So this chap
went to this gentleman. He took his sister along because
he thought mister Golong would like to see her. And
they told him their story, and the boy says, when
it was done, if you would only trust us for
a turk, I mean a turkey and a few other things,
I'll work for you all holiday week and another eat
too after school. My name's Neil Todd, and my mother
as a real nice woman, and I love her just
as you used to love your mother when you was
a little boy, And the gentleman says, he, being as
its Christmas time, and I look so much like Santa Claus,
I'll do it. And he did, And that's all mister
Ona sandiglong burst out a laughing, And oh how he laughed.
He laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks. He
laughed until he nearly fell off the borel. He laughed
until everybody far and near who heard him laughed too.
And the very roosters in the poultry shop over the
way joined in and crowed with all their might and main,
and they got the turkey. And of they got the turkey.
By missus Margaret Etting