Part 14 (2/2)

”'Yes, sir,' said Huldy.

”'Now, Huldy,' says the Parson, 'you must be sure to save the turkey eggs, so that we can have a lot of turkeys for Thanksgiving.'

”'Yes, sir,' says Huldy; and she opened the pantry door and showed him a nice dishful she'd been a-savin' up. Wal, the very next day the parson's hen-turkey was found killed up to old Jim Scrogg's barn.

Folks say Scroggs killed it, though Scroggs, he stood to it he didn't; at any rate, the Scroggses they made a meal on't, and Huldy, she felt bad about it 'cause she'd set her heart on raisin' the turkeys; and says she, 'Oh, dear! I don't know what I shall do. I was just ready to set her.'

”'Do, Huldy?' says the Parson; 'why, there's the other turkey, out there by the door, and a fine bird, too, he is.'

”Sure enough, there was the old tom-turkey a-struttin' and a-sidlin'

and a-quitterin', and a-floutin' his tail feathers in the sun, like a lively young widower all ready to begin life over again.

”'But,' says Huldy, 'you know _he_ can't set on eggs.'

”'He can't? I'd like to know why” says the Parson. 'He _shall_ set on eggs, and hatch 'em, too.'

'”Oh, Doctor!' says Huldy, all in a tremble; 'cause, you know, she didn't want to contradict the minister, and she was afraid she should laugh--' I never heard that a tom-turkey would set on eggs.'

”'Why, they ought to,' said the Parson getting quite 'arnest. 'What else be they good for? You just bring out the eggs, now, and put 'em in the nest, and I'll make him set on 'em.'

”So Huldy, she thought there weren't no way to convince him but to let him try; so she took the eggs out and fixed 'em all nice in the nest; and then she come back and found old Tom a-skirmis.h.i.+n' with the Parson pretty lively, I tell ye. Ye see, old Tom, he didn't take the idea at all; and he flopped and gobbled, and fit the Parson; and the Parson's wig got 'round so that his cue stuck straight out over his ear, but he'd got his blood up. Ye see, the old Doctor was used to carryin' his p'ints o' doctrine; and he hadn't fit the Arminians and Socinians to be beat by a tom-turkey; and finally he made a dive and ketched him by the neck in spite o' his floppin', and stroked him down, and put Huldy's ap.r.o.n 'round him.

”'There, Huldy,' he says, quite red in the face, 'we've got him now'; and he traveled off to the barn with him as lively as a cricket.

”Huldy came behind, just chokin' with laugh, and afraid the minister would look 'round and see her.

”'Now, Huldy, we'll crook his legs and set him down,' says the Parson, when they got him to the nest; 'you see, he is getting quiet, and he'll set there all right.'

”And the Parson, he sot him down; and old Tom, he sot there solemn enough and held his head down all droopin', lookin' like a rail pious old c.o.c.k as long as the Parson sot by him.

”'There; you see how still he sets,' says the Parson to Huldy.

”Huldy was 'most dyin' for fear she should laugh. 'I'm afraid he'll get up,' says she, 'when you do.'

”'Oh, no, he won't!' says the Parson, quite confident. 'There, there,' says he, layin' his hands on him as if p.r.o.nouncin' a blessin'.

”But when the Parson riz up, old Tom he riz up, too, and began to march over the eggs.

”'Stop, now!' says the Parson. 'I'll make him get down agin; hand me that corn-basket; we'll put that over him.'

”So he crooked old Tom's legs and got him down agin; and they put the corn-basket over him, and then they both stood and waited.

”'That'll do the thing, Huldy,' said the Parson.

”'I don't know about it,' says Huldy.

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