Pearlie rose at once to her old position of
director-in-chief.
"The turkey'll be enough for us, and it'll be done in
time yet, and we'll send the chicken to Mrs. McGuire,
poor owld lady, she wuz good to me the day I left. Now
ma, you sit down, me and Mary'll git along. Here Bugsey
and Tommy and Patsey and Danny, here's five cents a
piece for ye to go and buy what ye like, but don't ye
buy anything to ate, for ye'll not need it, but yez can
buy hankies, any kind ye like, ye'll need them now the
winter's comin' on, and yez'll be havin' the snuffles."
When the boys came back with their purchases they were
put in a row upon their mother's bed to be out of the
way while the supper was being prepared, all except wee
Bugsey, who went, from choice, down to the tracks to see
the cars getting loaded--the sizzle of the turkey in the
oven made the tears come.
Two hours later the Watson family sat down to supper,
not in sections, but the whole family. The table had long
since been inadequate to the family's needs, but two
boards, with a flour-sack on them, from the end of it to
the washing machine overcame the difficulty.
Was there ever such a turkey as that one? Mrs. Watson
carved it herself on the back of the stove.
"Sure yer poor father can't be bothered with it, and it's
a thing he ain't handy at, mirover, no more'n meself; but
the atin' is on it, praise God, and we'll git at it someway."
Ten plates were heaped full of potatoes and turnips,
turkey, brown gravy, and "stuffin"; and still that mammoth
turkey had layers of meat upon his giant sides.
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