Show J 1 THANKS ON THE FLY copyright 1895 it was about noon 0 thanksgiving day when the waller waiter ot of tile the dining car cai on the big D i g stretch line wen went t through the train distributing bills bill ot of tare fare an and announcing that dinner was now ready the first pa passenger menger to respond to tile lie invitation was a prosperous looking I 1 man in one of 0 tile the fori forward ard cars lie he hurried into the dining cor car took a sent seat lo looking oldric rearward polished hla his gla ques before he be poised them on chiq nose and then looked intently aft a aa it II expecting some one soon two other mm men entered tho S prosperous looking man stopped plopped them as aa they were passing him and lie said gentlemen misery loves company and as were all away from home on i thanksgiving day I 1 suppose were all more or less ms miserable erable wont you sit right here the later arrivals sized up the fit a speaker r a mon moment I 1 clit then one of 0 them said you bet while the other remarked ill take taka a pretty good dinner to keep tile me ironi front going on belne being sorry that im not at home just my fix said the prosperous looking man inan ive never before been away broin home on thanksgiving day ive had bad all sorts of 0 homes and nil all borts bons of 0 dinners but no matter what they were mere they were with the folks and the foll folks are arc what I 1 live tor for theres no place like itice home re spondee the nun man who had sald said YOU yon bet the other man said maybe jaybe wo we need a disappointment once in a while to make us i calice what comforts we have and are not properly thankful enough for juist sel eo 1 added the prosperous look book inc man then he arose suddenly put ills his heind on tile shoulder of a timid lookin little le T man n L who v he had entered and sealed w ted hin himself i 1 f I 1 in n the inner corner r seat scat 0 ot the last table and looked as it ir he telescoped ills his column so as to take as little room and seem as inconspicuous as possible 1 I beer your pardon n sir air said the prosperous fl looking man but this the day wilen tiny any man awe away y from home ought to be alone it if he C can an help it I 1 and two other gentlemen strangers to me need a fourth to fit ill the table we A e would be greatly obliged it you would join us 1 I ah I 1 shall all want a mere mouthful r no u th 11 was t the ale reply and as yo youie u i e so BO kind it Is only fair tor for me to say bay that rm im afraid 1 t would nl 1 be very good company re ie things on my mind that my dear sir so have I 1 id like to cry this very moment I 1 misery loves company do join us eat as little or as much as you like and talk or not as you please the little man looked timidly toward the table where the two other men sat eat looked up rt at tho the man who had invited him and then followed him now gentlemen said the pro iper ous looking roan man none ot of you know roe and im nobody la in particular anyhow but I 1 want to bay in fit self de tense that ive nothing to sell not today ive no checks that I 1 v want ant to cash and im not going to suggest a game after dinner hoping that these remarks will disarm suspicion I 1 want to beg beer of you as a special favor that you will lot let mo inc be host today the difference will be ot of little consequence one way or the other to your pockets or mine but it will be a great comfort to my heart hearl As I 1 sald said before I 1 never before was away from home on thanksgiving day im proud to say farther that I 1 and my folks have always I 1 kept open house on Thanks gl ing day sometimes there much to to do it with I 1 remember one year when the best that eliat we could offer the by was parched corn and frosted persimmons but some of 0 them enjoyed it so it went nent right to mothers heart god bleas ncr her everybody ought to do for his fellow creatures on a day like this and what I 1 have bay asked for will be a great favor to me me you wont refuse will you of course cours you wont dont make any mis mistake talce a bout about pie cic im not purse proud and im not I 1 putting on oil airs but the better dinner I 1 I 1 can set up today the happier ill feel and all of you know that it often that you can snake a fellow being happy with so little bother to yourselves youve got a master way of things thinas my friend said one ona of the party 1 I call you my friend because ive eaten parched corn an persimmons myself an been mighty glad to get em cm ill stand by you an pass the kindness along the its next t Thanks thanksgiving givin ex I 1 find myself to home hom gosh it if I 1 could be there now so say 1 tor for myself remarked remar another 1 I believe there Is some good reason tor for all of our disappointments but it does make me feet feel wretched to toe be away from home today 4 you gentlemen said the little man have ave voiced my own feelings most accurately cur cura tely I 1 am so full A full stomach Is a good antidote to a certain extent said the self ap pointed host our troubles wil will it wait for or us but dont let the dinner wait or it may set get cold here waiter tv alter the host ordered four portions of 0 a almost every thing on the bill of tare fare then he ordered a couple of af bottles of the most expensive claret on the list two bottles of 0 older elder and begged its his guests to take whatever else might be their custom to drink tho the dinner soon began to unlock the hearts as well as ae the tongues of the quartet and all began to disclose the matters which were uppermost in their blind id be ett at home today sald said one it my brother away avay olf off in york state telegraphed me that one of hla his wild bois was going to make a runaway marriage ringe down here and he wanted me for th the e fam ilys sake to stop him it if I 1 could queer lucar babi another of the guests im on something ot of the kind myself ysela not the same case of 0 course one ot of my cifes sisters as aa nice a girl no an I 1 ever knew Is teaching school I 1 about itty fifty in miles ties ea east st ot or here and wrote us a f few w days ago that she was wa going to getem get married she seem to know much I 1 about the man and ashes under age anyhow according to law and ray my alte bif ft til enough to travel and 8 hes been lying awake rights nights to think about it and worry about it PO fo ive had to tn my business and come off here on the chance of persuading the kit kill I 1 that ashes making a mistake perhaps I 1 suppose fill all of you know what sort of 0 a job it to Is to reason with a very young woman chos hos pot got her heart set upon one man in particular the more character hes bes got the more likely she la is to make a tool fool of herself wro said the host did you ever notice that when you were out of sorts and felt cross everybody you met seemed in the same condition turn up at the bank some morning with a small email balance and a big note you want to have discounted and every man you meet there is in eap exp exactly atly the same fix ax now kow ridiculous as it may seem im out this morning on the same game sort of lob job as you two gentlemen Bent lemen one of my cler lai a bright enough fellow but not exactly trustworthy failed to turn up this morning so ro did some of 0 my money I 1 dont care are tor for the cash but I 1 I 1 heard card that he had bad girl on the brain and had been boasting that he would ile be married V within n week to the liand land solfest girl in tho state I 1 dont want any girl to take up life with a criminal and I 1 do think tile fellow tn be pulled into shape chape if I 1 were to give him some special attention hang tile the hurry of 0 business it makes a inan cale caie less too about those lie he might have the greatest influence over I 1 suppose though theres nothing wonderful about the coincidence that three of us its are on the same fame kind of 0 jobs joba youns young people will be fools especially when they think in love the little timi 3 man gild asid nothing but ho be looked d very thoughtful and he took the smallest possible mouthful ii of food ril ill pull through it I 1 find the girl said cald the prospective brides brother ln in law for u lien she knows that ashes under ago age end and the marriage wont be legal according accord lne to the laws of 0 this state shell have sense to halt you bet III pull through it 1 I 1 got get hold of 0 the boy said the wild youths uncle it I 1 get eel my hands on him pit ill most everli everlastingly stIngly shake the ilver pin atit out of him lm 1 I dont know what nhat it a liver ilver aln 1 la said eald the host but I 1 should judge thi that a young man without one would ly feel like tatting taking any important import ant step in life well gentlemen nil 1111 your glasses heres to young tool may they learn some day how much trouble ae they make tor for those who love them best 11 all the glasses were ere drained even that ot of the timid little man which contained only water at the same time there trickled into it some drops of 0 water from the timid little roans mans eyes other drops started from the same fountains and the patty pal ty noticed them so the list little e man said gentlemen gentle men I 1 have been called to another state slat to solemnize a marriage one ot of the parties to which I 1 know 1 cry well and what you have been saying troubles tiou blea bles my mind sadly suppose the parties should be any of 0 the couples of 0 whom you have been speaking in well parson replied the host the law really compel you to marry people whom you marry does it no air but suppose there seemed some about concluding the sentence so the host iced ah well lots its hope that yours wont be a case of that kind gentlemen nil fill your glasses again als ITIs thanksgiving day lets be as 03 happy aa L wo we can in the circumstances alive theres good cheer before us find and tie na to tr tro ulle why hang it it it tor for trouble none ot of us would I 1 everen know no where to fl and id the best stun stuff in him heres to our dear ones then the host told a story ot of a day when there seemed an empty table in prospect tor for him blin and his wife and they had agreed to feast on kisses and hope when suddenly they were invited out by the man with whom the present host hort afterward began business life in earnest so they kept the kisses and hope tor for a second dessert to be enjoyed in their little one room home hom this reminded one ot of the guests of a thanksgiving dinner ho he hall had eaten in fit the army during the civil war a dinner at which he found the meat spoiled and the bread sour so me he gave ills his last mine dime to an old colored woman to bake bae him a hoecake hoe cake and then had to t 0 invite the baker to dine with him for or tho the hoecake hoe cake took the last corn mee meat ph had in the house se and she had nothing else to eat cat nor any place at which to buy at short notice this reminded another guest 0 of f a dinner where the bottled elder cider was really champagne although no one knew the difference f ence by the taste nor would any h have ave known of tile the grocers blunder hail had not the man who ordered the made an awful fuss when it was vas too late to make the proper exchange when three americans americana begin to swap stories about anything no matter what they are bound to keep it up in spite of any trouble on their minds they stop even it if they wele marching arching in side by aid aide e to tile the gallows even the little minister lost his timidity and his serious face and told of several thanksgiving dinners over which his mouth had watered in advance lut but which lie he was afterward moved to gh e away to people who had none while title the minster and his family sat down to cold baked beans and sauce of dried apples tho the hated remains of hated donation parties lie he really been grateful enough for or beans slid and dried apples lie supposed for or now that the people seemed to think his days of pulpit usefulness at an end there were times when hen a big bar ban of beans would pom sometimes e lames be a handy thing to have in t the he house hou L we have the car all to ourselves es said tile the host 1 I guess the other people on the train get up as early ear ly as we this morning but th the 0 cars loss Is our gain lets have bavo a song so saying the host started auld langr lang syne sync and the others joined in no one seemed to know more than the tour four first lines but they sang these over several times and seemed to get a lot of cheer out of them the little minister in par particular ticul ar brightened amazingly he had been in the slough of Des despini ponI so long and so deep that to be treated cordially by three men of good appearance even though they were strangers pulled him together in great shape and set his tongue rattling about thanksgiving festivities in his college days ile he told so many good stories and told them so BO well that the other men were content to laugh and listen and when finally he was moved to sing some gome jolly old college songs and sing them very well too the audience were so delighted and applauded so heartily that they did not note the stopping of tho the train just as one ot of the songs gongs ended the door of the she car opened and a man and woman entered both dropped their heads and passed quickly by the uproarious ro party but before they could coula seat scat themselves they were startled by the sound ot of several names uttered in quick succession jim I 1 m millie I niler Bar Harch chesal sister Way star the man anti and woman both of whom were wc re young turned pale the woman looked appealing the man sullen yet defiant the kost host arose and said quickly come right here Bar bareness chess and dine dille with us let bygones be bygones this is thanksgiving day and im host bring the lady with you here waiter clear away this table and fand a couple of chairs or stools somei somewhere here then lie he whispered to one of his ill 9 guests your party too evidently sure enough and mine said another the couple that ive been called to marry groaned the little minister after what ive heard I 1 cant do it and oh lh oh oh the host again hurrying the th waiter went forward to the couple and said brace up Bar Pl chess archess no one Is going to 0 harm you wont vont you do mo me the honor of 0 introducing your employer to the lady 0 the young man mail mumbled some words word i the host replied addressing in the lady im delighted to find ono one of my cheaks in such good company miam maam you won wont t refuse to dine with me all of my iny guests seem to be friends of one om or other of you walter ill be the death of you it you dont bring those seats in the next few moments there was a good deal of lee ice to ile bo broken mid arid some of it appeared to be pretty thick but the lost host rattled oft off some more stories just juat as it if nothing had happened and the little who seemed to hr bo desperate about something followed alt bull tie so the young people had to laugh in spite of abern delves besides a good dinner Is not a bad icebreaker ice breaker the youna soon became infected by the cheerful spirit of til the party none of the men looked as grim as any one who vaid had heard their disclosures would expect the people tor foi whom nhom they had started in saarah were before them so ro thir th ir work was as good as done don what each would do in conclusion he scarcely knew so PO he be foucht for or time by telling another story tile the young woman belner being a teacher had herself heard some amusing sto iles and told them very well besides it Is not every day that a young woman has ha four middle aged men regarding her as respectfully and admiringly as ai it if she were a princess the lost host got her front from hilory tiling to convert atlon and found bhe was quite clever hla his eyes told him that hint sho she was wan very pretty antl and hla his |