Show S TIME SLEEPY T I M T. T E k TA TALES TALC 4 L S V THE TALE OF F HT i B x y F TUR TURKEY EY i d T t BY ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY BAt LEY A V PROUD lJ The peacock In front of the farmhouse farmhouse farmhouse farm farm- house paid no heed to Turkey Proud- Proud foot but moved very slowly and very haughtily 1 about the lawn Ills His huge tail tall was spread like a sail In the light summers summer breeze It swayed and rippled sending out a thousand shimmering shimmering shimmering shim shim- mering gleams And Andon on his tall tail were dozens of eyes at lea least t the they looked looke like eyes to Turkey An Anthey Ana they all seemed to be trying to outstare outstare out- out stare him For or a minute or two to Turkey Proud- Proud foot glared at this newcomer this newcomer this new pet of Johnny Greens Green's Then after atter I lust spreading his own tail tall to its fullest fullest full full- est size he ha swagger swaggered d up Up to to the peacock pea pea- cock k You needn't t pretend not to see me cant can't Turkey gobbled You fool me Youve You've e a hundred bundred e ej eyes es on your tail tall And they've be been n looking at atme atme atme me steadily f. f r The peacock calmly turned his head I and glanced at Turkey He 1 did aid not answer Turkey thrust his Ills own head forward I i Maybe I Im I'm m not good enough for you to speak to to he began Maybe I Im I'm m not enough of a dandy dandY- I Just then somebody Interrupted him It W was Henrietta Hen Being a prying pry pry- j i rtH gW ing g sort of person o she had followed c Turkey around the house to see what happened when he and the newcomer mer met Dont Don t be rude to this gentlemen said Henrietta Hen He lIe hasn't t spoken since he arrived In the wagon an hour ago We Weve We've ve about decided that he Is dumb And it Its It's s a a. great pit pity 1 I he is No doubt his voice voice voice-If If he had one one one- would be as beautiful as his tail tall At that the peacock opened his mouth Out of it there came the harshest harshest harsh harsh- est fOSt sound that had e ever er been heard on the farm Turkey u o was vas so startled rrt that th ho he er threw h r gt his head e into the air and took several steps backward back bacle- ward As for Henrietta lIen Hen she cackled cackled cack cack- led in terror and ran out of the yard and crossed the road where she narrowly nar nar- row v escaped being run 01 over er by a passing passing wagon My Iy goodness goodness' Turkey thought Its no wonder this Peacock doesn't talk much If It I had a voice like that Id I'd never use It it He didn't know knott what the peacock had said Somehow his voice was vas so awful that Turkey had caught no cc- cc ac actual words that meant anything to him Again the peacock screamed lIen Hen Henrietta I rietta Hen heard him And she was so flustered that she ran back and forth across the road three times tunes and was I I almost trampled on by a 11 horse At last lIt Turk Turkey v y understood what the peacocK said Are you a barnyard fowl he had asked Yes I am said Turkey Arent Aren t your you 4 No the peacock replied My place is out here In n front of the house where I people can see me when the they drive i probably by-probably y probably he added we shant shan't sea see much of each other So saying he walked stiffly away and mounted the stone wall where passing travellers would be sure to notice notice no no- tice him and Admire his beau beauty All this was a terrible r blow to Turkey Turkey Tur Tur- aJ rit le key For Sa h moment he was tempted n to r rush at the haughty u stranger strang strang- et t hain th f er and tear r his handsome feathers into tatters But the peacock a c looked looked o so huge standing ta gt on fo top foa of the h wall rl WI with his great tail tall rising above him and his voice was so frightfully loud and harsh that Turkey didn't t teven even dare threaten him And that was something unusual for one who had long claimed to be ruler of the farmyard farm tarm- yard |