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Show The Fiction THANKSGIVING TURKEY . Kicnard H. Wilkinson 1 Corner IMOGENE sat at the kitchen table and listened starry-eyed while Tony read the letter. "Dear Tony and Imogene: I was sorry to hear about Tony's ill luck down there in Carolina, and know you must be having rather a hard pull. But things are bound to straighten out. Under separate cover I am sending you a turkey for your Thanksgiving i ' dinner. Please don't acknowledge I - its receipt, as your Aunt Sara 3 'Minute might read the c;t;nn letter. She doesn't , , Action know rm doing this, and I doubt if she'd approve you know how she felt when you two got married and started out on your wild venture. j My love to you both. Uncle Rufus." Tony pulled off the last wrapper and grinned happily. - Within the cardboard box there nestled a hand- i lome, fat turkey; a delicious, palat able turkey. Tony's mouth watered at sight of it. Accompanying the bird were vegetables galore, nuts and fruit and a real plum pudding of near destitution, when the town discovered their condition. PRESENTLY TONY turned. He said: "Listen, sweet, as far as I'm concerned, I'd like to live through one Thanksgiving without a turkey. I've had to eat one every Thanksgiving since I can remem-to remem-to will be a welcome relief. Besides, Thanksgiving down here doesn't seem to call for a turk. And we still have the smoked shoulder we'd planned on." And Imogene smiled In prodigious prod-igious happiness and began re-wrapping re-wrapping Uncle Rufus's turkey. "Darling," she said, "I've been trying to figure out one good reason for marrying you since our wedding day. And now I've found it." Whereupon she kissed him and Tony held her tight in his arms. And so they marched over to the Santrells and undid the package on Mrs. Santrell's kitchen table and watched with a curious tugging at their hearts as the eight Santrell children and the two grown-ups stared and stared at the great fat bird. They left very soon after that because Mr. and liTrf. Santrell seemed to have difficulty In finding adequate words to express themselves. them-selves. They raced up the walk of their little stucco bungalow and stopped dead still on the veranda. A great package reposed before the front door, and a letter lay atop the package. Tony picked up the letter, stared at the package curiously and tore open the envelope. "Dear Imogene and Tony," he read. "Your Uncle Rufus wouldn't like it a bit if he knew I was doing this. You know how he disapproved when you two got married and went away down South, However, I know you must be lonesome and rather discouraged, dis-couraged, and so, under separate cover, I'm sending you a turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner. Please don't acknowledge its receipt, as your Uncle Rufus might read the letter and I'd never hear the end of it. Love to you both, Aunt Sara." ready for heating. It was a complete, com-plete, old-fashioned Thanksgiving Thanksgiv-ing dinner. At length Imogene stirred. She turned and looked through the window win-dow and there was something queer about the expression on her face. Tony saw the look and he came and sat down on the table and took her hand in his. Imogene looked at him squarely. "I was thinking, Tony, about the Santrells. I can't help it, with this big turkey here in front of us." Tony's hand tightened its grip. "Precious," he said gently, "you're a dear." . He was silent, then, staring thoughtfully out into the yard. The Santrells, he reflected, had prob- "Darling," she said, "I've been trying to figure out one good reason for marrying you since our wedding day." ably never had a turkey for Thanksgiving. Thanks-giving. It was doubtful this Thanksgiving Thanks-giving tf they'd have anything to eat. They were poor, dirt poor, and there were eight children in the family. Mr. Santrell was sick half the time; he couldn't work, even if work were available. Their plight was pitiful. They had been too proud to ask for help; had reached a state |