“Christmas Is Coming"

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 281, 30 November 1935, Page 12

“Christmas Is Coming"

/(Specially written for our Page by “MADCAP.”)

PART 2. One day “Old Maid” had dropped a book on the Cottage lawn and after she had gone he had picked it up aud being curious as to what had so seemingly engrossed her had peeped within its pages. His roving eye had encountered a paragraph that bad made him sick with horror. It was a paragraph that was headed, “How to prepare a Xmas Turkey for Cooking” and, fascinated fearfully, had read on to the bitter end. One was plucked and scalded for a beginning. Afterwards one’s legs were drawn and cut, the sinews being pulled out in the process. Followed other gruesome details such' as diseinbowling and stitching-up after having one’s interior refilled with what appeared to be a “Phantasy ” of herbs vegetables, meat, hard-boiled eggs and goodness knows what. Frightened he had dropped the book and tram then on had kept well away from “Old Maid” until he had. almost forgotten about it. Now, it all came rushing back to his memory and his heart felt as no proud gobblers heart ever should fee], not even if it turned to water or stopped never to go again. Inwardly he squirmed. Why should “Hut’s Padre” prefer him? lie was sure something else besides turkey •could be eaten at Xmas and taste just as good if he could .only think of it, but “Xmas will soon be here.” Yes, it would! Weren’t all the Ites’ letters in the Wendy page saying so—-and what was worse —all were seeming to rejoice in the fact. They wouldn’t if they were turkeys, he thought, dolefully, the while he cudgled his brain for a way out. “Well there’s one thing,” said the “King of Peacocks” as he strode majestically about with haughty mein, “I’ve no need to worry. No one seemed to crave a Xmas peacock to cat. They would rather me alive to gaze upon my beauty, so I think I’m safe.” “Mischief” shone in “Jack Tar’s’’ beautiful “Brown Eyes” as unblushingly the “Little Debil’ averred that in the East peacocks tongue? were much sought for delicacies and though it was known that “Orient” had gone back to China, still there were lots of people ready to try anything once, and he had not tasted peacocks’ tongues yet though he had plucked eyes out of more than one’s tail, and he had a mind to see wha< a tongue was like. “Peacocks’ longues have about as much appeal to me as a peek of bee’s knees,” said “Farmer’s Boy,” nibbling a straw “And I don’t go much on geese either, especially if it falls to mv lot to do the plucking, and that counts for ducks, too. Give me a nice young rooster k»ooked to a turn and plenty of broad sauce.” In the act of pecking a hen who had come too close to his august person, “Rupert the Rooster” stopped and knew keen dismay. Never in his gay youug life had he ever thought of himself in conjunction with Xmas or Xmas dinner yet, here it was forcibly and unpleasantly brought to his notice, and some one was actually saying he would be eaten for a Xmas dinner. He, “Rupert the Rooster!” Su?ely with so many to choose from there was no need to pick on him. Why, the place was over-run with dilapidated looking old hens, they could be eaten instead. To be scalded, plucked, stuffed and cooked was not a fate to his liking. He was quite a bright young bird, and handsome, too, and he wasn’t going to be anybody’s meal if it could be avoided. Hitherto he had despised hens—now he wished he could be one—and the scraggiest and most disreputable one of the lot. (Continued Next f-aturday.)