THE WILD TURKEYS COME
The Wild Turkeys are a wandering people, and stay in one place only longenough to rear their young. One could hardly say that they lived in theForest, but every year when the acorns and beechnuts were ripe, theycame for a visit. It is always an exciting time when the Turkeys areseen gathering on the farther side of the river and making ready to flyover. Some of the Forest People have started for the warmer country inthe South, and those who still remain are either talking over theirplans for flight, or working hard, if they are to spend the winter inthe North, to get their stores of food ready.
It was so this year. One morning a Red-headed Woodpecker brought thenews that the Turkeys were gathering. The Ground Hog heard of it just ashe was going to sleep after a night of feeding and rambling in the edgeof the meadow. One of the young Rabbits told him, and coaxed him to stayup to see the newcomers.
"I've never seen Turkeys in my life," said the young Rabbit, "and theysay it is great fun to watch them. Oh, please come with me to theriver-bank and see the Turkeys cross over. Please do!"
"Ah-h-h," yawned the Ground Hog. "You might better ask somebody who hasnot been up all night. I am too sleepy."
"You won't be sleepy when you reach the river-bank," said the Rabbit."Beside, I think there should be someone there to meet them."
At this, the Ground Hog raised his drooping head, opened his blinkingeyes, and answered with great dignity: "There should indeed be someone.I will go at once."
When they reached the river-bank there was a sight well worth seeing. Onthe farther side of the water were a great many Turkeys. Old Gobblerswere there, and the mother Turkeys with their broods of children, alllooking as fine as you please, in their shining black coats. When theystood in the shadow, one might think that they wore no color but thebrilliant red of their heads and necks, where there were no feathers tocover their wrinkled skin. When they walked out into the sunshine,however, their feathers showed gleams of beautiful purple and green,and the Rabbit thought them the most wonderful great creatures he hadever seen.
"Look at them now!" he cried. "Why do those largest ones walk up anddown in front of the rest and scold them?"
"They are the Gobblers," answered the Ground Hog, "and they are doingthat to show that they are not afraid to cross the river. They strut andgobble, and strut and gobble, and say: 'Who's-afraid? Who's-afraid?'until the rest are ready to fly over."
"Now the others are doing the same thing," said the Rabbit, as themothers and young Turkeys began to strut back and forth.
"That shows that they are willing to cross," answered the Ground Hog."Now they will fly up to the very tops of the trees on the hill andvisit there for a time. It is always so. They start from the highestpoint they can find. It will be some time before they come over, and Iwill take a short nap. Be sure to awaken me when they start. I want towelcome them to the Forest." And the Ground Hog curled himself up besidea log and went to sleep.
The Rabbit wandered around and ate all the good things he could find.Then he fell to wondering how it would feel to be a bird. He thought itwould be great fun to fly. To pass so swiftly through the air must bedelightful, and then to sweep grandly down and alight softly on theground without having people know that you were coming!
He had a good mind to try it. There was nobody to watch him, and hecrept up the trunk of a fallen tree which leaned over against itsneighbors. It was a foolish thing to do, and he knew it, but youngRabbits are too full of mischief to always be wise.
"I will hold my hind legs very still," he thought, "and flap myforelegs for wings." With that he jumped off and came crashing down uponthe dry leaves. He felt weak and dizzy, and as he picked himself up andlooked around he hoped that nobody had seen him. "It may be a great dealof fun to fly," he said, "but it is no fun alighting from your flightunless you have real feather wings. It is too bumpy when you fly withyour legs."
At this minute he heard an old Gobbler call out, and saw the flock ofTurkeys coming toward him. "Wake up! Wake up!" he cried to the GroundHog. But the Ground Hog never moved.
Still the Turkeys came nearer. The Rabbit could see that the fat oldones were getting ahead of the others, and that here and there a youngor weak Turkey had to drop into the river and swim, because his wingswere tired. They got so near that he could see the queer little tufts ofwiry feathers which the Gobblers wear hanging from their breast, andcould see the swaying scarlet wattles under their beaks. He called againto the Ground Hog, and getting no answer, poked him three times with hishead.
The Ground Hog turned over, stretched, yawned, moved his jaws a fewtimes as though he dreamed of eating fresh spring grass, and then fellasleep once more. After that the Rabbit left him alone.
The first to alight were the Gobblers, and they began at once to strutand chatter. Next came the mother Turkeys and their young, and last ofall came the weak ones who swam across. It was a fine sight to see themcome in. The swimmers spread their tails, folded their wings tightly,stretched their necks, and struck out swiftly and strongly with theirfeet.
The young Rabbit could hear a group of mothers talking together. "TheGobblers are growing quite fond of the children," said one.
"Yes," said another; "my husband told me yesterday that he was veryproud of our little ones."
"Well, it is the season for them to begin to walk together," said thefirst speaker; "but I never in my life had such a time as I had thisspring. I thought my husband would break every egg I laid."
"I had a hard time too," said the other. "None of my eggs were broken,but after my chicks were hatched I had to hurry them out of theirfather's sight a dozen times a day."
"It is very trying," said a third mother Turkey with a sigh; "but thatis always the way with the Gobblers. I suppose the dear fellows can'thelp it;" and she looked lovingly over at her husband as he struttedaround with his friends. You would not have believed if you had seen herfond looks, and heard her husband's tender "Gobble," that they hadhardly spoken to each other all summer. To be sure, it was not now asit had been in the springtime. Then he would have beaten any otherGobbler who came near her, he loved her so; still, the Rabbit could seeas he watched them that when he found some very large and fine acorns,this Gobbler would not eat them all, but called his wife to come andshare with him; and he knew that they were happy together in their ownTurkey way of being happy.
At this minute the Ground Hog opened his eyes and staggered to his feet.The loud talking had awakened him. He did not look very dignified justnow. His fur was rumpled, and he blinked often from sleepiness. Therewas a dry leaf caught on one of his ears, too, that made him look veryodd. The Rabbit wanted to laugh, but he did not dare to do so. TheGround Hog walked toward the Gobblers, and raised himself on hishaunches.
"Good-evening, good-evening," said he (it was really morning, youknow). "We are very glad to welcome you to the forest. Make yourselvesperfectly at home. The grass is not so tender as it was a while ago, yetI think that you will find good feeding," and he waved his pawspolitely.
"Thank-you,--thank-you!" answered the Gobblers, while the mothers andyoung Turkeys came crowding up to look at the Ground Hog. "We came forthe acorns and nuts. We shall certainly enjoy ourselves."
"That is right," said the Ground Hog heartily. "We have a very fineforest here. You will pardon me for remarking it. The Pond People have asaying that is very true: 'It's a mighty poor Frog that won't croak forhis own puddle.' And my grandfather used to say that if a Ground Hogdidn't love his own home he was a very poor Hog indeed. Good-night, myfriends, good-night." And he trotted happily away, followed by theRabbit.
When he was gone, the Turkeys said: "How very kind of him!" and "Whatfine manners!" And the young Rabbit thought to himself: "It is queer. Hewas sleepy and his fur was rumpled, and that leaf bobbed around his earwhen he talked. He said 'evening' instead of 'morning,' and spoke asthough Turkeys came here to eat grass. And yet they all liked him, andwere pleased by what he said."
You see the young Rabbit had not yet le
arned that the power of finemanners is more than that of looks; and that people could not think ofthe Ground Hog's mistakes in speaking because they knew his kindness ofheart.