TURKEYS 97 



Before I could catch her by the legs she, with 

 ill-directed but vigorous clawings, gouged a long 

 strip from my countenance, leaving an unsightly 

 scar that remained for several weeks, and gave 

 rise to the rumor that my home life was unhappy. 



She was not nearly as handsome or as heavy 

 as her mate, but that she was dear to him he 

 demonstrated by furiously attacking me when I 

 appeared in the loft, and tearing a large hole in 

 my trousers, in return for which I kicked him 

 several yards with some considerable deftness, 

 and left him to smooth his ruffled plumage and 

 temper, while I sought warm water, Pears' soap, 

 court-plaster, and a clothes-brush. 



As it was early in March, when cock-turkeys 

 are about as savage as four-year-old Jersey bulls, 

 I warned the different members of our family to 

 give him the right of way. 



I soon found that he was at heart a most pusil- 

 lanimous poltroon, for a small gamecock that 

 roosted in the loft, so far from being terrified 

 by his appearance and loud boasts, thoroughly 

 whipped him, and drove him headlong down one 

 of the grain chutes, whence we rescued him by 

 tearing away the planks, empurpled and nearly 

 dead from a rush of blood to the head. 



Although an arrant coward, he put up such a 

 menacing front, boasted so loudly, and turned so 

 red-faced in his anger that he impressed the 



