Billy and the Turkey
Shoot
A Thanksgiving Story
By Danny Tillman
The Gift of Music!
It is 12:30 at rufus' and Mary’s house. The games in the back yard have turned from the inner tube war to foot races, to archery, and the knife throwing has just ended. Rozzy won the foot race, the archery contest and threw the best knife. Her brother Ralph had taught her to be a Tom-boy so well, that he came in second behind her in every contest.
The Tondalayos, the Thornroses, Uncle Everett, and Tootsie called an end to the games and started clearing the backyard of all equipment. Then the contestants and spectators were ushered away into the front yard. When the last guest had vacated the back yard, the members of Yark's fighting company, minus Yark himself, break cover and hurriedly advance toward the back door of Mary's house.
Leading the procession is the team of Rufus, Billy, Morris and John who are carrying a makeshift stretcher constructed of one of Aunt Mary's blankets and the 2 fence posts. Their passenger is the supine, motionless figure of a girl, whose eyes are closed, covered up to the neck in the other blanket. The team, undetected by the guests, enter the house and transport the girl, who is Raschelle, formerly the Knife Lady, into Mary's bedroom. There, she is carefully lifted off the stretcher and placed gently onto the bed. The men leave and the ladies stay in the bedroom with Raschelle.
The whole focus of the guests is now in the front yard where the circle of chairs is being filled by members of Yark's Company, and some newly arrived strangers. Word gets around quickly that these are members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. To the delight and surprise of the multitude, they have come bearing band instruments--some carrying a case in both hands: French horns, trumpets, trombones, clarinets, flutes, and violins. Another surprise is that Pete Fountain, his famous clarinet, and his band, The Basin Street Six, have just arrived, traveling Wednesday and this morning to get here from New Orleans. The case bearers and members of Yark's company--some of whom are also musicians--converge, the instruments are distributed, and then each musician takes a seat facing outwards in the circle of chairs to form an orchestra in the round. And then, to put the proverbial icing on the cake, a third delightful surprise--Members of the Jacksonville Community Chorus who have recently arrived--file into position around the borders of Aunt Mary's yard and facing the Thanksgiving guests and the inner circle of band members sitting in the chairs around the campfire, who in turn, are facing outward while guarding the fire at the same time.
The band/orchestra members begin, after tuning up, to play "Come Ye Thankful People Come." Choir members of the Wonderwood Baptist Chapel, lined up on the front porch, and the JC Chorus, all sing the words to this hymn:
... "Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied; come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
"All the world is God's own field, fruit as praise to God we yield; wheat & tares together sown are to joy or sorrow grown; first the blade & then the ear, then the full corn shall appear; Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain & pure may be.
"For the Lord our God shall come. & shall take the harvest home; from the field shall in that day all offences purge away, giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast; but the fruitful ears to store in the garner evermore.
"Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring thy final harvest home; gather thou thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin, there, forever purified, in thy presence to abide; come with all thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home."[1]...
Then after a short applause from the crowd, the singers start "We Gather Together," accompanied by the musicians. At that moment, the front porch door opens and out walks Aunt Vonnie carrying Baby Sister, with little Janice & Brenda beside her. Then out come Barbara and Mrs. Pisachube. Mrs. Yark comes next and holds open the door for the final trio of Betty and Mary, & between them a sleepy-eyed, calm-faced Raschelle: Blinking in the new light of the festive scene of the crowd and drinking in the soothing music of the Thanksgiving gathering spread out before her and all around, a warm glowing goes through her such as she's never experienced in a public setting, and it makes her smile.
... "We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; he hastens & chastens his will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to his name, he forgets not his own.
"Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine; so from the beginning the fight we were winning: thou, Lord, wast at our side- all glory be thine!
"We all do extol thee, thou leader in battle, & pray that thou still our defender wilt be. Let thy congregation escape tribulation: thy name be ever praised; O Lord, make us free." ...
[1] Song Credits:
"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come". Lyrics by Henry Alford (1844),
Music title: ST. GEORGE'S WINDSOR (Elvey) by George J. Elvey (1856),
Lyrics copied from United Methodist Hymnal, courtesy of hymnary.org
"We Gather Together", Lyrics: Anonymous (1625); translated to
English by Theodore Baker (1851-1934), Music Title:
KREMSER--originally the tune to a 16th-century Dutch folk song, "Ey,
wilder den wilt", Lyrics copied from Baptist Hymnal, courtesy of
hymnary.org