Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen

This story was written by O. Henry and has been shorten by me. Happy reading!

There is a celebration day for all Americans when they are going to the old home and eating a big meal for dinner—eating a big bird called turkey on the fourth Tuesday of November for some people who did not forget about the tradition. They were an old Americans named the Puritans who had this day, said the President on his annual speech. Yeah, that is Thanksgiving Day. A tradition that being underestimated by time changing for new generations—not being remembered by the owner of the country, unless a little people. And here is the proof which shows the tradition is still being done for several people.

Stuffy Pete sat down at the third seat on the east part of Union Square in the New York. He had sat down there and been hungry for every Thanksgiving Day for nine years. But not for this year, he came with no hungry anymore.

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He was so full because he had already treated by two old ladies at the Fifth Avenue. They were old people who did their own old tradition on every Thanksgiving Day. They will send a servant standing in front of their door to look for the first hungry person who passed their home. They treated that hungry person until he or she is full, and the first hungry person went to Stuffy Pete. He was treated well until he could not eat anymore, until he could not move his body.

Ten minutes went by, Stuffy Pete still sat down on the seat. He felt his tummy was very full and could not feel any interest to every single thing he saw. However, his eyes became wider when he saw someone who appeared into him. The Old Gentleman was coming to the Stuffy Pete’s seat, do the same as Stuffy Pete—celebrating the Thanksgiving Day. He was sixty and thinner than last year. His hair was whiter than it had been last year. His legs seemed weaker than a year before.

Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, they had their own tradition. The Old Gentleman wanted to keep building this tradition. In spite that building a tradition in America was not an easy thing, they need to keep doing the same thing continuously for several times. And here they are, keep building the tradition for nine years. That is not a short time.

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 As The Old Gentleman came to Stuffy Pete, he greeted him. The Old Gentleman started to shake his hand and Stuffy Pete started to suffer because he could not move his body from the seat.

“Good morning, my man. It’s nice to see you again. For this blessing day, I thanked to you for coming and still celebrating this day. If you want to come with me, I will treat you a dinner that makes you feel thankful as this day is made.” Said The Old Gentleman every year for nine years, with the similar words and statements.

Stuffy Pete got used to the statement he spoke, but he was wondering why The Old Gentleman keep speaking in deep sadness. But Stuffy Pete did not understand that he had no son so he was wishing that Stuffy Pete was his son. The Old Gentleman was hoping that he had a son who come to his funeral and remember him as his father. That was truly tradition for him.  

However, The Old Gentleman had no family. He lived in an old house with limited space of room near the park. In the winter, he grew some flowers there. In the spring, he walked through the Fifth Avenue. In the summer, he lived in a farmhouse. And in autumn, he treated Stuffy Pete a dinner. He lived in different places every season but he thanked of those things. 

Stuffy Pete looked up to him and felt sorry for himself. He looked up again into The Old Gentleman’s eyes and found that there is a deep pleasure for his willingness and brighter than his body. Stuffy Pete made a strange noise, a sign for accepting the invitation. The Old Gentleman has understood his sign for nine years.

“Thank you. I’m very hungry.” Stuffy Pete finally said that statement. He was very full and could not eat more food. But he knew that he is part of this tradition and he accepted the invitation because of the kindness of The Old Gentleman, not because of the food or the dinner.

The Old Gentleman took Stuffy Pete to a restaurant they had usually visited for nine years, met the same waiters and greeted them as well as they did for nine years.  The waiters have known them and directly served them with large portion of food. They gave them food more and more. And Stuffy Pete began to eat. The turkey that had served by the waiters is almost finished by Stuffy Pete just a second. The happiness eyes were appearing to The Old Gentleman’s. Stuffy Pete continued to eat because he wanted to see its happiness longer.

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“Thank you for my Thanksgiving dinner.” Said him after an hour struggling with this dinner. He finally could end his eating and try to stand up hardly. The Old Gentleman paid for the dinner and left some tips for the waiters.

Here they are. Saying good bye as the farewell like they did every year for nine years. They went separately. South is The Old Gentleman destination, and north is Stuffy Pete’s.

In the first corner, Stuffy Pete stood up and leant on the wall. And fell. He was found right after and was taken in the hospital. People put him in a bed and began to analyze what disease that made him fell.

An hour later, someone had been brought to the same hospital in another bed. Here The Old gentleman is, laid on the bed.

It takes a minute for a doctor to analyze the disease of The Old Gentleman. “That lucky old gentleman, do you know what happened to him?” said the doctor. “He is almost dead from starving for almost three days no eat.”