Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1840-01-18

PLAYING A TRICK rroS An OLD PLAYER-A rRuE
STORY While detained some day or two in the Meas.
ant Town of Montgomery last season, waiting for STAGE.
we heard the following anecdoie told Of an old actor
there. which is werih relating.
Mr.. -, The actor in question. has for some 20
years bee1 continually before the public as a delinca.
Tor oil the faults and fOibles. the virtues aud vices of
o,her people Age creeping upon him, like hundreds
oil others, he began To wax sick Of the smell of the
ioo''ligh's and the tinsel .6nery ab"u him-he had
seen enough Of the wOTld-the uareal had lnt lis
charms, aud the only real comGortho could sec through
The vista OF the future vas in having a Eule patch of
ground upon which he could draw for suhicicncy of
poultry and potatoes, iurnips aud bcans, for n snbsi,-
Icncc.
His plan was carried into Immediate action. 4 In.
Tie place was purchased, potatoes were plaated, tho
earth was turned up to make rootn for tunips, and
although MIR C was nJt perfectly at home in his
lew character, still everything went on maryelously
well lie purchased some half dozen hens. and in or.
as sam Slick says, for an additional stock. He had a
suiiiciency of eggs for all his flock except one-,o pro-
cure these was his next care.
Meeting with ncighbor one day, n wag of a fellow,
up to all kinds Of tricks, he accosled him with. "Nlr
- have you any hens eggs to sparel All ms
hens are setting except one. and I'm cut Of eggs. Can
you do any thing for met"
Certainly" said The wog, who nj once beihoushi
hun OF a esPitaftrck to play off upon his Ignorant and
transporting friend. Il can help YOU out. MI. c.,
and VIII do II with pleasure. You have no Guinea
fowls eggs, have your.
mo; mine are all common chickens"
We'll. you must have a brood Of them to a certain
~ ] viii send you a uozen OF Gfteen Immediately"
Thank you-mueh obliged To you-and al return
the compliment said MIR. C.
The eggs We're procured by p. but before SEN
DING Them 20 his friend tho actor, he boiled hem some
halfhour over the hottest kind OF e Ere. The next day
Mr. C--'s old hen was comfortably installed upon
a nest OF hard boiled Guinea-hen's eggs.
Tirne flew along. and in due season brood after brood
OF common b~arnyard chickens were ushercd into OK.
Silence and went PeePing and chirpIng about the yard
oil Mr.. C. All were now harched except The
GuiHeo-fowls' eggs, and the old hen TO whom lhev
were entrusted stuck TO her task with a zcil and pa.
iionce truly cominendablc, and worthy ofa better cause
In this way a month passed without any Signs Of an
addition TO Mr.. C STOCK Of poultry, aud he BEGAN
10 grow impatient.
Meeting r, he inquired. How long does #
take those eggs Of yours to hatchg'
oh some lime. You must be patient"
We'll am patient. but then il takes Ihem so long"
Another week passed, and still no chickens. Again
meeting =, the actor, with a rueful countcnancc.
asked hin. IF he thought the eggs woala really
hatch,"
a a matter Of course" said the was.
"Bnt how long does 1t generally take Ibeml" enqui-
red the actor.
Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter" rctortcd
=, who could hardly keep his countcnanre all
the while. You give The old hen a fair chance. and
she'll bring everything out Straight"
Ten days more elapsed, and no more signs Of young
Guinen-iowls tnan ever The old hen had stuck to
her post until she had become so poor and light that
her specific gravity would hardly Keep her down, while
ne patience Of the poor actor was entirely exhausted.
Curiosity at length led him to brenk one of the egg.
lie saw, in a moment, the cause of their not Matching.
but did not suspect the agency his neighbor had in the
ahhir. Meeting the aetor shortly after, Mr. T.
opened the conversation with, well. has that old hen
hatchcd the eggs YER
"Ilaichcd h-l! No. She's cooked EN-. though !
You never saw harder done boiled eggs since you was
born. Ilatched. indeed I'm much Obliged TO YOU for
the eggs. but ] don't think these common hens are able
to do anything With such outlandish eggs in the way
Of hntching them ont"
Thus ends our story Of Mr.. C and his operations
IN the poultry hDc. II VIC havohatched a readable story
we made out better than he did Matching GuineaIowls
-PioayUHc.