Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-04-21
MIR. EASYBODY,s MISTAKE.
BY xNocH FIrzwHIsrLER, @. c. u.

Philander Llmpton lived in Norway,
which town is situated in Oxford county,
Maine. Now Philander was a youth Of
exceeding good habits, being anxious to
lift his head in the world, and understand
thing or two; but Philander's daddy
was poor, and SO the youth was obliged to
look to his own exertions for the procuring
of books. The elder Limpton could not
but appreciate his sons laudable desire,
and so he gave to Philander small lot of
land, that the youth might cultivate it
and raise therefrom the wherewith to pur-
chase q grammar and such other thought
by the old man to be useless-for this was
forty years ago. books as he thought
proper.
Philander broke up his small lot of land,
and after due deliberation he planted
therein, corn. The sunshine smiled, and
the clouds wept upon Philander's land,
and in due course of time tho full corn
was ripening in the ear. But alas short
~ after the season for harvesting, the
youth found that foul deprcdations were
being committed upon his premises.
Now over against the spot where Phi
lander Limpton had planted his seed, liY-
ed one Sampson Easybody, cooper by
trade, who planted no corn of his own,
but who kept a large number of hens, and
to Philander it soon became evident that
said hens were living upon the product of
his own hard labor. In fact, he knew
such to be the case, for he had caught
the whole squad of fowls in his lot, pick
ing away at the ripencd ears for dear life
With rueful countenance Philander wait
ed upon old Sampson Easy body, and sta
ted the cause of his grievance.
Well, said the old man with cool
ness that utterly astonished the youthful
visitor 81 s'posc my hens love your
corn"
lander.
Cert'nly, an that's wot makes 'enl
eat it, just the same as me an you eats
wot VIC loYes-only haint got human un-
derstandin', yer know, an so they don't
know yer corn from mine. Pm sorry,
A'hilander, at my hens make such mis-
takes. but really, don't see how can
help it."
9. You can shut them up, can't you ?"
said the youth, in tone rather of the Pc
remptory order than that OF the sugges-
tive.
"Wat ?" uttered old Easybody in a
manner indicative of great surprise, chow
would you like to be shut up? Hens
haint got understanding, but they've got
fcelin's. Now, look here" continued the
cooper, while ray of some extraordinary
thought shot athWaIt his old yisage, "the
case stands jist here that little spot over
there is yours, an of course you had a
right to plant it there"
K" Most certainly l had" replied Phi
lander
:, "An' this here land is mine ?" queried
yes
can I've as good right to'taisc hens
here, as you have to raise corn there ?"
Certainly"
"Well, now I've taken nv course. and
You've taken yours, only I'm more lucky
than you, cause you see, YOU git all the
trouble. Now if my hens get AMONG vour
corn and hurt 1t, why Pm sorry, but then
can't help 1T; an so if your corn should
git among my hens and hurt 'em, wbv
you would be sorry cause you couldn't
help 1t. But hens has got natur', and
corn haint, so I'm on the safe side. for
eorn's good for hens. Next year plant
'omethin' that'll hurt 'em, if you've a
mind to-corn won't"
In vain it was that Philander plead with |
the old man, and in vain that he urged
his claims of right. and with heart swell
ling with indignation he turned his steps
homeward. As he came to his corn lot |
ne stopped, and looked over the fence. |
and his feelings were in no way relieved
BY hnding that old Easybody's hens were
most industrioualy at work. For full tan |
minutes the youth gazed in silence upon