Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-08-10
Oriain1nl Stony.
Written for the Advertiser.
THE CHICKEN FAMCIES IS;
OR, DR.. DINGLEY'S HOBBIES.


nocent and how accessible were these excite
ments we will begin at about The twcnty-ftih I"
tlirlirlh, which CHANGED 10 be Durham calves
Ten or dozen of these prides of the Dairy
Maid, had the Doctor gathered around him, an'
each morn and evening, rs they sporled aoou
their wcll-kept and valuable mothers, or luyuri
aled over the long trough af fnud under the CRATE
ful oaks near by did their ;dmiring owner liz al
the consciousness of having done his duty to hi
! rising family in the way Of milk, butter and bc4
sit on The fence. taking in all the beauties I"
bright color, fine proportions, and graceful
movements. and dare say, congraluhliimg him
self that he was, ut least, better off than mos
folks in bIoodcd kline.
Uncle Jerry" the good old neghbnr who
lived on the rocky hill, mp the road, general!
participated in the JOYS aud sorrows of the
Doctor. and was daily iavled to Il seat on the fa
vorilc pannel of fence, to help admire the calves
" Are they no, fine calves Uncle Jerry? There:
that dun colored one, | wouldn't t"kc-let me see
no wouldn't take twenty dollars for thai
onc'
Powerful fine. powerful fine Doctor-worlh
every dollar Of it."
The Doctor did deserve praise for those Dur.
hams, but they had their day in his affections
and next came his garden.
Early, very early indeed was large portion
" set out" in what are vulgary termed ' collards,'
and now instead of spending his malin and ves-
per hours in The green carpeted grove at the
south end of tie house, they were laid attle
shrine of Pamona or Ceres-we can't exactly
say Which. One, we know, was the Goddess OF
fruits the other of the fields, but tradition does
not. if recolrct right, tell under whose super
vision and patronage came the esculpnt yclept
c.Lh#ge Well, early and late, did the faithful
hoe rebound against the flint rocks in the cab
bagc bcds and after earning his dinner and
bcrkErst by the sweat of his brow, would our
hero walk in the house, wiping his reeking and
flushed face, aud intile his "toiherT half" to 20
with him aud admire The vegetables and well
was he rewarded for his labrrs, for the plants
waxcd larger and larger, until sometime we be-
licvr in May he buastcd n culard shat assured
full three feet seven and thre" quarter inches,
all !old. Not only uncle Jerry, but all the Doc.
tors nrigIibors were invited 10 see the garden-
10 admire hi> mute prrs. and dissertations were
gra;uij"u>ly given lis TO culture.
Well" thought the provident gentleman, as
he one evening retired from The scene of his la
bnrs and his love, my wife and children won't
Starvc This year. that is if the bacon holds out" +"
Nlul!rrngs of distant thunder foretuld show.
er. ''The cyIards will get rain directly
said he as he entered the piazza, ga good season
will be the making of them and he sat down
in the door glancing c"mpIacenlly over the raling
at the thriving monuments of his industry. As
the heavens predicted, heavy rain came on in
The night. attended by considerable wind, and us
soon as it was light the following morning, the
Doctor WAS off for the garden. He had scarcely
gone before his helpmate WAS awakened 10y what
she thought Il hca:i-rendine cry of despair or
anguish.
Wife, wife," screamed the horror-stricken
man, we are ruined, we are ruined
'What in the world is the matter?" gasped
his astonished companion, startled from deci,
Gus morning nap "Do tell me, did hail storm
come and destroy the crop! or has that old
stable fallen down and crushed the mules or
h:s that negro house tumbed down and killed
those poor negroes? There. l have told you
fifty times that procrastination was the thief OF
property as well as time, and YOU had better sec
10 those houses"
M. no not That hut worse, or most as bad.
The wind blew dnwn tho garden paling. and
those ,abominablc ungralrfnl calves have eaten
up fve-yrS five of my beautiful c"ards aud
that big one. that monster that was the pride OF
my garden and my life Would you think
that they could mol even spare that"
The tension nerves of the sympathizine wife
so ruthlcSslv strung. were rs speedily relaxed
and she fell back. not in Il frinting fit, but into
4 deep sumber. The destruction of his favor
lies, which not even the cond"lence of Uncle
Jerry could modify, cooled the Doctor down con-
Siderably, and though he could boast of II fine
garden the rest of the year, still he seemed to
be looking about for something else to pet. The
baby came in for a large share of pet phrases
of gentle treatment for awhile, but towards
winter a Kentuckan came along with fine
brood of Berkshire pigs. The Doctor purchased
them, and his energies and affections seemed
suddenly to centre on the little grunters Every
one must see the wonderful sight, red, black,
and spotted, surely the pig that was taught to
say his A Cs, or he whose swineship was let
into the mysteries of chess, never excited more
wonder and admiration. Every visitor or passer
by was invited out 10 see and praise, and each
one must guess their age, and if they had not
grown it was not in default of corn and spot
liquor" But it was just as the Doctor said
/" They improved SO fast that you could almost
see them grow" and well he might, for at least
two-thirds of his time he was perched upon the
fence, reviewing their pecuiarities and playful
gymnasticulations.
Uncle jerry as matter of course, shared all
the delights consequent 10 the Doctors praise
worthy ftncics. Thanks TO attention and good
feeding, the pet pigs of one season made fine
n l.