Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1855-04-06
Selfrtrh Misrfllang
From Ballou's Pictorial.
Mrs. Biddy Chanticleer, the Reformer.
BY ALICE CAREY.

and exchanging looks of exceeding great
wisdom, as they stood, little aside, in |,
The barnyard of John Moses Oldstylc-,
The precise local habtation' of the aiore-
said John Moses matters not to the inter
est of our story, as it is with all his pretty
chickens, and not with himself that we
have to do. No farmer in the country,
perhaps, ever paid greater attcn;oa to Ia.
rearing of fowls than he, AMI probably
none up to the day mentioned, vnh mor,
uniform success and satisfaction. y moe
commodious hen roost was now ht.t ~ Je
seen, and no poultry could be foand better
provided with straw, corn, water, gravel
and all other things ncelfu for the comfort
and convenience of reasonable hens and
roosters. But to return to the autumnal
afternoon. The two hens mentioned, hap
pcned to meet beside puddle of water
near the well, and, as good ncighborS
should, exchanged civilitics when they
drank.
'Havc you mot orr new acquisition?"
said the lesser and sleeker hen, who was
known tamiliarly among her friends as
Stripeneck and there was something in
the words new acquisition as she pro-
nounccd them, that implied diSrespect on
her part for the person, who ever she was,
so designated.
No, indccl-if you allude to Miss
Crowant, and ! suppose You do. But
who calls her a ncr acgaisHion" And as
she spoke, the hen known as Specklc, AMI
one Of the oldest and most cstimablc in
the barnyard, put her head little closer
to Stripeneck than it had previously been.
why whom do you thini?' replied
the first speaker, turning her little wise
head to one side, as much as to say, 1t
will perfectly amaze you, you would never
guess, know
Spccklc shook her head and said no,
she could not pretend to guess what any
body thought any more and her manner
implied that she had but little sympathy
with some things that were thought by
some folks.
We'll, said Stripcncck, 'shc is called
so by Longspur; | always thought he had
more sense and not only he but good
many of our young folks seem to think
she is wonderfully smart hen ; they say
she can crow as well as Il rooster, and Mr.
LongSpur told me that she was going tc
make Il speech tomorrow evening in the
hcnroost at earl Y starlight. Now if thai
don't take the lead ,
Mercy on us' calculated Spccllc
opening both her wings. Il won't le
one Of my chickens go, that Hat. What
has she TO speak about, l would like t'
know?'
Mr.. Lonsspur,' replied Stripcnock
says she is to speak on hens rights, i
you know what that means
! Speckle slipped a little more water, ant
said when she was apullct she never hearC
Of such a thing, and she was not sure tina
she as yet understood the phrase correctly
MI LonSopur ooye,' enewercl Stripe
neck, that she advocates more enlarged
sphere for hcns-thinks they are circum
scrlbed Ill their movements, and that thci
capacities are equal to the sclf-styled lord
Of the barn yard ,
Speckle said she did not and could no
understand the new tangled notions o
some of the hens-Mlss Crowant anon!
the rest. and she thought they would a!
live to dcplorc the day she came into th
yard. And she added cold John Nose
must have been crazy when he bought her
New acquisition indecl'
Stripenecll Loo ked all around, and spea
king in whisper said You must no
say any thing about it, Speckle, but a Ger
tain person told me that j ohm Moses ncv
or did buy hcr-that she was in the grea
chicken show you have heard of, and go
her head turned in consequence of bein;
seen and admired, and has been goin;
about the country ever since, lecturing ol
, hens rights, and that she was smuggc'
in here by Mr.. Lonsspur, without tn
knowledge OF good Mr.. Oldstyle.'
Did you cver!' said Speckle, as sh
opened her wings wider than before.
Again she sippcl and added, "a mos
pcnicious influence she will exert among
u.s.
THAT is my opinion said Stripeneck
And another thing, should not wonlc
if Mr.. Longspur should get enough of til
Crowants yet, for they say his wife Mrs
Biddy Chanticlecr, is to assist in the pei
formance tomorrow night
Dear mel! said Mrs. SpccElc, 'wha
are the chickens of this generation comm
to-
Stripencck replied that she did nc
know; but one thing she did know, an
that was, that she would not suffer one c
her chickens to hear the proposed lcctul
from Miss Crowant. -:
Here the ncighborly gossip was intcl
rupted by the loud talking of a couple {
half grown pullets, who little way o
stood backing against the fence to max
their tails stand up after the manner Of
cocksrcl. .... ......r
: 'As | am alivc!' exclaimed Strpencc
| one of those chickens is your dang hter
: would not have believed it,
Sure enough. answered. Speckle, an
the other is yours And rushing as sl
had never rushed till then, except for h,
life, she seized her ambitious daughter an
picked out two of her brightest tail tcatl
crs, exclaiming as she did so What
the world are you doing? Why, | nev,
was so surprised and shocked in all I'll
days Of my life.' a.aa.. N
l .s.(."pi, q Ns