New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-14

" f. she, indeed? That is the first time ever
knew her to do sou
g fne for you, men, It we're all along a miss
inc YOU. She TOOK 10 sitting immediate"
Then her time is nearly upE'
"iDeed, mem, as she wore thaJ lOuq pig eggs,
did give give her duck-eEgs.'
Then you were very silly. And | suppose
Juno has hen-eggsW
Deed hev she, men,"
WELL couldn't you see that a little thing like
Lady Mary could only cover a few eggs, and ought
to have had small ones; while old Juno can keep
warm almost as many as a turkey, and could have
taken fifteen dnck-eggs? Besides, Lady Mary
never sat before, and month of it will sicken
her,"
"'Deed mem, it's amazin'; didn't see that"
lspoke to Lady Mary, who condescended to
come out and inform me- after her fashion, that
She thoughtit high time she should bring up
family. But evidently she was heartily sick of
sitting, and was obliged to keep the grating over
her nest until the eggs clipped.
Madame Juno was sitting awkwardly on her
eggs, gazing up at her topknot, evidently equally
indifferent to my attentions or Judith's either was
the same to her.
In due time both hatched out, and were put out
in the orchard under two coops not far from each
other, with wired grass runs for the young ones
Lady Mary was intensely delighted with her downy
little Jumps of fluff at first. But when nature as
serted her rights, and they began to paddle about,
into 9f %etGr and ont oyer The d and in IT,
nary fashion, shall never forget her dismay.
Had not the mother instinct been rrepressible,
! doubt if she would have permitted the little,
damp, dirty things to go and dry themselves warm
under her. a it was, all her mothers pride was
gone. She would not eat, she would not cluc6,
She seemed almost broken hearted; and, as if to
put the climax TO her woes she had full view OF
Madame Juno, clucking generously to eleven OF
the prettiest brightest, sweetest little DAINTY
chickens ever seem which, by-the-bye, IN her per-
petnal gazing up at her beloved topknot she was
always treadng upon.
"Oh Judith" said l, " how sorry | am that
Lady Mary has not those pretty chickens, and Juno
the ducks. Ducks can always take care OF them
selves, and old Juno is so stupid she will tread
those chickens to death"
"iDeed, mem, tits pity. Lady Mary don't
seem to stomach the duCklings at all"
She will never sit again, you will see,' said /.
I'coa8ed her, and petted her, and did all | could
| to sOoh her feelings, even going so far as to let
her out tfe next day for little run She did not
70 far, but kept close to JRnos coop. Juno was
let out in a day or two after, fortunately by my
| self, so that ! witnessed what followed. The
moment old Juno stalked forth, laundering over
! her brood as she did it, Lady Mary flew upon her
She buffeted her, and as if aware Of her weakness
| pecked at her top-knOt; she hustled her drove
! her, and at last sent her flying, half blind and
wholly stupid, into her (Lady Mary's) coop,
whittier the little ducks had fed in dire terror at
| their foster mothers behavior. She watched for
4 a few moments. gently closed the coop, making
| Juno and the ducks prisoners. when, on hearing
1 the little plaintive chrp of the startled chickens
| Lady Mary gave loud any joyous chirrup to
which they quickly responded, and collecting them
all round her, clucking and chirruping until she
almost lost her balance, little Lady Mary carried
the whole brood to the other end of theIorchard.
Then it was Impossible to say which was the hap.
pier, the proud little mother, or the eager, busy,
chirping little chicks.
| As for Madam Juno, she remained stunned and
mystifed for some time. At last, feeling little
timid, soft things creeping under her, she obeyed
her instincts, and squatted over them. Then she
and her newly acquired children ali had a good
doze and to this minute 1t is mine and it is Ju-
dith's belief that she does not know her children
have ever changed.