Connecticut western news., 1875-04-23
A SETTING HEN.
What It Cost to Attempt Breaking Up Hel
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 Timothy, that air yallerhen's setting agin, said Mrs. Hayes to her, son, one morning at breakfast:
 "Well, 1etlher set" remarked Timo- thy, helping himself to huge piece of cheese. CT reckon I can stand 1t as long as she can."
 '"I do wish you would try and be a little more equinomical of cheese, limo thy; I've cut the very last of my every day lot, and it's only the 1st of May. And now, as soon as you've done eating I want you to go out and break up that hen. She's settin' on an old ax and two bricks now"
 q hope she'll hatch 'em," returned Timothy.
 eff she was set now, she'd hatch the fourth week in May. It's bad sign j; something allers happens after 1t. Stop giggling, Helen Maria, by the time you get to be as old as ye ma, yell see fur ther than you, do now. There was Jen- kens' folks, their gray top knot matched the last week in May, and Miss Jenkens, she had the conjunction on the lungs, and would havedied if they hadn't killed lamb and wrapped her in the hide
 
 saved her. "r. ss., .-~-r
 With such startling proof of the truth of the omen before him Timothy finished his breakfast in haste, and de- parted for the barn, from which he soon returned bearing the squallng biddy by the legs. :,1' n. !: ~s12t-A--.7-.
 "What shall I do with her, mother :? She'll get on again, and she's as cross as 11of L. hn -c11i md would be the death of me if she could get loose." ,,s. s.-s:. e4
 "I've heer'n it said that it was good plan to. throw. 'em up in. the air" said Mrs. Hayes. ''Aunt Peggy broke one Spose'n you try it. ,
 Tom, as he tossed the volcano skyward. cl-s: Land~a- -massy!'' exclaimed Mrs. Hayes, tttshe's coming down into thepan to rise Tim, 'tis strange you cap't do nothing without overdoing it.
 'tsDown with the traitors, up with the stars,'' sung out Tim, elevating biddy again with something less than a pint of batter hanging to her feet.
 " Good gracious me wuss and wuss, !"
  her; for the hen had come down on the we'll polished tile of Squire Bennett, who happened to be passing, and the dignifed old gentleman was the father of Cynthia Bennett, the young lady with whom Tim was seriously enamored.
 The Squire looked daggers, brushed off the dough with his handkerchief, and strode on in silence.
 ssVac 1,11t i+,c rro1por ny, ooro;,, co:1 Tim, spitefully, seizing the clucking the air. Biddy thought it time to mani fest her individuality, and with loud scream she darted against the parlor the canary cage and landed plump in the silken lap of Mrs. Gray, who was board ing at the farm house.
 Mrs. Gray screamed with horror, and, starting up, dislodged biddy, who flew at her reflection in the looking glass with an angry hiss. The glass was shattered, and down came the hen astonished above measure, against vase of flowers, which upset, and, in falling, knocked over the stand dish and deluged with ink and water pair of slippers which Helen Maria was embroidering for her lover, MT. James H6nSlaW.
 Helen entered the room just as the mischief had been done, and, viewing the ruin, she at once laid it to hear brother Timothy. She heard his step behind her, and the unfortunate hen she flung full in his face.
 There was a smothered oath, and then the hen came back with the force of a twelve pound shot.
 Helen was mad. Her eyes were near ly put out with the feathery dust and dough, and she went at Timothy with true feminine zeal. She broke his watch guard into a dozen places crushed his aickey and began to pull his whiskers out by the roots, when she suddenly re- membered that Timothy had no whiskers to pull out by the roots.
 But when she came to look closer she perceived that the man she had nearly annihilated was not Timothy, but James Henshaw.
 Poor Helen burst into many tears and fled into her chamber, the usual refuge for heroines, and James, after washing his face at the kitchen sink, went home, sternly resolved never to marry @ women with such a temper as Helen Hayes had.
 The hen disappeared, and was not seen until three weeks afterward, when she made her appearance with eleven nice, yellow chickens. She found some other fowls nest, and had set in spite of fate.
 But, although not ''broken up" her self, she broke up two matches, for Cynthia Bennett was not at home the next time Timothy called, and MT. Hen shaw never forgave Helen for having such temper.