Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-07-02

the lotus tutt uIdotSlo HSutIuS AOI SUI
premacy; see the hens all picking on
the one that has an in6rmity; zee the
old maid aunts-"
"The WHAT"
Greatly, now, you remember those
two common sitting hens I bought to
hatch out some of the top-knot eggs
And one brought out brood, and the
other lost all hers? Well, the one that
lost hers tries with all her might to De
mother to the other hens chickens.
She scratches for them and clucks to
them all day long, gives the morsel in
stead of taking it herself, will get them
under her wings when the real mother
isn't looking, and the real mother
doesn't seem to care at all; and at
night, evidently feeling dreadfully be-
cause they will go under their mothers
wings, then in the barrel instead OF
under hers outside ,roost with the other
hens. Now isn't that just like an old
maid aunt and the idle Indifferent
mamma who lies on the sofa and reads
novels, aud lets her sister take care OF
the babies?"
"I never heard such talk, Marcia, nor
saw a person with such low tastes.
can't conceive where you got them"
cried her mother.
"Why, mamma" said Bess, eff the
Lord could make chickens, [ should
think Marcia might watch them"
'Its frst-rate," said Phil. "What
else could they dc. March,
Everything that human beings do.
They are jealous of each other, like
Mormon wives. Those that are not fa-
rorites sometimes go to roost in the
middle of the afternoon, so as to secure
the place they want next their husband;
and he goes picking round with his ia
vorite till bed time, and then flies up
and knocks the others out Of the way to
make room for her. What do you
think of thatr'
ooh, pshaw!"
ats true. And I'll tell you some
thing more. He thinks he knows how
to lay an egg better than the hen does.
And if there's q hen that's dilatory he
makes nest for her, and gets into it.
and gets out of it, and coaxes her, and
literally tries to show her how. Isn't
that human? Those husbands that
know everything. Oh, it's as good as a
playw
II should think So"
"And then the first growing Of little
young rooster. and the strutting after
ward-it's so exactly like the first long
coat of a boy, and the strutting after
that"
Marcia, I am ashamed of you" said
her mother. II must beg to hear no
|
"Now, Mrs. Thurston," said Phil, "I'm
sure [ saw you laughing. And as for
me, I'm going to make those boxes for
March. Pm just as good carpenter
as Noah"
And SO Phil went down into the gar
den with Marcia, and there were days
and days of hammering, saving and
fitting; and Tom was going about full
of mischief, and Emily had her sewing
under the apple trees near by, and Bes
sic came down to bring a freshly-bakeG
tart, Or some hot gingerbread.
! "And I'm sure it's just like picknick
ing" said Marcia. You ought to b,
obliged to me for making such pleas
ant occasion. And Pm awfully sorry
that we're almost through" And a.
she uttered the last sentence, Philil
happ 5ning to glance down at her at tina
moment from the ladder where he wa
standing, her face suddenly famed I'll
as if torch had been held before it
and she turned and hid it's color over
box of old nails that she and Tom al
age ago that seemed now-had taken a
school in exchange for pins, meaning
to sell them to the junk-man, but di
verted from their purpose by one G
Mrs. Thurston's methods of persuasion
Mamma always was the enemy O
enterprise" said Tom, when they foun
the box. 81 suppose it's the oil of bircI
that has kept these nails from gettin
rusty"
But as soon as Marcia could slip ava
from all that merry racket she flew dow,
to the foot of the orchard, and cast hel
self into the deep grass there in tn
shadow, and cried to break her hear
That one glance in Philips face, tina
swift instant, had served to turn tn
whole earth on pivot to another issu
, of life. 1t had, indeed, held up a tore
before her, it had showed her that {
which she was unconscious before, an
now she knew that she loved Phil
,, Masters, and she knew that he love
Bessie, and the world was one dea
blank.
The hens were not fed that night, an
nobody carried the eggs in; it was onl
J when the moon set, her skirts drippin
with dew, Marcia stole in herself, wit
, her dogs. and crept away to bed.
1t was long fight that Marcia ha
r with her heart on that September nigh
She rose early in the morning, and gay
} the hens into Bridgeos charge, locke
!. into her mothers room, and told he
D she was going to see Aunt Brown; an
as that good lady, now that she coul
g no longer whip her children, general
allowed them their way, no objectio
i was made; and Marcia found hersel
after a couple of hours, in the arms {
t her old counselor and friend, to whom
/ albeit, she never breathed word of he
d trouble. A day of Aunt Brown, Marci
e used to say, set her up in virtue for ha
y a year, and now she took seven of then
"Seven days counsel with an old ang,