The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-01-24
Noys and Ducks,

One bright morning In February, rs,
manly looking boy of fifteen came to
me and said:
81 want to get pair of Pekin ducks,
but have no money; will you let me
have 81 pair and take the pay in work?
. | will do anything that chap OF my
size can do"
The boy was II stranger, but liked
his looks and his Willingness TO work,
so | answered: cor course l WILL"
and started for the yard to pick out the
ducks.
"Bctter git the work aforc ye let him
have the ducks" said one OF the neigh
bors who happened to be IN.
"Do you know anything against the
boy?',,
81 don't know nothin' agin him, but
he belongs to the Jackson tribe that
moved onto the old Smith farm, his
father Is lame, and his mother is Il pale,
shiftlcss lookin' crittcr, and [ allowed
that the gals warn't much, they are
allus fussin' over Il bed Of posics and
sich trash; they had better be workin'
out, there's plenty that want gals,
and 1 reckon money ain'L over and
above plenty in that family.
81 like the boys looks, and | will
trust him." l answered.
''Then it'll be the last you'll ever sec
Of the ducks or boy either; mind what
tell ye," and Mother Mooney nodded
her gray head quite cmphatically as sho
picked up her basket and marched off.
Poor old soul she has lost all her faith
III human nature.
With Mother MOoncy's "mind what
tell yc," still ringing in my ears, l
picked out pair OF the finest ducks on
the place for my boy customer, and
gave him lots Of advice concerning
their care. When that boy started
home with his ducks in basket, he
was probably about rs happy as the
average boy ever expects to be in tins
world. "l'll DC back Monday, sure"
he said as he Shut the gate.
Monday came; likewise the boy;
every day afterwards that boy walked
tho long three miles that stretched be-
tween The told Smith farm" and my
place, and worked with a will until his
debt was cancelled; after that saw no
"Wcll, Sam. what luck with the
ducks2" / asked.
First-ratc," he answered "
"Tcll nc about IL. How many eggs
did your ducks lay aud how many ducks
did you raisc?'
"My ducks laid scvcnty-nine eggs
l SOLD half II dozen of them to Mrs.
french, and set the rest. didn't
mean to sell any eggs, but had to sell Il
few to buy feed. got iifty-ninc young
ducks from the eggs set, and | raised
every one of them; didn't | do pretty
well for Il bcginncr?"
"lnuced you did," replied. "What
did you do with the ducks you raised ?"
"l'yo got four Of them now. ard |
kept the old pair. am going to raise
lots of them next year. And l sold
seven pairs to the ncighbors; the rest
we dressed and sent to market"
"iow much did you get for them ?"
"Got three dollars pair for those we
sold alive, and those we sent to market
brought $2o.5O; the feathcas brought So
more; that makes $4I.56, don't it?
Take out the So l paid you, and the
$ll.SO that the feed 20 raise them cost.
tell you l had to scratch around prct-
ty lively to get enough to feed them on
after the young ones were about halr
grown; picked berries and sold them,
and hocd corn some, and cut uD old
Mrs. Flint's wood pie, and dug pota-
toes, and huskcd corn, so | kept them
goin Z until | sold thcm.'
There, boys. ! have given you Sans
nrst experience us n poultry raiser, and
If any OF you can make Il better show
Ing l would like to hear from YOU.