Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-06-25

Jonathan nor Debby being deemed it
10 be trusted with them; and Jonathan
envied the Rev. Deodat Parker his yard
full of staid old fowls and lively young
chicks. Early in the spring Jonathan
had loved 10 caress and cuddle up the
little rolls Of yellow and black down
but now that they were great stalking,
ragged fowls, putting on all sorts Of
airs, they excited his ridicule, and he
longed to tease them, and the last years
brood of clucking hens and growing |
roosters, that didn't quite know what TO
make of these newcomers.
Once he would have gone over in the |
yard TO play with and tease the chick
ems to his hearts content; but Dame |
Betty having traced the overturned pail |
and numerous other tricks TO his door, |
he considered her an enemy in ambush,
liable TO fly out at any moment with a
stout broom-stick or hot suds, and so
wisely kept at a safe distance.
But, roasted on the fence, with a
handful of corn, Jonathan's fears were
at rest, and he fed the chickens, drove
the old roosters utterly wild with long
and loud growing, and sometimes made
hasty jump into the yard TO set two
ruflled, ambitious roosters fighting.
Now Jonathan teased and bothered
the poor fowls so continually that they
began to grow afraid of him, and would
not come when he called them, much TO
his indignation. But one day he thought
of plan, and went straightway to work
at it.
First he went to his mothers work.
basket and got a spool of thread, then
to the meal chest for handful of corn.
Sitting down on the doorstep, he tied
long strings of thread TO each grain of
corn, then climbed the fence, ard COM
menced what was fun for him, but
misery for the poor chickens.
"Chick, chick, +" called Jonathan; and
he threw his handful of corn to the
ground. "Now I've got ye, ye dis
obliging things" said he to himself, as
the stout old hens and pompous roosters
pushed the young ones aside, and COB
bled up the corn.
Then Jonathan gave a sudden jerk to
his strings, that caused the poor chick
ems to feel more uncomfortable In their
stomachs than they ever had before, and
made the r0osters dance, and the poor
old hens tumble and bob around in all
directions. Mischievous Jonathan sat
and laughed until he tumbled off the
fence, which broke the strings, and set
the poor fowls free.
! This mischief Jonathan carried on for
l few days, until the willy chicks would
not come to get the corn when they saw
him, and he had to hide behind the
g fence until the poor things had swal.
/. lowed their uncomfortable morsel, and
e then he would pop up to see the fun.
But Betty had her eyes on Master
+ Jonathan, and one morning, while wait
, ing on table, spoke her mind as follows
''Master, know not what's to bt
e done with that brat Jonathan Winthrop
now that his fathers away, he behave
u | more unseemly than wont. The maste
L on trial yonder has made him witch
!, and he has bewitched our chickens"
u "Why for, my good BettyP"
: "Why forP Why, they scream an
u fly away from him on first sight; an
IL then he bewitches them nearer, an
=, they are filled with pain seemingly, an
:. futter and fly about as if in great dis
u tress."
"Some of his pranks, Idoubt not. L
" speak to him. Serve fowl for dinner
y Betty" and the Rev. Deodat Parke
u rose from the table, evidently not crec
iting Betty's story.
" Well, the fowl was served for dinner
p and the minister and his wife ate hear
ily, likewise Dame Betty. But thi
10 night the minister had an uncomforti
81 BILE time of it, for the fowl was toug
OF old hen, and didn't sit as quietly on tf
minister's stomach as she would on
, nest full of eggs.
| ", fnly not a
; of the Black Mans own brewing" sa
Betty, the next morning. "He hath b
On witched our chickens, for certain"
II II Nonsense, Betty" said the mini
10 -, ter and his good wife together.
'-0 "Verily, no nonsense,P snapped ba'
Dame Betty. "That hen was bewitcht
W killed and cooked yesterday, as Il
-, eating of it has proved to the maste
"a Never hen had such legs, or was so ha
eu @ to kill; and, bark ye I could not Ike,
iS So water in the pot" said Betty, mystic
'ltr nr ously.
OF or "Verily, this is a matter to be look
On into. Thou thinkest the boy witch
va And the Rev. Deodat Parker, uncol
loSS Portable from his disturbed night, W
md more willing to believe.
~ And so, can hardly tell how, in
Tho short time it was whispered around th
t,s little Jonathan Winthrop was a witC
lck ana hau DeWlOcheu INC heN' OeO'
aid Parker's chickens.
yad I One day Dame Betty walked into
minister's study and said, "Mast
an come and see for thyself."
So the minister called his good wi
Ior and the three took their station behi
he a closed blind. And there, sure enouI
bo was Master Jonathan astride the fen
waving his hands in the air, in wi
ora seemed to them some dreadful incan
ma ton, while on the ground four old HI
and one miserable rooster were bobbi
tbe and squawking like things bewitched
v;se Now, unfortunately, the minister a
his good wife and old Betty could
,ter see the strings in Jonathan's han
ms and so Immediately believed him t
witch.
een Deodat, it must be seen to-" s
ard Goodwife Parker.
eyes, 1 will go at once for MAJ
oo trate." And the old gentleman hurr
,oys off with unseemly haste, and returl
inc in a short time with two magistrates
brother clergyman, all considera
: II out of breath as they took their stat
.,s a behind the blind to see the wonde
Law. manifestations.
,ris, And Jonathan was at 1t yet. Ow
thy to the chickens being 50 hard to cal
n TO he prolonged the fun when he did ca
them. As the solemn magistrates pee
be out, Jonathan gave jerk to his thre
the that made the poor fowls fly tow
= -