Sharp County record., 1881-08-04
A SagfciOus Hen.


grin OF familiar recognition. Don't
seem to know me, do ye? l was in here
last fall and give yer some anecdotes
shout some snakes down in my parts,
Remember"
YES growled the city editor, 81
recolect you. All your snake stories
were lies, and we got letters from all
over town saying so. What do you
want now?'
You don't tell me-" ruminated the
snake man, smoothing his hat softly.
"Lies, was they? Mebbe the parties as
writ to yer knowd more about them
snakes than me. P'rhaps what | come
to tell yer about my speckled hen with
a bide hackle is al lies, too"
"What has she done?F
"She's done NOR II the snakes, and if
the snakes war lies that hens a whop-
per, that's all can say" and he look
ed deeply injured.
"Tel us all about her, anyway" said
the city editor,
'Yer hearn about the cat that hatch
ed chickens, | reckon. Well, my Old
speckled hens been discountin' that
cat. She's hatched four brood of
kittens; one in each brood"
80, 90 home and sleep it off"
recommended the indignant city editor.
Fact Four brood, and one to the
brood. seen her gettin' restless and
setten around on things, and tried fer
TO knock her out O the idea. No Use.
She set onto hot flat-irOn but what
she'd set. Fust she hatched an old
milk pail into cups, and then she
squatted on some dough that was sot
to rise, and I'm slugged if she didn't
hatch out dozen biscuits and then try
to learn 'em to swim. seen she was
gittin' right broody, and | says to
the old woman, says |, Mar, sumpin
must be done fer the speckled hen
with the blue hackle' Mar tumbled to
the idee, and says she, Yer bet yer
lifep SO with that we tiggered what
we'd best do While we was tiggerin'
she sOt on a load O cord wood, and
I'll eat a grind stun if it didn't come
out all sawed and split. Pm telln'
yer this so yer won't think the kittens
was unnat'ra Well. mar and me lig-
gered and fggered, and while we was
liggerin' the Speckled hen was tigerin',
too She hoped on to bari o
scrap iron, and I'm drunk if she didn't
whack out 200 papers O tacks. We
seen that sumpin' had got fer to be
done right off, but before we hit onto
the scheme, yer can lick NE if tornado
didn't take the roof ght of n my house.
OF course, yer know, we fergOt the old
hen for few days. Dog my skin if she
didn't set on the pump-handie and
hatch it into toothpicks. Sure'S yer
born. Somehow my reapin' machine
got under her one night and the next
mornin' it was railroad spikes. Yer
never seen nothin' like it, She was
bent fer to set, I'll tell yer. There was
three hard-Shell clans out in the yard
and she sot on 'em and hatched out
Holsters. If she didn't rm liar"
"No doubt of it. But how about the
kittens?"
"Well, the men came to put new
roof on the house; got there just before
dinner and left their tools into the yard.
| seen the old hen watchin' them tools
but didn't think no harm. Just be-
fore that
"Never mind anything else. Come
down to the cats"
"JiSt 50. While we was at dinner |
seen her explorin' around, and | didn't
know from what happened the day be-
fore"
drop thatm said the city editor,
sternly. Give US the four broodS OF
cats, one in brood"
Well, the four workmen was at din
ner and the old speckled hen with a
blue hackle was nosin' round, and says
| to mar, Mar"
"Out with those cats, quick" and
the city editor took down a scythe.
Certainly. The tools was outside,
you know, four sets on EN-, in-what's
this they carry tools in?"
"a kit?"
"And that old speckled hen sot on
them four kits, and if she didn't hatch
ont four brood O. -"
Parties desiring to exchange new
scythe for a secondhand one somewhat
out of repair, will please apply at this
Office for two days. Brooklyn Eagle.