Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-05-27
Spoope0cIks's Men coop
Brooklyn Eagle.


wife with u broad grin on his face,
"say, my dear, I've bought some
chickens so we can have fresh laid
eggs. Look !" and he held out a
couple of pair of fowls tied by the
legs, for Mrs. Spoopendyke's con-
temptation.
"Well, upon my soul :" exclalm-
ed Mrs. Spoopendyke. "Of all
things! chickens Ever since
we've been married I've wanted
chickensp' and she approached the
birds cautiously and with a look of
misgiving that belied her words,
"Where can we keep them ?"
sin coop, Mrs. Spoopendyke, in
"A coop! retorted her husband, lay
ing the chickens on the bed while
he divested himself of his coat and
vest.
1--WE might keep them up the
chimney or in the clock, but we
probably wont. Well Just keep
'em in a hen coop, and I've got the
lathS and nails down stairs TO build
Ii with. Come down in the yard"
and Mr.. Spoopendyke grabbed his
new acquisition by the legs and
"Do You know how to build
cOop? asked Mrs. Spoopendyke,
as she watched her husband dig a
post hole I'm the corner she had re-
served for a geranium bed.
"If l don't you probably do"
snorted Mr.. Spoopendyke, kicking
away at the spade until he loosened
his leg. snow / put this post here
aud that one there. Then the two
fences make the rest, and only
lath up these twO-dOd gast the
post!" he concluded, as II toppled
over on his ear. "Can't you hold Ii
up? What're you sitting around
there like cork in a jug for? Hold
it up, will you ?"
Mrs. SpOopendyke grasped the
post firmly with both hands and
held it at an angle Of thirty de-
grees.
"Now hold 1t perfectly still while
1 dig the other hole" and Mr..
Spoopendyke hacked away at the
ground again and set up his second
post. ..
81 see what you mean," giggled
Mrs. Spoopendyke. "You slat it
up from one post to the other and
then put the chickens In. Myl how
nice that'll be !"
Mr.. Spoopendyke glared at her q
moment aud then began putting up
his laths, standing between the
posts and the fence corner and whis-
tling as he worked. ..t
"Now," said he. as he finished,
"what do you think of that ?"
Mrs. Spoopendyke examined the
job critically.
"It's a perfect palaceI" she ex-
claimed. "But say, dear, how are
you going to get out g'
"Yah-h-h 7" roared Mr.. Spoopen-
dyke, bounding into the air. "Why
didn't ye tell me? What'd ye
want to let me build myself in like
IA mummy for? Amt We got any
sense at all enywheres? Why
didn't ye watch what / was do
ing ?" and Mr.. Spoopendyke grin
ned horribly through the stats.
81 supposed you were going to
build hole in it," faltered Mrs.
Spoopendyke.
$50 / am !" yelled Mr.. SpoOpen-
dyke, jamming his leg through the
structure. Want any more holes"
and he kicked the side half way
across the yard. "F'our chickens,
four holes Z" he roared and the laths
flew in all directions. "Want any
more holes ?" and he smashed the
roof out with the spade. "Holes
constantly on hand! II you don't
see the hole you want, ask for III"
and he blew out the end with terrif-
ic energy. "New goods coming In
at all times. Secondhand holes a
speciality" and he banged out the
other end. "Parties wanting holes
to send in the country will consult
their interests by applying here be-
fore going elsewherer and he rip
ped down the rest VI the coop with
prodigious clatter. "Want any
more holes in this particular coop?"
he roared, wrenching out the posts
and slaInming them across the
yard. "Does this hen coop begin to
convey the impression Of having a
hole In it?" he demanded, stalking
up to his wife.
"Yes, dear" replied Mrs. Spoo-
pendyke, soothingly. "Pm so glad
you got out, but where can we keep
the chickens now?"
"Keep 'em!" ripped Mr.. Spoo-
with a horrible grimance
and grasping the wretched fowls by
the legs, "who's goin' to keep 'emY'
and he cut the lashings. "S'pose
I'm going to run my business Just
TO crafty every whim OF a wo-
man?" and he jerked the chickens
into the air.
"Never mind, :" cooed Mrs. Spoo-
pendyke, as the last bird slid over
the fence and disappeared. 'Chick-
ems are nuisance anyway. We
really didn't need any,"
"Why didn't You say so before I
bought 'em?' blurted Mr.. SpOopen-
dyke, as he dashed into the house.
"I didn't know it," sighed Mrs.
Spoopendyke, looking around on
the wreck, "and, besides, don't
believe we would have had many
eggs, because those chickens were all
ROSTERS"
And Mrs. Spoopendyke followed
her husband, who stormed around
the rest of the evening because shD
couldn't find the paper of Jan, ~,
1879, which he had cautioned her to
save because there was something
In ii he wanted to read, and which
he had used the next day, In con-
junction with the back breadth OF
her new flannel petticoat, to clean
his shotgun with.