Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-14

Enc bad BOY Gets the Grocery Man ON
q String and Talks Poultry.


q string and Talks Poultry.
From peck's Sun.
Had funeral in our house yesterday" said
the bad boy, as he took pickle out of the tub
ana put 1t in the cats mouth and shut her
teeth together on it. and then went to the
showcase. while the grocery man. whose back had
oeen turned during the pickle exercise, thought
ny the way the cat jumped into the dried apple
barrel and began to paw and scratch with al!
four OF her feet, and yOwl, that she was going
to have lit.
II hadn't heard about It," said the grocery
man, as he took the cat by the neck and tossed
ner out in the back shed into an old oyster box
iuil of sawdust with parting Injunction that
II she was going to have fits she better go out
where there was plenty of fresh air Death is
always sad thing to contemplate One day
we are full of health and joy and cold victuas.
ana the next we are screwed down in q box a
lew words are said over our remains, and few
tears are shed. and there is race to see who
shall get back from the cemetery first and though
we may think We are an important factor in
the worlds progress, and sometimes feel as
though it would be unable to put I'D margins
and have to stop the deal. the world goes right
along, and 1t must annoy people who die to
realize that they don't count for game The
greatest man In the world is only nine spot
when he is dead. because somebody else takes
en.
But say, who is dead at your house?"
Our rooster. Take care don't you hit me
with that canvased ham," said the boy, as the
grocery man looked mad to learn that there
was nobody dead but a rooster, when he had
preached such sermon on the subject Eyes
how soon we are forgotten when we are gone
Now. you would have thought that ROSTERS
hen would have remained faithful to him for
week at least. have watched them all the
spring, and never saw more perfect picture
| hQn fhQt hnfvr
rooster and his hen. They were constantly to-
gether, and there was nothing too good for her
He would dig up angle-worms and call her. and
when she came up on gallop and saw the great
olg worm on the ground she would look so
proud OF her rooster. and he would straighten
up and look as though he was saying to her
I'm daisy and then she would look at him as
II she would like to bite him. and Just as she was
going to pick up the worm he would snatch
It and swallow it himself and cluckle and
walk around and be full Of business, as though
wondering why she didn't take the worm
after he had dug 1t for her, and then the hen
would look disappointed at first. and then she
would look resigned, as much as to say:
Worms are too rich for my blood anyway,
and the poor dear rooster needs them more
than l do, because he has to do all the
GROWING and she would 90 off and find q grass
hopper and eat it on the sly for fear he would
see her and complain because she didn't
divide. O, have never seen anything that
that rooster and hen. He seemed to try to
do everything for her. He would make her
stop cackling when she laid an egg, and
ne would try to cackie and crow over it as
though he had laid it. and she would get off In
corner and cluck in a modest, retiring manner
as though she wished to convey the idea to the
servant girls in the kitchen that the rooster had
to do all the hardwOrk, and she was only USE
less appendage, fit only for society and company
for him. But was Disguised with HIM when
hon vxy0c inn 1Nho Er,< kl-~A
she sat on the eggs he seemed to get along
first rate, because he had a couple OF flower
beds to dig up, which a press of business
had caused him to neglect before. and
couple of neighbors gardens to destroy, 80
he seemed to be glad to have his hen retire
to her bOudoir and set, but after he had been
shoOed out of the garden and fower-beds he
seemed to be nervous, and evidently wanted to
be petted. and he would go near the hen and
she would seem to tell him to 90 and take a
walk around the block, because she hadn't time
to leave her business, and if she didn't attend
to it they would have lot of spoiled eggs
on their hands. and no family to bring up. He
would scold, and seem to tell her that 1t was all
foollshness; that for his part he didn't
want to hear lot of chickens squawk-
ing around. He would seem to argue
with her that a brood of chickens
would be dead give-away on them
both, and they would at once be
cassed as old folks while if they were alone i'm
could go in young society, but the hen would
scold back. and tell him he ought to be ashamed
OF himself to talk that way, and he would go off
mad and sulk around spell, and then go to
nelghbors hen-house, and sometimes he
wouldn't come back till the next day. The hen
would be sorry she had spoken SO cross and
would seem panied at his going away. and
would look anxiously for his return, and when
he came back, after being out in the rain all
night she would be solicitous after his health,
around him, but he acted as though he didn't
care for health, and lie would go out again and
get chilled through. Finally the hen came off
the nest with ten chickens, and the rooster
ont to look at them he would crow, and seem
to say they were all his chickens, though the
hen was long time Matching them, and II it
had been him that was setting on them
he would have Matched them out in a week
or died trying. But the exposure told
on him, and he went into a decline, and one
morning we found him dead. Do you know
l never see q hen that seemed to realize
calamity as she did. She looked pale and her
eyes looked red. and she seemed to be utterly
crushed. Ii the chickens, which were so Young
they could not realize that they were little or
phans. became noisy and got to pulling and
hauling over worm, and conducted them
selves IN an unseemly manner, she would talk
to them In hen language, with tears In her eyes.
and it was picture of woe. But the next
day neighboring rooster got to looking
through the fence from the alley and irving to
flirt with her. At first she was indignant and
seemed to tell him he ought to go about his
business and leave her alone. but the dude
kept clucking. and pretty soon the widowed hen
edged up toward the fence and asked him to
come in, but the hole in the fence was too small
for him, and then the chickens went out in the
alley and the hen followed them out l shall
always think she told the chickens to go out. SO
she would have an excuse to go after them and
trt with the rooster. and think it is a perfect
shame She is out in the alley halt the time and
and could cuff her. 1t seems to ME wrong to
SO soon forget deceased rooster; but sup
pose hen can't be any more than human. Say.
you don't want to buy good dead rooster do
you? You could pick it and sell it to somebody
that owes you. tor spring chicken.
mo. don't want any deceased poulty that
died of grief, andy you better go home and watch
your hen. or you will be bereaved some more"
and the grocery man went out in the shed to
see If the cat was over it's fit, and when he came
back the boy was gone. and after while the
grocery man saw crowd In front of the store,
and he went out and found the dead rooster
lying on the vegetable stand, with a paper
pinned on its breast, on which was a sign:
''This ruster dide Of colx. For sale cheep to
clearinghouse only" He took the dead
rooster and threw it out in the street, and
lonko d nm aud down fhn ctroof for tho no ho,,