Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-02-22
sglonlha' Column.
MRS. BANTAM's BOBBY BOY.

turkey came out 10 the pFaifio W
make her nest.
At last, she decided on spot
where the long dead reeds encircled
the old leafy top of a fallen oak;
and there she deposited her first egg.
Proud of her achievement and for
getting her usual caution, she rustled
her wings and gave vent to her de-
light in loud "Clup." A moment
later, with outstretched neck, she
was trotting away, as fast as her legs
would carry her, through the hazel
brush; and a little boy, with his
hands in his pockets, stood looking
down at the great big egg.
He was very funny-looking,
chubby, little German boy, with a
rosy, freckled face and great blue
eyes that at present opened very
wide.
''Jimmenetty !" he said, with
look of establishment; and then he
picked up the egg, and held it up
toward the sun and tried to squint
through it. First, he held it side
wise to the light, and then endwise,
and then sidewise again and as he
could not make out which gave him
the most information, he ran off to
his log home on the ridge to show
his treasure, and put the great egg
under his own little speckled hen,
which was just then sitting.
1t was some time before the little
hen could get used to the great big
mountain that had SO mysteriously
appeared in her nest. She would
walk around it and "cluck," then
hold her head on one side and then
on the other. But, as its hard shell
resisted her vicious little picks. and
she had not sufficient strength to
scratch it up the steep hill sides of
her nest, she at last Topped down,
and tried hard TO balance herself on
the great egg.
1t was very funny to see the little
speckled hen lettering upon the large
slippery egg which took up so much
room in her little box. At last, af-
ter many days of anxious watching,
the little chicks began to appear
and one morning, queer, little
flesh colored nose poked its way into
the world from out of the great egg
and in less than no time out strOlleC
the oldest looking bird the her
thought she had ever seen. She was
very much astonished that she pu
her wings akimbo and stared yer,
hard at the stragIy, long-limbed, al
most featherless youngster that stooC
swaying unsteadily backward ant
forward in front of her.
But the little speckled hen love-
her great BOBBY boy more than al
the rest of her children and the bl
silly thing hung to his mamma
i strings, and never let her ge
out Of his sight. And then, how tn
: boy did grow In less time tina
wlnking, he was as tall as his dea
mamma.
One day his mamma said to hin
y Sonny, I think I'n raise anothe
i batch of little brothers and sister:
5 so you will have to look out fc
{ Yourself, my dear" But the bi
e BOBBY would not leave his mamma
u and all the time she was sitting O
: her nest, he fondly snuggled up
her IN big baby sort of a way.
W peep! peep! peep!' By and /
# came fourteen yellow colored, dow
70 covered little speckles, which tt
J. little hen mother was very glad
ro see; but before she could introdu,
!, them to their great huge giant TO
in ter brother, jealousy had entert
J, into his heart. He flew into tern
w BILE rage, his wattles grew crimsC
nt with fury; be pulled up his feather
O. cooked up his tail. His eyes glar
at with hate as he darted at them wi
~ his iron beak. "Pick, pop!" I
NJ rec1ly the air was filled with his de-
ri little brothers and sisters; for, wi
II. movements as quick as lightning,
he picked them one after another, a.
lie flung them far over his head. I
lv freckled little boy ran shouting OIL
of and snat ching up piece of fire
g threw it at the giant, whom he neal
,, hit. Then the wild nature of
# bird came to him for the first tin
pt He ran few steps, uttered she
vo "Tup !" and sailed away to t
,rs forest, never TO return.
as In the winter, when the SHOWS 6
ar deep, and the hunters venture in
he timber in search of game, they {
lie. casionally come across the track o
10 solitary gobhler whose footpril
- show him to be unusually large.
he is too waly, however, for them to ;
proach and this makes them thi
that he is the same BOBBY turk
~, No that was hatcbed long ago by
ew little speckled hen.-Harper's Yoo
Pc People.
not
ng EDNA AND THE WASP.
raj
inc Little Edna is so fond of amin;