Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-10-28
MICK j CHICKENS. J
rHR LATEST OF THE LYRICS OF LIMBS
LBY'S WOOD.
rbs Old Dominick Hens Desire to ~, ana Wns'
She Hstchd -Nicksy's Chickens Haa
No Tails but Soon Thor
Tale Was Told.
Ernest Jdrroli In Nto York SHn'
PRELUDE.

PRELUDE.
How long the big pine in L,nasleys
VOID had roared his bssso profuDdo in the
temnest and.whispered his lullaby in the
hreeze no one knew. How many days had
n..fed since first the sun tipped his crest
With gold in the morning and bathed his
branches with rudy fire In the evening
had never even been suggested. How
manv vintry sh, ads had weighed down
h;s branches, or how many times be mao
s,ed his coat, or how often he had sighed
in sympathy with the fur eral kneli from
81 Mar,'s, or sheltered under his great
sxaying arms tie play OF little children
was not even q matter OF conjecture. Lit
tie by little he had grown in stature. year
by ,e,r his girth had iucrea; e1, un IL one
morning it dawned upon him that ne
was the king of tho wood. Tfere were
h,uqhty hsmlocks not Tar away and giant
a .ks but not one of te,e, for symmetry or
stature. could compare with the big pine;
AIuad bis great trunk in green spiral
there .isted an ivy vine, with lustrous
Il ayes caressing the pines rough bark un'
iii its tender teelers reached the very top
moet branches lanced by the sunoeams
TIE dew fill uroa the ivy and tbe pine
alike, and every morning the sun drank
up the eleamir g drops. Far below the
nine ran the shining RIVER, and behind lay 0
smiling medow. HIS fo,t was buried deep
in his own brown needles, and within the
shelter of his kindly shade Q clump OF
laurel buth.s grew. Hidden by the laurels
Law hollow hemlock log that had once
been a stately trunk. One awful winters
night tempest had slain the tee.
PARTI.
List spring, when the lingering snow In
the holIo VS. of the wood had melted and
triekled dovn the locks to the Rondout
creek, a staid and motheIly pa fridge
built nest in the hollow log and depositei,
within it, cosy environment OF les'eI ana
pine needles l3 speckled fggl One DAY,
far down tie dim sisles Of the WOOD, sne
heard the sound of coming footsteps The
partridge equatted closer down upon the
esg,. and no eye save thst If fox could
have seen the diffaeace betwee n
her brown back and that of the
rotten log. Her little heart beat
hard with excitement ard fear. but
the palpitation failed even to stir the s II
feathers under her wing. Her eyes gilt
tered like twin beads as she peepsd ont OF
tec hiding place The big pine Gang low,
soothing psalm, and a chipmunk stuck his
head out of hoe in an oak tree ne'r by
But above the sound of the palm the foot
steps were heard by the partridge coming
nesrer and nearer. There were shufll pg
sounds in the dried leaves, and at inter.
walls the breaking of twig sopnee ! sharp
| ly through the still wood.
Tten from around the trunk of q big
hemlock, which had tcs Ell it's green arms
in the sunlight for forty years, came the
figure of q 81 e,king boy, with bow-gun
held in the hollow of his right
arm. By this time tie partridge
was standing up in the nest. Her
neck was ouis.retched and every fibre IN
her it'll, feathered tody was tense W tn
excitement. Nearer and nearer care the
boy, his eyes rowing through the wood in
search of q victim f)r his arrow. The
chipmuuk ran down the oak and umped
upon the log in which the partridge was
palpitating. The squirrels curiosity over
came its fears and it stopped u. o the 10 !
to catch glimpse OF the intruder into its
sylvan retreat.
The twang of b,wst,ipg cut the air
and wooden belt with single nail in its
head shot go cove that is Iasesge stirred
the fur of the squirrel. The tqu rel
wbi,ked cut of sight aud the partridge,
with loud whirr which startled the Roy
so thai he dropped his bow-gun, flew into
a laurel brake near by.
PART II.
The oil Domis ick hen wanted 10 set
She had tried to satisfy Ter natural in
s.inct in the woodbox. When driven from
this rctreat by Mrs Firms broom she mes
tied in Mr.. Firms old fel. bat. Here, to-,
she was ftiled in her purpose by psilful
of cold water, which perceptibly damp ,ned
her enthusiasm and her feathers. Still
al persev cred IN her efo Is TT pnp,ga-
ton and was found Lite 10 the afterncon n,
fer drying herself in the sun, trying 10
scratch hols in the best q1ilt upon the
parental Finn bed. To this Mrs Finn o.
iectei with broom and maledictiop.
'Ye Guild blstherskittw slid she, bring.
ing the broom down upon the bel, for the
hen wasn't there when the broom came
down. 'Mushs, but I'll wiring yer neck
wild me fist whin lay me hands on ye!
PLY don't ys g. cut an plsy marvels wild
th' gravel stones 'steGd O. toolin' Wild me
quilt?
The old hen war dered around tie yard