Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-08-31

ALICE L. ADAMS,

the city, until their father moved to
Calliornla to take charge of n large
ranch. Their knowledge of domestic
ANIMALS and fowls was quite limited. as
shelr pets in the Eastern home were
only two-Bcautv, the gray ponv. and
Ilny, a saucv little Scotch terrier.
So the children we're greatly nlnosed
"hen, on the very day after their ar
fiVai IN the new, strange land. the
cnlckens were given to them, on con-
hlt!on that they assumed entire respon-
slpiilty, apH gave food and drink at the
proper Time. The two young people
soop became fascinated with their
ie".thered pets, and spent hours in the
poultry yard Watching every motion
and daily discovering wonderful traits
Of character
vi course names were given to all the
favorities, and prominent among these
We're Jack and Jill, n pair of handsome
Light Brahmas. Old Jack was so
large that he con.d pick corn from the
top OF barrel while lie stood on the
ground, AID he stalkod about the ward
In lordiy manner that greatly i'm
pressed the other ROSTERS. He was
not greedy, and when he called to
tbH hens, or "gurglcd," as Kitty ex-
pressed 1t, he never ate the nice tidbit
himself, but gave it up with evident
satisfaction.
jill was the largest hen in the ward.
with an abundance Of fluffy white
feathers and little perky tail. She
was Toms especial favorite, and would
hop INTO his lap and eat corn from
ms hand as long as he would feed
her, She never ohiec ed to being car
fleu anywhere about the place, or even
10 being stroked on the head and back
when she was on the nest but when
nifty took liberties and shook Jillv's
Dill she would sing" and her song
was y } most unmusical croak [ ever
heavd.
/. Then there were little Jack and Jill.
young Brahmas, resembling the other
pair so much ,hat they were called bv
tie same names with the diminutiye
prefix. Little Jill was very tame. and
would walk up to Won Mt any time if
Won held out your hand, and allow her.
self to be taken up, and curl her claws
contentedly over Your finger. But |
imagine that this docilitv was partly
due to the fact that she expected some
thing to eat, for she was sad gor-
mand. Kitty declared that he never
carried her head like the other chick.
ems, but always held it down. looking
for some unlucky insect to snap up.
One day when Papa was planting the
premium corn sent by the R,trGL he
heard slight noise and tuning around
{n1Tn1 thot ~ l.,
placently following, picking up the
kernels as he dropped them. And when
the corn came up there wa a long.
empty space, monument to little
.jlUPs gluttonv.
Perhaps the homeliest hen in the
yard was Nettie Danford. who wore
ycllowish- brown with considerable red
about the head and had a disagreeable
habit of picking at the buttons on Kit.
tvs wrapper. She received the name
of an unsuccessful lady editor whose
paper was discontinued within six
months after the first issue, and whom
she was supposed to resemble in per-
sonal appearance. Ncttie had the rep.
C"atlon, too, of being most astonish-
ing scratchcr. She executed no fancy
Figures, but every scratch counted, and
woe to the luckless chick that stood
behind her energetic claws.
Two of the ROSTERS were special
pets; one of them, DIR. Latham, a
dashing White Lcghorn, was named
for spruce young decor in the neigh
bo:hood: the other, handsome Brown
Leghorn. was also very gay until no
had serious fight with old Jack in
which the latter was victorious. After
the battle, when Jack came near, the
Leghorn would sink away with droop-
ing head and tail. his whole attitude
SO expressive of humiliation that Tom
christencd him Mr.. Church, in memo
ry of little insignificant gentleman
living at their old home. who never
dared to make a remark unless it was
sanctioned by his wife. Poor Churchy!
The children tried in vain to help him
recover his lost spirits. His tail feath-
ers dropped lower and lower till they
swept the ground, he refused to eat,
and one morning Tom discovered him
IN an out-of-thc-w corner, dead
trim little Quakeress was Friend
Ruth, dressed in modest gray with
touch of white, having shining gray
topknot, and hint of worldly vanity
III the delicate sea green of her ear
lobes.
Then there was the old Gourd Hen.
so-called because she Matched her first
chickens in large gourd: and Yankee
Doodle, who had very peculiar crow,
supposed to resemble the first strain
in the chorus of the sorg for which he
was named: and host of others all
more or less famous, bat the one tina
was most frequently shown to visitors
in preference to the rest was undoubt
edlv Shanksv.
He was noticed from the first as hav-
ing long, slim body, and after the
down came off f:om his back and wings
it was nearly two months before the
feathers appeared. He posse sscd a
long, thin neck, also destitute of plum
age, that he was continually ST. etch-
ing upward and onward" and he pre-
sen.ed such n ridiculous figure with his
naked wings which looked rs if the sun
had blistered them, that his name was
remarkably appro. Iiatc.
Shanksy's lumage diminished his
queer appearance but little, for the
feathers on his neck would no. lie
smooth, but bristled as if he..was in a
chronic state of irritation; and he had
an,,,.a1 toI ,F