The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-06-24


be real hateful and step on the little chick
ems with his great big feet.
But as his new feathers began to come
n folks got on to him, as Justinian has
1t, and the other roosters began to brighten
up and also blow up their oiceps muscles.
One day he was especially mean at
breakfast. A large fat worm, brought to
him by the flower of his harem, had a
slight gamey flavor, be seemed to think,
and so he got mad and bit several chick
ems with his great coarse beak and stepped
on some more and made a perfect show
of himself.
At this moment a small bantam wear
ing one eye still in mourning danced up
an / kicked Summers eye out. Then an
other rival knocked the stuffing for a
whole sofa pillow out Of Sumner aad re-
tired. By this time the surprised and
gratlhed hens stepped back and gave the
boys a chance. The bantam now put on
his trim little telegraph climbers and 60
ing up to Mr.. Summers powerful frame at
about 0 u jumps, he put in some repairs
on the giants features, presented his bill
and returned. By 9 o'clock Sumner didn't
have featur S enough left for a Sunday
paper. He looked as if he had been
through the elevated station at City hall
and Brooklyn bridge. He looked up
sadly at me with his one eye as who
should say, Have you got any more of
that there red paint left?" But l shook
my head at him and he went away into a
little patch of catnip and stayed there
four days. After that you could get that
rooster to do anything for you-except
lay. He was gentle to a fault. He would
run errands for those hens and turn an ice
cream for them all day on lawn festival
days while Others were gay. He never
murmured nor repined. He was kind to
The little chickens and often spoke to them
about the general advantages Of humility.
After many years of usefulness Sum-
ner, one day t~houghtlessly ate the remains
Of a salt mackerel and pulling the dcapery
Of his couch about him he lay down to
pleasant dreams and life's ftful fever was
over. His remains were gwen to a poor
family in whom l take a great interest,
frequently giving them many things for
which l have no especial use.
This should teach us that some people
cannot stand prosperity, but need a little
sorrow ever and anon to teach them
where they belong. And oh, how the
great world smiles when a rooster who
has owned the ranch for a year or 50 and
made himself odious gets out over the
United States by s smaller n with less
voice.
The study of the fowl is filled with in
terest. I keep fowls late years instead
of a garden. Formerly my neighbors
kept fowls and 1 kept the garden.
1t is better as it l..
Mertie Kersykes, Whatcom, Wash,
writes as follows: "Dear Mr.. Nye, does
pugilists ever reform? They are so much
brought into Contact with course natures
that I do not see how they can ever, ever
become good lives or become professors
of religion. Do you know if such is the
case to the best of your knowledge, and
answer Soon as convenient In this paper,
which we all read with Avidity, and so
no more at Present"
Pugilists often reform, especially after
they have been sufficiently punished and
put to sleep. l knew one once who be-
came the teacher of an infant class in
Sa obath-school. He was a great success,
anJ his class the largest and brightest l
ever saw in all my Sabbath school expe-
rience.
l heard him once tell his little boys the
story Of David and Goliath. He said:
gu huOW OOIldIu udu put up luS UuSL
a long time in the First Philistine Ma
tional bank, and kept the offer good to
knock out anybody or fight to a finish,
any terms, with catch-as-catch- can pro
visions, for gate receipts looser to get
nuthin' but a quiet funeral and a low
grave under the daisies. They fit in
them days, boys, and these ornamental
~hippodrome scraps of our time was no
good. A teller settled up his affairs and
staid in the ring till they rung for the
undertaken.
Goliath was a blow, but he was the
champion heavJ weight, and so they run
it into politics and made it Goliath and
his gang against the Israelites. 1t was a
queer case. Toe papers had standing
notice for over a year offering most any
thing, see? for a man that 'ud clean out
! Goliath and knock the head off him, but
it was no go. The Israelites did well IN
trade, but they was peaceable. They
could sell goods and kick at a hotel, but
they couldn't fight fer our apples.
Finally long comes little Dave. His
father was in the sheep business and
Dave had been in the habit of catching
lions by the tail and jerking their heads
off before brea fast. He also had a
fashion of running his hand down the
throat of a royal Bengal tiger onct and
awhile and pulling out his or her choicest
alimentary while you could say scat.
Lions XII led and dressed while you wait,
was his advertisement.
$50 he come out on the grounds and
says Dos, it's about time to play ball.
We've stood about enough of this news
paper talk and inexpens We wind. | am
a little Teller and l amt ashamed. And
now if you will aid me by your applause
you will see one of the best fights you
ever saw
with that Goliath, a big coarse teller
with whiskers like a load O hay, sails out
and laughs a long, coarse, Norman laugh
that shakes the winders in the court
house and says, % mamma! Look at
his kidlets! Shall we spank him, gents,
and send him back to the primary school,,