The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-04

an old companion escaped from the crate in
the same way as the others had but who
mad taken a more roundabout way and had
just caught up with them.
The children's mother had half q mind,
she said. to let John keep them.
But John had a whole mind. 'Of course
l shall keep them" said he.
But l don't see what you can keep them
on" said the incapable little mother.
Il guess can do errands enough down at
the store to buy their corn"
The brown hens mine" said Dolly.
"Well," said John, you may say So"
"Then Pm going to set her" said Dolly,
alphabetically.
Whether she wants to set or not. Oh,
girls are great"
But when Dolly had caught the little
brown hen and held her till she was tired
on the nest with one solitary egg in it, and
put her on again with a half-bushel meas
ure shut down over her next morning, and
found it all in vain. then John swept her
aslde-for he had been reading a hen book.
And he carefully laid away an egg a day
Till he had a cap full, and having taken
into his confidence an experienced neigh
Dor, who told him to wait till the buff
cochin had LAID out her litter" when che
would take matters into her own manage
ment, he MADE u box with fresh clean hay
and a little sulphur sprinkled on the bot
tom of it, and carefully disposing the eggs
there, he was overjored at last to see the
old hen quietly tuck herself down in it and
give herself up to her work.
After three weeks of waiting, in which
she turned her eggs every day, and John
lightly ~sprinkled them to prevent the shells
from getting too hard, one morning a dozen
little live yellow balls of fluffy down were
tnmbllnG over each other and peeping and
chlrping and running for shelter to the
mother hens wings, and delightinu the
l heart OF IOnn pGpanlnr nnly with fhnir
lives from Doliy's clasp, rs she wanted to
hug them every on. and giving Mrs. Hun
we'll q sense at once of unbounded wealth
and increased poverty. How in the
world are we going to feed them all ?' she
asked.
with grasshoppers and angle worms and
crumbs said John, ~sententiously, viewing
his new possession with his legs astride and
his hands in his pockets. And he said
nothing about it, but he vent and chopped
kindling TO- the doctor every evening till
he had earned rs big a bag of corn as he
! could carry on his shoulders.
1t WAS the day after the brown hen had
brought of ten chickens Of her own, and
had tried to cover them and the cochin's
chickens too undar her wings, that JOIN
came in to find his mother crying with
great sobs.
why, mother" he exclaimed, fastening
and throwing his arms AROUND her neck.
what is it? What's the mattet?r
oh" she said. they're going to take
the house away f ON us. There's been q
man to look at it. And / told him We
couldn't move-the hen was setting. And
| heard him say: It's worth more thar
Deacon Blood asks for it. He only asks n
thousand and it's worth twice as muct
again."
Il guess he won't get it, said John
Now don't cry. You just remember In
here"
At this Mrs. Hunwell laughed. But wber
John had split the DOCTORS kindlings tina
night he asked to see the doctor personally
You can't do it. john" said the doctor
when he had heard what John had to say.
Il think | can. sir. Aud if | can't. WIN
the bank can take it again"
But the bank doesn't van it."
We'll, i don't want tho bank to have it
But you see if the house is worth two thou
sand dollars"
Banks only lend sixty per cent. on prop
erty, you know" looking at the lad from
under the arch of his tipping fingers az b
sat.
But that would give me-I've figured /
out. sir-twelve hundred dollars. Tha
would pay Deacon Blood, who'd as Iieve
had 1t rs the other man. and leave me tw
hundred for hens"
We'll, John,'' said the doctor, I'm on
OF the directors. 3ou make your applica
ton in due form. I'll tell you how. An
I'll put your case before the board. b.
you know there's no fayoritism in bushes,
Ii they find that the house isn't worth yhs
you say: they won't give you the money"
'6et en- to come an see it," said JohI
at is in apple pie TRIM
When the bank experts came to look Mt