The morning call., 1892-07-31

L y
Where Is the Proprietor ?"
burnsides. might have been or and 20,
and looked the thorough eOckuey. After
surveying the foreman in silence for a mo-
ment or two, he finally exclaimed:
''But say, me good fellow, Pm ahfter the
proprietor, doDcher know" The foreman
paused in his work long enough 10 call the
devil to order by a meaning threat 10 settle
with him later, and explained 10 the
stranger that the proprietor was in the ext
room. whittier he at once betOOk himself,
his gun, handbag. stick, pOTtmante8u and
hatbox. l was seated at my desk when he
entered and after a prolonged stare in
CURED again for "the proprietor" What
can do for you! / asked. He showed a
little Impotence at being again put off, and
demanded. with the broadest Of cOckney &C
of, Is 'e?" '"Oh, no." / murmured,
soto voce. ''ouly little off" and
then, aloud, ! assured him that |
was myself the proprietor of the Clarion.
Porimanteau and hatbox sought the ground
with crash. You down't mean itp' the
visitor gssped. and then, with an incredu-
lous air, who dye report TOP" Gently,
but firmly, broke ii to his consciousness
that l reported to no one, but was, in my
own proper person, the owner, editor, pub
ltSttA Abu EtuFI III UIdltdktE Oh the 1limlQ2S
clarion, the establishment and all its vari-
Gus appurtenances and appliances. not ex-
septing its liabilities.
Wonderful wonderful he exclaimed
IS he sank into chair But this is won
eeTtul country, wonderful country; and
70 think the authorities allow Ii. doncher
EnOw." After that | think if | had told
i'm that the Clarion's editorials were writ
y by Barnum's white elephant and set up
bF trained African parrot npder tbe III
act supervision Of "the authorities" he
9uld have credited il.
Whrn he had recovered from his amaze
snI l learned that he had just arrived la
WI. having been but a day or two on the
asst, aud was looking for a biz of land on
iich 10 settle down 10 ranching in a small
he baQ inquired at the station con-
ming property. and was informed that
re Was no real estate agent In town, but
whenever land WIS In the market il
..~s likely to be known a. the Clarion Office
hence his visit to that establishment
also learned that | was more or less resDon.
sibie for his advent in ThmipRs, he having
picked up copy OF the Clarion in the read
lng-rOom OF his hotel, where it had doubtless
Deem left by some subscriber in town on
business for the day. The copy In question
contained an editorial on the profits that
ought TO accrue from chicken-ranehIng
In California. and the idea had
so fred his mind that he had.
started, pOsthaste, TO locate a spoi
and smbark upon this promising industry
lest others should get in before him and Sc
cure monopoly Of the market, which the
Clarion pictured as yawning greedily for
Cglifornia-raised poultry and Calforn ia =
laid eggs. He admitted that he had been
born within sound Of Bow Bells and had
scarcely been outside the great city in bis
whole lie before seeking the States with a
view TO doubling and quadrupling modest
sum TO which he had recently fallen heir,
but he considered ''the land" every mans
legitimate sphere of toll and seemed to
think man must necessarily succeed with
1t, just as 1t used commonly to be supposed
that every woman by virtue of her being a
woman must necessarily feel her calling
ard election sure to housework
1t had probably been his intention to ask
some advice of the editor, whom lie sup
posed he would find at the Clarion office,
but he was too thoroughly disconnected by
his meeting with "the proprietor" to do
more than briefly state mis- intentions and
depart, still in state Of bewiderment that
made Itself apparent in the very seams of
the guncase on his back / resumed my in
teTTupted task OF sending out that week 3
Clarion TO the expectant world, and starting
on on collection tour OF a dozen miles or
more next day, thought no more of the
~ould-be chicken TancheT until | noticed
several days after an unusual hustle OF
building and clearing on a little four-acre
place overlooked by The back windows OF
lIS AidIlUH anu WHICH Udu DeHH i0ie
for some months. Seeming an item, j sal
lied forth TO behold our cousin from aero Sc
the waters buSily experimenting the put
ting up of chicken fences and the renoYa.
ton Of the dilapidated buildings and gate
ways. and learned that he had bought the
place and proposed TO show the community
what English thrift could accomplish il
this land Of promise.
The paper was late that week, so many
hours did the devil spend in watching thu
uprising OF that model chicken ranch
Every boy In the countryside who could
fowls came With them to the future ranchel
and sold them for good price.
Can you warrant these fowls 10 Law
wellP heard him ask Jimmie Flanagan
the yerlest little scamp in the whole town
ship. who had brought for bargaining q
pair OF big brahmas, rooster and hen, that
whoever may have lost them from the roosi
the night before, certainly never saw the
light OF day On the Flanagan dungheap
Faith and / ken, squire. An it's tina
young they're afther bein', squire, .ye ker
LOOK that their teeth amt grown yit."
And the squire paid Jimmie dollar apiece
FOR them on the spot, the birds TO be deliv
cred as soon as the fences were completed
IL was prchs day again before all wal
made ready, and We had actually chicken
ranch Ia the neighborhood. From my sane
tum window l gazed forth upon the mos
motley assemblage OF domestic fowls it haC
ever been my LOT to behold. There wer
dominicks and dorkings, bantams ant
brahmas. a few trim black Spanish beautie
and any quantity OF ugly, brinded, brown
and black mongres, "the hen of com
merce," common as a yellow dog and jus
about as valuable. Gray and white black
brown, yellow and speckled; they clucket
and scratched and crowed aud fought, 0
stood upon one leg and meditated, from
morning until night. making the plac
bideous with their ceaseless clamor an,
their :aimless. endless, brainless wandering
TO and fro. There was one great shanghai
long!egged, ungaIny, quarrelsome-wher
he came from l could not imagine-I neve
saw another in California and never wan
TO. They had patent nests to lay in, psten
gravel to scratch In. patent food to eat froa
patent feed boxes. and, for aught know
trademark brand for their eggs; and TO
the first day those fowls seemed to hav
struck a sort Of hens paradise, and thei
owner, as he walked among them in cordu
roys and CATERS, was proud monarch 0
all he surveyed.
By noon next day, however, the focl
seemed not to thrive. The brahmas droope,
apart, and seemed to regard life from
pessimistic standpoint; the bantams wer
snappish and irritable. quarreling wit
every one they met in their gA-.its. Th.