Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-03-02
A HEN WITH A HISTORY.
Record of an Humble Fowl That's Gifted
with Wonderful Sagacity.


"lIow dye do?" he asked, with
grin of familiar recognition. Don't
seem to know me, do ye? was in here
last year and gave yer some anecdotes
about some snakes | saw abroad. Re-
MEMBER"
YES" growled the editor 81 recol.
lect you. All your snake stories were
false, and we got letters from all over
the world saying so. What do you want
now?'
"You don't tell me-" ruminated the
snake man, smoothing his hat softly.
False" was they? Mebbe the parties
as writ to yer knowed more about them
snakes than me. P'rhaps what come
to tell yer about my specliled hen is all
false, too
"What has she done?'
''She's done more than the snakes,
and if snakes was lies that hens a
whopper, that's all ! can say" and he
looked deeply injured.
"Tell us about her." said the editor,
"Yer hcarn about the cat that hatchcd
chickens reckon. Well my old specS-
led hens bin discounting that cat.
She's Matched four brood of kittens;
one in each brood"
"Oh, go home and sleep it off" rec
commended the indignant editor,
"Fact! -Four brood, and one to the
brood. ! seen her gittn' restless and
setten on things, and tried fer to knock
her out O the idee. No use. She'd set
on a hot fatiron but what she'd set"
"Fust she hatched an old milltpail in
to Tin cups and then she squatted on
some dough that was sot to rise, and
I'm blessed if she didn't hatch out a
dozen biscuits and then try to learn 'em
| to swim.
81 seen she was gcttin' broody, and
! says to the old oman, says |, Mar,
sumpin' must be done for that speclllcd
| hen. Mar tumbled to the idee, and
says she: 1T must SO with that we
| figgered what we'd best do. While we
was figgerin' she sot on load o wood,
and I'll eat grind stun II it didn't
come out all sawed and split. I'm
yNl oO gVi NOi Y VIZ
kittens was unnatural.
"Well, mar and me figgered and fig
| gercd, and while we was fggerin' the
| speckled hen was figgerin' too. She
hoped on to q bar'l @ scrap iron, and
I'm hanged if she didn't whacl out
two hundred papers o taclSs. We seen
that sumpin' had got ter be done right
off, but before we hit on to the scheme
tan my skin if she didn't set on the
pump handle and hatch it into tooth
| picks. Sure as yer born.
Somehow my reapin' machine got
under her one night, ana the next
morning it was iron tent-pegs Yer
never seen nothin' like it. She was
bent fer to set, I'll tell yer"
"No doubt of it. But how about the
| bittens?"
"Well, some men came to put new
roof to the house; got there jrst before
dinner, and left their tools in the yard.
| see the old hen watching them tools,
but didn't think no harm. Just be.
fore that"
Never mind anything else. Come to
the cats"
| "Jist so. While we was at dinner !
seen her explorin', and didn't know,
from what happened the day before
"Drop thatr' said the editor sternly,
give us the four brood of cats, one in
brood"
"Well, the four workmen were at
dinner, and the old speclSled hen was
nosin' about, and ] says to mar;
| 'Mor--'"
"Out with those cats quick"
Certainly. The tools was outside,
| yer know, four sets on 'cm in--whats
this they carry tools in?"
"A kit?"
"And that old specbled hen sot on
them four kits, and if she didn't hatch
out four brood O."
The editor bounded from his chair,
brandishing heavy paper-weight.
The story was never finished. Chicago
Inter-Ocean.