The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-08

Sucn an extent Jndt sent q man dOWT
the well to see what gave the water
this peculiar flavor After pulling out
20 barrels of water we came to a small
duck in the cold embrace of death.
| own white drake, called Sir Fran
els, named for Sir Francis Drake. This
beast discovered that the cistern at the
barn could be entered safely, and so he
had for the past year been in the habit
of taking a plunge there and enjoying
himself, trusting to the hired man 10
come and bail him ont when the horses
were watered at eventide. In June a
new brood of little yellow ducklings
came forth under the management of a
plain and comparatively unknown her.
These ducklings seemed to inherit
some of the peculiarities of Sir Francis,
for one of them, seeing a glimmer Of
water 1913 feet below him one day while
strolling around the well, took a notion
to cool his little red feet in the dark
tide. He found large knothole in the
well curb and descended deity to the
bottom.
As he went down his whole life doubt
less, covering period of three weeks, was
unrolled before him like a panorama,
and when he reached the water his soul
had quilted its little tenement of clay.
When we took him out, his still feath-
ers showed 10 signs Of pain, but he lay
peacefully III tine old oaken bucket, for
ever at rest
1t was almost pathetic to know how
even IN death he had called our atten-
ton to the fact that he was down there
all by himself. Instinct perhaps, YOU
will say, but does it not almost approach
actual intelligence?
The hen TURKEY is doubtless for her
size the most successful ornitholCgical
ass known to science. She is poorly fit
ted for parent, as every one knows who
has studied her. She becomes thought
full and preoccupied in the month of
May, and you may see her strOlling off
by herself at times as if studying ma
ture. She soon after becomes a nonTes-
ident, and just as you decide that she
has been yielded up as a sacrifice 70 the
colored revival near by she suddenly ap-
pears on the scene with nine small edi-
tions of herself, each with little Wa
terbury tick of Its own
She exhibits these specimens of her
handiwork about twice and then dis
appears She takes effense at any at
tention, though sometimes she prefers
20 go mp tree for the night, leaving
her little ones in wide eyed woGderment
TO put in the night in the grass.
At early dawn she comes down and
starts off through the wet, icy weeds IN
search of food. The little chaps, broken
of their rest and heavy eyed with loss
of sleep, are dragged is or. 20 miles
through the tall wet grass till they are
soaked and chilled 70 the heart. Then
they are given each a hard, indigestible
grasshopper or 4 hunting case beetle for
breakfast. Then the hot sun comes pour
ing down upon them. and when you
meet the old idiot two weeks later she
has one little bobtail, moth eaten tur-
klet for wham Thanksgiving could have
no horrors.
The hen turkeys morbid desire 10 in
fers for this purpose the primeval forest.
There she selects the dead tree top of a
prime giant oak and deposits 4 hatful
of freckled eggs To see her on her nest
al such time one would think she was
preparing an article on the tariff. bGt
as one approaches her a dangerous light
seems 70 come into the gentle eyes, and
one passes by on the other side.
\ hen turkey l. no more fitted for
mother. however, than the soubretJe Of
a road company She Is a great pedes-
trian. and of course after her long sed-
entary spell naturally wants 70 exercise,
so she starts of the day after her fani-
" has broken the shell. and stepping
about two feet ST i time expects her lit
tie folks 70 keep Up with her. When
they fail 10 do %, she curses them bit
terry and shows no patience whatever.
When she overtakes a large graShoppcr,
she ea5s 1t and gives her little ones the
drumstickS. Is that any kind Of q way
70 win the love Of the young:
Not 10y any means whatever.
Let me pause here 10 say = word on
subject n which I desire 20 call she a.
tention Of my fellow o-nitholoSists
throughout the coantTy, and especially
II this state
For years II has been noticed that IN
teliecrually the hen ! failing she =
NOT what she was even before the war.
and II has attracted the attention nct