The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-09-05

respectable habits, never known to in
| 1ulge in wordy controversies through
1 The fence-palings, nor in crowings and
| challenges Of his neighbors. Since his
marriage to his spouse, Dame Letitia
Bona, he had not fought a single duel
which, considering the times, was re-
markable circumstance.
Dame Letitia, I fear, did not yield
that respect to her lord and master
which he deserved for often when he
| came bringing her a particularly juicy
worm from the garden, a delicious
grub, or some kernels of corn fallen be-
tween the bars of the granary, she
would reward his attentions by SO saw
age a peck upon the head or so fierce
a pluck at his gills that he would be
| fain to retire with a squat.
| Dame Letitia Bona came Of ancient
| fighting stock. There had been famous
game-cock in her family; and, respect
able female as she was, when the white
cock residing in the adjoining yard
| would thrust his head between the pal
| ing in contemptuous challenge Of Sieur
Bona--the latter, according to his GUS
tom, giving no heed to the buster of
his quarrelsome neighbor-Dame Letitia
had been known to send the blusterer
back to his family with a nip in his
comb that all his wives-for he was a
Turkish cock and kept harem-had
much ado to heal.
| It is not to be marveled at, then. that
one, at least, Of Dame Letitia's brood,
when Matched, should exhibit the hered..
itary fighting strain. This little
rooster, whom his mother named NaLpy
Leon, after some distant ancestor,
fought his brothers before the shell was
off his back; and never a day passed
but Dame Letitia had to rescue one or
another of her downy children from the
bill of their fiery brother Nappy.
| AS time went on, the young Nappy
became the tyrant of the barnyard. He
| fought a dozen pitched battles with
cocks Of his own age He pecked the
heads of all the goslings, and pulled out
| the feathers of all the ducklings One
| day he even confronted a tough old
gander, and it might have gone hard
| with him had not his father happened
| along, and, by a judicious nlingling of
persuasion and flattery, soothed the ir-
ritated gander and averted the i'm
pending catastrophe. ~
Dame Letitia was secretly very proud
of her mettlesome offspring, and by her
hints and encouragement did much to
even the soft influence OF her husband.
The Sieur Bona would sigh deeply as
he saw his wife tenderly preening the
ruffled feathers Of her favorite after
one of his daily battles.
"Ah. wife, he would say, II fear you
| are doing very wrong t. lend counten-
! ance to our sons quarrelsome DISPOSE
ton"
NONSENSE" she would reply, con-
| temptuously HE will get on all the
| better for showing some spirit, as others
could mention should do" This was
| one Of her back-handed buffets, which
she knew 80 we'll how to deliver. For
| the Sieur was notable in all the barn
yards around for his mild character.
Perhaps" would be the quiet an
swer, unless he should get into the
soup in the meantime, my dear"
| After a while even the doting mother
| began to be alarmed at the pugilism of
her favorite, and sometimes went so
far as to administer a peck upon the
head of the youthful Nappy-which, as
every one knows, is the ancient form
Of chastisement among fowls. But
Nappy had gotten beyond maternal
control, and with a "squawk'' Of pain
| and anger, the spoiled chick would be
off to pick up another scuffle with the
red bantam, his particular enemy, or
the Black Spanish cockerel. who was
| just sprouting his spurs and boldly de-
| clared his intention Of putting down
that hot-headed Nappy some day.
| At length the hour came when the