The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13
FIFTEEN DOZEN AND ONE.
The Unea-ned Increment ON a Basket 81
Egg Travelling In "a PnssenEer Car.

from the Indianapolis Journal
Eggs are high. 1t makes no difference where
the chickens lay them. several hands have 70
be crossed with silver before the eggs begin to
gro. pale around their large yellow eyes az
they sputter in the frying pan with the pros
poet OF being served for n meal. A couple OF
ladies living in the fashionable district in the
north part OF tho city discussed the egg ques-
ton last week, and carefully noted that the
price was still slowly ascending. \ woman
loves TO bargain, and a. a result OF the discus
sion both these ladies decided 10 take n train to
Colfax yesterday and drive some egg bargains
with the farmers wives In tho vicinity of that
classic village. They went, they bargained.
ana they secured fifteen dozen eggs.
When the return train in the afternoon
rolled up tn the Colfax depot the passengers
were surprised to see two fashionably dressed
ladies lug n bic basket filed with eggs into the
car. The basket WAS carefully deposited in
the front end OF the car. md the two ladie.
took seats near the rear. that the a~ppareno
curiosity OF the passengers might be lessened.
and still they would be enabled to leep In eye
on their bargain. At the next station 1t so
happened that the lone passenger was an old
,olored woman. who firmly clutched the legs Of
an ancient hen that probably was n grand
mother to about sixteen generations OF other
urea. the cid eolored woman sank down into
the first seat with n bump, and then, 10 her
engagement TGmG sh" sspiGG q hinge Sr SasS Scro OF cGm
from" she murmurch. ard the old hen pecked
her. =" Glare 7 / didn't nearly, fo'git y,op. Al:
huyah cab seat am no place foah q fowl" and
with one effort she threw, the old white 'sou-
yenir" onto, the basket Of eggs. The old hen
was evident" surprised. but. only for 9 mo-
whtlo the other passengers were having all
kinds of fun among them selves. In being
hen had become loosened. so, che was able to
spread out over the eggs with the familiarity
that betOkeuel her an old setter. The tra.u
sped on. the old colored woman went peacefully
to 'leep. and the two ladies and the rest OF tho
passengers had settled down To conversation.
suddenly from the basket came "cack-cack.
caok-cuttle-cack -cack cack-cuttie-cack," and
the old hen hoped on the ba-ke. serenely, and
perched on the arm OF a seat and cackied some
more. In an instant there WAS n commOtiOn
among the passengers that awak enrd the old
,olored woman with, "Foah heben's sake. ketch
She landed In the nlsle, and the hen scared The
whole length OF the car. landing In the lap OF Q
rat old gentleman who was reading n paper.
HI out OF hereH he yelled. and the hen
,",Ketch dat henl" was the war CRY of tho
o ois,o eHin5sa woman, and she sped down tne
u drummer who had assumed "A baseball atti-
tude waiting to knock a fowl with his cane.
screamed, while tho men threw canes a. THO
top of the car. Tho brakeman opened tho dooS
anq entered Just IN time for the tri. - ned hnn
10 IlSlt on his head. II was un"Np"VtrG, NIth
a graz he seized the fowl, almost knoch"d
down the old %colored woman with it. slammed
ths dopr behind him. air Then stood looking
through the wind0". The old coIyrcd wo-
mans arms had closed about her frHl Ike to
, zen a. OF an OCTOPUS. ard ten minutes lal
nv cilcKen lay wrapped In an Old shawl, WIN
mitm legs Tied firmly with an old handkerchief
rnn,ed ne owner 9lis'tuiiy resumed per inter
got homo and counted the nftceu dozen. they
,wonaered whether the farmers wife had given
and then tthhss@ b sSS' or MsS Il p ,oi5 tbs n w
i Sofs VI their experience.