The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-06-23
SUMNER ACHICKEN CO0P
A POETS Strange Adventure with six Hens
and . Rooster.

To amuse the little lady and tho young
ster bought six hens and q rooster Then
1 had Il chicken coop erected and the fowls
incarcerated. Life IL the country is rather
dull for the little lady. She IS more &C
customed to the buzz, hum and Whir Of
the wilds of New York. She Thought she
would like to hunt for eggs, ard the young
ster assured me he would like to play with
'slittle chick chicks When he said SO, I
mentally calculated, " Heaven help the
chick chicksl''
But the hens and the rooster were bought
and delivered about sundown and each Of
them named within an hour. The next
morning I arose and ascended to my study
in the attic with the firm discrimination Of
writing from morn till noon q poem
that would bring me ia at least $40 and
sketch that would sell in the lnaricU for
So; also OF writing from noon till devy
eve a shor5 story that would easily sell
anywhere for p units Of the necessary;
total, $40 I had no sooner seated myself
at my desk however, and got mine eye into
a 1nc frenzy rolling than heard a scream,
and the little lady rushed ia to inform me
that Grace had ESCAPED from the coop and
was out in the garden I dropped my prose
and poetry and adopted grim visagcd war
In other words I Went out into the garden
and took command On the right I sta
toned nv wife, on the left our hired giIl
and in the center the youngster- I myself
remained in the rear as commando in
chief ard reserve. / win not detail the
many evoIutions Of that campaign. am
too modest to dwell upon the excellence Of
my strategy. Suffice iu to say that my
brave troops eventually succeeded in reach
ing their objective, and by noon the next
day Grace surrendered at discretion and
was coopcd up where VIC wanted her. We
changed her name then to Maud because she
came out in the garden. We had originally
named her Grace because she was the pref
test and the whitcst Of cur hens, and we
knew a young lady Of that name who was
as pretty and white as q Young girl could
be, which is saying . great deal
After that We had many other expert
enoes. The little lady had lots of fur
hunting for eggs, bat she usually found
and that the proprietor would not surren-
der them without the Tassingo of coin. I did
not have to spend my whole summer ia
chicken coop, however. AS the spring wore
on had more experiences. My rooster had
some lighting blood IN hiln and was much
priced by several Of our villagers He dis
appeared Tnysteriously. Two Of my memo
were killed by rats and two died What
the latter couple died Of ressily cannot say
Every farmer within ten miles has assign
cd different disease as the cause I have
made a combination of the names of these
diseases and consider it the cause Of their
demise. but it is toe long to repeat in ono
breath or get into one sentence. Maud,
true TO her instinct, again came out into
our garden and then went into q neigh
boris I have a strong suspicion that she
is now ia that neighbor's chicken coop, bat
as he ard are the very best Of friends
do not like to say anything. At present
have one hen left, and am wondering
Truth