The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-24
FIFTEEN DOZEN AND ONE.
The Unearned Increment ON Bas-
lSet of Eggs Travelling in a PAS
senger Car
From the Indianapolis journal,

ket of Eggs Travelling In Pas
senger Car.
From the Indianapolis Journal.
Eggs are high 1t makes no difference
where the chickens lay them, several
hands have to be crossed With silver before
the eggs begin to grow pale around their
large yellow eyes as they sputter in the
frying pan with the prospect of being
served with a meal. A couple of ladies
living in the fashionable district in the
north part of the city discussed the egg
question last week, and carefully noted
that the price was still slowly ascending.
A woman loves to bargain, and as a re-
suit OF the discussion both these ladies' de-
clded to take a train to ColfaX yesterday
and drive some egg bargains with the far
mers wives in the vicinity OF that classic
village. They went, they bargained, and
they secured fifteen dozen eggs.
When the return train In the afternoon
rolled up to the Colfax depot the passen-
gers We're surprised to see two fashionahly
dressed ladies lug a big basket filled with
eggs into the car. The basket was care
fully deposited in the front end of the car,
and the two ladies took seats near the
rear, that the apparent curiosity of the
passengers might be lessened, and still
they would be enabled TO keep an eye on
their bargain. At the next station it so
happened that the lone passenger was an
old colored woman, who firmly clutched
the legs of an ancient hen that PROBABLY
was grandmother to about sixteen gen
erations of other poultry grandma theirs.
The train gave a lurch and the old colored
woman sank down into the first seat with
bump, and then, to her amazement, she
espied a huge basket of eggs.
"Wondah where all dem eggs done come
FROM" she murmured, and the old hen
pecked her. "'Clare f didn't nearly TO-
git you, dis huyah cah seat am no place
Spa tnd fo Nd wand ana waR n6d
basket of eggs. The old hen was evident
ly surprised, but, only for a moment, and
then she settled down to business. while
the other passengers were having all KINDS
of fun among themselves.
In being transported to the egg basket
the legs of the hen spread out over the
eggs with the familiarity that betokened
her an old setter The train sped on, the
old colored woman went peacefully to
sleep, and the two ladies and the rest of
the passengers had settled down to con-
Suddenly from the basket came "caok-
Observation-Disclosures cutie
cack,' and the old hen hoped or the bas-
ket serenely, and perched on the arm of
a seat and cackled some more. In an in
slant there was q commotion among the
passengers that awakened the old colored
woman with "Foah heben's sake, keteh
dat hem" She made a lunge, so did the
hen. She landed in the aisle, and the hen
scared the whole length OF the the car,
landing in the lap of fat old gentleman
who was reading a paper.
iii out of here!' he yelled, and the men
hied.
"Ketch dat henw was the war cry of the
old colored woman, and she sped down the
aisle with the force that completely over
turned a drummer who had assumed a
base ball attitude waiting to knock foul
with his cane.
Again the hen scared and the women
screamed, while the men threw canes at
the top of the car. The brakeman opened
the door and entered just in time for the
frightened hen to light on his head. 1t
was unexpected. With grab he seized
the fowl, almost knocked down the color
ed woman with it, slammed the door be-
hind him, and then stood looking through
the window. The old colored woman s
arms had closed about her fowl like the
tentacles of an octopus, and ten minutes
later the chicken lay wrapped in an old
handkerchief, while the owner blissfully
resumed her interrupted snooze. When
the ladies with the eggs got home and
counted the fifteen dozen, they wondered
whether the farmers wife had given them
an extra egg, or was ii possible that-and
then they both laughed and told the neigh
bors of their experience.