The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-13
Uncle Ligey's Little Red Hen.
SHE WAS GREAT PRODUCER, BUT
THE EGGS ALL MATCHED OUT
LITTLE RED BOOSTERS.

dren, half thaw.
The store had been fairly crowded all
the afternoon. Some had come 10 buy
something they wanted, and then stayed
awhile to visit. Some had come to stay
awhile to visit, and then bought be-
cause they happened to see something
they wanted. and many had come with
no special purpose and gone with no
special purchase. The weather ques-
ton had been fairly settled, or ly to be
revived again with every new conner.
Politics and religion had been laid on
the table. The matrimonial happenings,
probabilities, and possibilities of the
neighborhood had been dwelt on at
length, and the pereonal and mort
gagged Indebtedness of nearly every in
habit.nt of the township had been con-
jectured. 1t was getting late in the
afternoon, and conversation had begun
1 to lag little when the door opened and
Deacon Hunt came in.
Afternoon, Deacon" said the store
keeper
Glow are ye, DiIus? abridged
from Epaphroditus fetched ye in
few eggs. Want to trade 'em fur
'lassts an nutmeg an little asserted
dity an a few other notions"
"All right Deacon, all right. Ye're
dumb lucky to hev aigs jest now. The
price is raisin' big. HaOw do we man
aye to keep yer hens a-layin'?"
The Deacon stepped up TO the cheese
box, carefully carved a large slice,
helped himself TO pocket full of milk
crackers, and then, after f ling his
mouth with portion of each, replied:
"Ob, jest keep 'em warm an per-
keep in sort of generous humor."
Deacon's got way with him the
hens likes" volunteered one of the sit
tiers. "Reckon he passes the plate
reaound an makes each hen contribute
aig same's he makes us felers drop
in nickel 10 church Sundays"
oval, l don't see heaow he works
it," remarked seedy-looking individ-
ual from his perch on the brown sugar
barrel. Years ago my hens used ter
lay big, but in these times they don't
do nuthin, but eat corn an scratch up
the garding."
There was short pause in the con-
versation while the storekeeper asked
Uncle Ligey Comfort to take his feet
off the box of sugar cookies 80 that he
might m Ike sale. Uncle Ligey was
the oracle of the town; tai, lank, pom
DIT rousiy extremitied, with patri-
archial beard whitened by time and
yellowed by tobacco, and an eye de-
noting sole mn thought and philosoph-
ical conjecture. He lifted his feet
carefully from the cooky box and de-
: hon nf q
stove, where they acted the part of
fair-sized screens, while the crowd
waited silently, for they knew by ex'
perience that something was coming.
"Spekin' o. hens" said Uncle Ligey,
Eye orter seed hen my father he'd.
A leetle red hen. Want none O. yer
fancy Brahmies er Coachin CHIMES,
but jes' plain, common red hen, an
a ruther ornery lookin' one, too.
was little Teller then, an it were my
job to 60 spyin' about fer aigs, an
was tip-topper at it, l tell ye. They
want no hole raound the maows er
stalls er on top o. anythin' or in under
nuthin' but what knowed.
dads hens got 80 they didn't try to
hide their nests away cause they
knowed 'twan't no use. All but this
cussed little red hen. see one day
that she kind hung raound by herself
g tho she were dom lot o. lhinkin'
but l didn't 'spicon what was up till
mex day l couldn't find her nest
Hunted high an low an all over the
DEVILS half acre, but not dumbed aig
Went on for long while, till finally
mother she lowed eff didn't soon hey
better lnck thar'd be war in Israel, an
I'd hev ter lay in fur repairs. She give
me Jest three more days, an ye kin
bet poked raound The third day
come to a conclusion tibet I'd watch
that hen the hull day. She kinder
'spected me, an tried ter throw me off
but finally come layin' time an she haC
ter skip. / tagged close an peeked
through crack o. the barn arter she
went in. Dumbed eff she didn't &c
straight to q hogshead as stood in 6
dark corner, jump up on top, set thar 6
few minutes, an then jumps down
runs hard as she kin go ter clump &
bushes hundred foot from the barn
an thar begins ter cackle ft ter split
l was leetle puzzled yet, but wen
in ter look at the hogshead. Want ne
no aig on top, en- says, Fooled agin,
but just 3 l was turnin' away l hap
pened ter think, an went an TUX peel
inter the bunghole. 1t was kinder
dark, 80 l drswed up and poked my
finger in an felt aig there. Then
tried ter lift the hogshead, but sh'
wouldn't bulge.
"May l be geewlzzied OF that tina
hull dumb big four-bar'l hogsheaC
warn't full O. aigs. Plumb, 'pilin', brim
min full, an all laid by that cussed rec
hen. | run to the haouse pell nell an
tor mother. She came daown an SCI
it, an says she'd just leave 'em from
ur'osiy ter see what the dumb hen III
do, an so we let her be. Mex day
went ler look, an she was setin', an
she sot an sot an sot right onto tina
bunghole fur six weeks. Bein' 81
many aigs tux her lwict as long tie
hatch aout, One day, arter we'd givel
her up, went inter the barn am fust
kuo we'd l heered turrible peepin', an
thar the little hen were a runnin
! raoun' es if she had her head cut off,
I peckin' at the hogshead an cluckin