The San Francisco call., 1897-03-28

- HE time before last that Mr.. Wig
AS gins moved he did so with an eye
,gkSS 10 going in the chicken business. IN
which he thought he could find both
pleasure and profit. At the outset his
wife, who was raised on a farm, mildly
essayed to give him some informa ton on
the subject, but be vetoed this at once.
"You no doubt mean well. Susan" he
said. "but IFS many long year since you
associated with hens, and your ideas are
crude and old fashioned. Besides, L am
the one that's going into this thing, not
you, and 1 m going to run it alone. All
ask of you is to attend To your home and
social duties and keep out of my chicken
yard, and I'll guarantee 10 supply you
with more eggs and broilers and roasters
than you can shake stick at, just as soon
as | get down to business; but interter-
ence of any kind will not tolerate"
Six rather apidated-looking hens and
ragged rooster were soon tenants of the
chicken-h house in the back yard, on the
gate of which Mr.. Virgins ostentatiously
fastened huge paddock. A Miiesian lady
VINO was moving further into town was
their former owner, and she gave them
first class character.
They'll do ye credit if you trate EN-
dacent," she declared, "for they do oe
good, respectable, steady-going hins and
none of yer giddy-headed, irresponsible
young puIIets. I've had 'eu1 by me going
on FIVE years now, and l wouldn't part
with 'em if we wasn't taking fiat, for
I'm most as fond of 'em as | am of the
childer.'
Faithfully and generously Mr.. Virgins
fed his new acquisitions and anIiously but
vainly he looked for the eggs which were
TO reward him. His wife made no com :
mems and serenely ordered her eggs of
the grocer as usual. bus Mr.. Virgins was
perplexed and unhappy.
Something was certainly wrong with
bis hens, and he studied over the m after
for several days. Saturday be came home
early, bringing a bulky bundle, which
was in every ones way on the cars and
almost occasioned a personal encounter
between him and the conductor.
1t proved-greatly to Mrs. Virgins as
tonishm ment, since the youngest Virgins
is a sturdy youth OF years-to be a baby's s
tin bathtub, but without vouchsafing any
explanations her husband bore it in to the
secusion of his exclusive domain. Soon
dItSr ne came III iOI tlo 'Ooi ehofci ouo
hod, and was observed to be lndustriously
bcraping and scratching around out in the
street before the house.
Later squawks of frantic excitement,
horritied surprise and wild dismay came
from the poultry-yard. and Mrs. Virgins,
peering through the palings, beheld her
lord and master, very red in the face, hold
ing terrified and loudly protesting hen
firmly by the legs while he rubbed her
vigorously with handfuls of road dust.
with which he had filled the little tin tub.
What upon earth are you doing,
Achilles2" she cried, astonished into for
getting her neutral policy.
.Giving these blamed hens dust bath,
returned the begrimed and perspiring
Virgins, too excited 10 rebuke her for in
truding upon his privacy. "Old Jones
told me they needed it, but / guess I'll
have to give it to 'em through a colander
make a shower bath of it-for they don't
seem to like it this way at all r.
Very gently Mrs Wlggins explained
that the fowls would attend to their own
bathing if the dust was provided for them,
and was rewarded by being told with as
perity that Mr.. Virgins knew all that
before" but was just amusing himself
with his pets and hadn't asked her for any
Information, nor to come out there to
'.spy upon" and "boss" him.
''These fowls are mine, Mrs Wiggins,"
he said, ''every last one OF 'em. and
bought with my own hard earnings.