Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-08-26
44444111 =
4 SHORTER, SON
OF A HURRICANE.
The End of His Cyclonic Career
Brought Grief to the Hem
lock Belt.

ION ONE of my trips through the
~ Passadanky country, up in the
hemlock belt" said John Gilbert, the
travelling groceryman, "a disconsolate-
looking native came out of barn near
the roadside and hailed me. / stopped.
Ibid you come through Jinkins' Hol-
lerT he asked.
"'Yes,' said.
"'Was folks gethered pooty plenty at
the tavern, lookin' glum?' he asked.
mot that / noticed replied.
"'Wasn't the store shet up?'
"'No.'
"'Business goin' on about as usual,
hay"
at appeared to be-
"Then they hain't heerd on it down
to the Holler yet said the native.
Guess l better lope down there an
break it to 'em myself, kind o. gentle.
If the news hits 'em student they mowt
shet down the tavern
"'What's happened?' asked, my GU
riosity excited.
"'Why, Snorter's dead!' was the re-
ply.
"'Who's Snorter?' inquired.
Guess you must live pooty fur
about here said the native, if you
never heerd O. Snorter!'
81 had to admit that did not live
thereabout. The big barn door was
open and swung back against the side
of the barn. The native stepped back
and closed it.
There said he, pointing to mis-
cellaneous collection of things hanging
to that side of the door. 'Them's the
latest assortment Of Snorter's scalpsv
II counted % ratskins, weasel skin
and a chicken hawk.
"Then's Snorter's scalps,' said the
native, AN you bet you gloom1l foller
when the news gifts round that Snort
| er's dead!'
"'Son of yours" said I.
"'Son O. mine!' exclaimed the ma
tive. Pub! There amt no son O. mine
nor no son O. nobody else on the OF
Passadanky could hung up passed. O.
scalps like them! No, sir! Shorter
wa - v coh' IlC was Lie SUI Oh
hurricane, Shorter was! He was
rooster, an the son Of hurricane! No
one never see the likes O. him afore,
an won't never see the likes O. him
| agin!
-Four years ago hurricane setch
as we never heerd on afore come swoop-
in through this deestric'. 1t come from
the southeast an fetched all sorts O.
truck along with it, droppin' of it here
an there. an piclsin' up more in place
OF it. SOS we had things that belonged
mebbe way down in Virginny, for all
/ know, an things that belonged to
us was mebbe logged off an dropped
down way up in Michigan, jes' as like
| as not. if the hurricane wind held out
that fur-an' from the way it was goin'
when it slid over the OF Passadanky
I've an idee it had wind enough to car
| ry it on to Alasky, easy enough, before
it give it's dyin' yoop. After the hurri-
cane got by went out to take look
around, an 'mongst other things ]
found was a red hen, settin' dazed-,i like
under thorn bush. There never had
oSNh q hCu llhC uldO III tllC Hull
lock belt. How fur she had rid on the
bosom o that cyclone nobody'll never
| know. I picked her up an found an
egg where she sot. The egg want no
| bigger'n the everyday run O. hens
eggs. but it was red-almost as red as
the hen. l brung the hen an the egg
in. but the hen never seemed to git
| hprcalf fnoafhar oir ~, IL
O kind O. homesick signs an kicked
the bucket. had an OF dominick hen
that was pinin' to set, an sot her.
Amongst her settin' O. eggs was that
red egg that come from some unknown
country, ridin' into the Passadanky
deestric on the bosom O. that storm.
Some O. that hurricane had worked it's
way into that egg, sure enough, for the
chicken that come outen it turned out
to be regular movin' cyclone. That
chicken was as red as the egg it came
out of, an that chicken was Shorter.
He was the son of a hurricane, an he
took after Nis father from the word go!
First time I ever took notice O.
Snorter's uncommon p'ints was one day
when he was about a month old. was
goin' by the barn here, an heerd a
tremendous cacklin' 'mongst the check
ems back in the barnyard, an rat
squealin' in setch key that know'd
1t must run ag'in trouble o. some
kind. l went round to the yard, an
there was that hurricane chicken, with
nothin' on it yit but pinfeathers, tug,
gin away like mad at rats tail, which
he had ketched hold on as the rat was
Skippin' into hole under the barn
mebbe with an egg or young chicken
After two or three jerks that buddin
cyclone OF chicken yanked the rat