The Wilmington daily Republican., 1899-08-31
CURIOUS TRAMP HEN.
Shs Had Ideas About Layins ESss
and Also . Tender ,
III .,l.,. Conscience.

derful tramp hen was getting along,
and was grieved to hear that she was
dead. That hen beat all. Nobody ever
knew where she came from. Arnold
found her in the yard one morning five
years ago keeping company with the
only chicken he owned at that time, On
other hen. The strange hen was plainly
q tramp. No one in all that vicinity hdd
lost a hen, and no one had ever seen
blush cast to her comb, and of breed
uncertain. She settled down in the
Arnold place with such an air Of con-
tentment and ardent determination to
stay there that Arnold raised no objec-
tion. Two or three days later the hen
made o nest on an ash heap and laid
an egg in 1t. She must have laid the
egg early in the morning, for 1t was
there at seven o'clock, when Arnold dis
covered it. This was on Monday. The
hen laid an egg every day after that
until the following Sunday, and each
egg seemed to be put in the nest an
hour later each day. Sunday the hen
didn't lay, but at noon next day she de-
posted On egg in the nest. As If to
make up for skipping an egg Sunday,
Mondays egg was an unusually large
one and had two yolks.
"This remarkable hen kept on laying
an egg daily during that week, the one
that was laid on Friday being deposited
in the nest at just four O'Clock in the
afternoon. Next day she started in
at six O'Clock in the morning with her
egg for that day, and on Sunday rested
again and laid no egg. The following
Monday, though, she laid another very
large egg. This, too, was found to have
two yolks. 1t was laid at seven o'clock.
And so she went on, depositng an egg
in the nest an hour later each day until
she reached four o'clock in the after
noon, when she would resume opera
tions at six o'clock in the morning, al
ways taking rest on Sunday and maxi
ing up for it by laying double-yolked
egg on Monday. She was so regular and
prompt on the hour that the Arnold
family got to depending more on the
hen for the right time O. day than they
did on the clock, but not until one day,
according to the clock, she had laid her
egg at ten minutes before IL, and they
thought she had made mistake; but
they found that she hadn't, the clock
being just ten minutes slow.
"At the end of May queer thing hap
pened. The hen skipped week dag
without laying an egg. Arnold was
worried, because such thing had not
occurred before. All of sudden an
idea hit me.
"'Say!' said I. You haven't found
out yet what real wonder this hen Is!
Yesterday was May 80, wasn't it?'
"'Yes,' said Arnold.
Decoration day. said l. Holiday.
This hen doesn't work on holidays. I
take it, any more than she does on Sum
days!'
"And that proved to be the case, for
Arnold kept me posted good while by
letter as to the doing of the hen. When
Fourth of July came round no egg, but
q double-yolked one next day. Then
right along she went again, with an egg
every day but Sunday, double yolk on
Monday until Thanksgiving. No egg
Thanksgiving, double yolk next day.
No egg Christmas, no egg New Years
day, but double-yolk eggs after each Of
these holidays. And SO she went on as
regular as the days and Sundays and
holidays came. l hadn't heard any
thing from the hen for long time, her
performances having become an aid
thing, so last week, when was up in
the country again, went over to see
how the wonderful tramp hen was get
ting along.
"'Oh!" said Arnold, she's dead.'
How did it happen?' said 1.
"'Well, you know Christmas fell on
Sunday said Arnold. OF course she
didn't lay any egg on Sunday, and, as
we kept Monday as the holiday. of
course she didn't lay an egg on that
day. Tuesday she laid an egg that was
sight to see. 1t was as big as goose
egg, and three yolks! But don't think
she liked doing three days work in one
and she couldn't conscientiously do
anything else. New Years came along
the same way. Saturday the hen laid
her egg at her regular hour for that
day, and we didn't notice particularly
until Tuesday morning that she wasn't
around as usual. There was no egg,
either big or little, in the nest that day,
and we became alarmed. We started
out to look up the hen. We found her
lying under the manger, dead
That's what Arnold told me, and I
had no reason to doubt it. That hen was
quite as wonderful in her death, accord
ing to my ideas, as she was in her life,
She was extraordinary, and no mistake,
but she drew her conscience down a lit
lie too fine. Inter Ocean.
An English Lad.