The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-12-22
ANOTHER LANDMARK GONE.
Ye Editor Omciates at the Obsequies of
an Ancient Domestic Foul.

an Ancient Domestic Foul.
Last week the editor was called up
on to act as chief mourner at the obse-
quies Of an aged and respected domes-
tic foul of the female persuasion. 1t is
with regret that we chronicle her death
which is said to have been occasioned
by recent pun in Judge about the
"Hen (derson) takes the Reed birds
nest" 1t is not to be wondered that
the blow killed her, seasoned as she
was by the winds and SHOWS OF some
thirty winters.
We could not but think of her us the
mother of all the chicken fries and
omelets which have delighted the
happy folks of Crawford for low these
many years. When sh first came to
Iowa the railroad extended no farther
than Iowa City, but with one leg tied
to the endgate of prairie schooner
she made the trip in safety across the
yet untrammeled hills and wales of Iowa
where heretofore this grouse and prairie
by any closed season or other invention
of civilization. Hers was the first foot
OF an intelligent and domesticated foul
to tread the soil of Crawford county.
Soon with her mate she had scratched
the first gravel from the then unbroken
hillside. After a little came ia lily
cares but she bravely made her home
in the wilderness and with her brood
under her wing boldly defied the raw
ages of the pioneer Thanksgiving. AT
this time it was necessary for her to go
Council Bluffs, then the nearest market
town, for china eggs on which to set
She above all others is entitled to the
honor of being called the first Set (tler)
Despite many discouragements her
family continued to grow and prosper.
Aud here we are stricken dumb by the
stupendous figures of the wealth she
has created for Crawford county.
Her laying capacity was undoubtedly
about three eggs per week the year
round. this would be l59 eggs per year.
For tue thirty years of her active lay
ing life she would have produced not
less than 477O eggs. Allowing that but
twenty five per cent OF these eggs ulti
mately became chickens and she would
,, have 1892 direct descendants. Allow
| ing that one half Of those were pullets
and their average life three years with
|laying propensities equal to that of
their mother and one sees at glance
the immense possibilities and results Of
her industries. She came to this coun-
| ty bright sprightly pullet with all
sorts of fancies of love and romance in
her speckled head. but the worries and
vicissitudes of life hardened even her
patient heart as we afterwards found
She must have worked industriously
for living and we could not but ad
mire her adamantine limbs strengthen
ed by the scratching of tons of gravel
BY a rough calculation we have estl
mattel that she threw enough gravel il
the course of her life to have ballaste(
the rcadbed of the Boyer Valley lin,
from Deloit to DenisOn.
But there she laid, poor, poor old hen
all life's cackling DER but even in dealt
her stubborn spirit was not subdued
long she defied the destructive work O
carving knife and fork. Her wings
had long ago become hardened to tina
Indiarubber like consistency iron
which we derive the term spring
chicken. Finally, however, she becam
Incorporated into ourselves and he
wish bone is now doing service at tn
Illinois Central shops as a test of tn
pulling capacity of their new engines
We hope for our own sakes that her re
/. mains will ''digesticat in pace"