The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-12

He was very tall and his face was ugN
and wrinkled in the places that indicate
selfshness and cruelty. He was growl-
inc and grumbling and inwar,lly chuck
ling, because he knew that he'd. have the
fun of thrashing John in about two
minutes. He did not see the boy at first,
but hearing him whistle he looked up
and there sat John on the apex Of the
pyramid. smiling like a Cheshire. Well,
even FarwplFs i'll natlIfe was not proof
against that and he burst out into a
harsh laugh and said, You're the best
boy to work / ever saw. Come down
now. and Wen have lunch"
Lunch consisted of milk and pop
corn. After it was finished Mr. Far
wei said: 81 have bought three hum
dred fowls of Edison Larr'abee and
want you should fetch 'em over this
afternoon. If you get 'em here by night
| fall YOU can have some supper. II
you're later than six I'll wallop you and
send you to bed without m0uthful
to eat
John always liked to work among
hens and he never borrowed trouble, SO
he said. "I'll go at once. Shall / h'tch
up and get EN- or shall l lead EN-: =
"IIitch up? Why, there's three nun
dred ON 'em and they're of three Diff
| fertnt breeds Wagon wouldn't hair
hold EN-. They must be led back AMI
! if You mix 'em up III mix you ur so
! hard you won't know youc hands from
! your feet"
Now, Farwell thought he had set
John an impossible job. He was ach-
ing to trounce the boy and would have
Il IoF I,1fr
for his infections laugh. That seemed
to render him incapable Of his usual
meanness. However, he was sure that
the boy would not be able to bring back
even ten of the hens and he rubbed mis-
hands together in anticipation of the
fun he would have in beating the poor
little orphan at six O'Clock.
john sat out with lishc heart. The
greatest writer that ever lived has told
us
"A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad tires in milea"
And so it was with John. He made
nothing of the ten miles to Ed. I4arra-
bees and when he came to the house
he gave n loud yippoo and Ed. came 70
the front door Hello. Mr. Larrahee,
| said John, Il have come to lead home
the fowls that Mr. Farwell has bought.
Lead EN-? Why man alive, or
rather boy alive. theirs three hundred
of 'em an they amt sheep. And You
don't lead sheep-outside of the good
book"
'AVell, it won't do any harm to try to
do it. said John manfully, and SO they
went out to the hen houses. There
were one hundred Plymouth Rocks and
one hundred Light Brahamas and one
hundred Brown Leghorns.
John knew something about fowls
! and so he tackled the Brahnmas first.
They are sober and tractable-for hens
and he thought that if he could get
them to marching that their example
might be followed by the others. eveii
the Tightly Leghorns. But hens are
hens, / gricve to say, and they were
never intended for soldiers, and after
John had let out the hundred Brah-
mas from the pens where they had been
cooped for days, they were so glad to
got to grass that they scattered in x
dozen directions.
Some boys would have sat down in
desiair, hut John clucked gently to them
and whistled pretty tune and they
soon saw they had nothing TO feaf from
him. Still they didn't propose to be
led by him or by any other merry heart
But il hens have a weakness-and
they have thousand-it is a liking
for raw meat. and John beth0ught
him 81 that fact and then ii was as Gasp
as pie as far rs the Brahamas and Ply
mouth Rocks were concerned. He tied
scraps of meat at the ends of strines
and. mounting Larrabee's sons bicycle,
he dauglcd the meat at the end of
long pole and the hens made dash
fer the meat and followed it ON the
run all the way to Farwelfs pens.
where they got it--not before. He led
the Plymouth Rocks the same way,
although he set them faster pace
than he had thought good for the heavy
BrahlnaS and then he returned to lead
the I.eghorns. But when he let the
Brown Leghorns out they flew all over
the four acre lot and he saw that the |
meat plan wouldn't work with them. |
And it was getting close to six O'Clock. |
and Farwell wouldn't take n half a JOB |
for a whole one, rs Mr.. Larrabee kindly |
explained to him.
But the bobolink and the butterfly had |
been watching him and they whispered |
to wandering bee
And that is why hundred handsome |
humble bees appeared, each with a ker- |
mel of yellow corn in his talons. Tai |
ons doesn't sound right, but how could |
a bee hold a kernel of corn without tai |
ons? Each bee poised himself in front |
Of IA I4eghorn and ms yellow corn ex-
cites hen as much as yellow gold ex-
cities a human, those fowls followed the |
corn and the corn was borne to Far
wells place as fast as the bees could |
fly with their heavy loads. 1t was just
a qulrter TO six when the last I5aghGrn
entered the yards and then John fas-
tened the gates and went into the house. /
Not hen had been mixed up.
Farwell had been preparing some i
switches out in the barn and he had /
not noticed what had happened. He {
came into the house, glanced at the I
clock and then saw John reading
newspaper.
lie was speecnIess With surprise. The |
idea of the boy daring TO sit there when |
his work was unfinished; for of course
he must have failed in his Herculean |
task. The evening breeze brought an |
unwonted sound of growing. Farwell, |
hadn't kept chickens in Years. The |
heavy, full challenge of Rrahma r0os- |