The Winslow mail., 1899-02-25

tIIELLO, Jim! What's up now?"
II Chicken coop-that is, it will
be wnen 1 manage to get few more
nails in"
Sam Simmins vaulted the low fence
ard, standing with his hands in his
rockets, watched Jim a few moments.
Then he gave an amused whistle: Il
say, Jim, there's nothing like having
conveniences to work with. Now, II
were to build a chicken coop | should
be silly enough to use new wire eight-
pennies and a steel-tipped hammer; but
l daresay I'm quite behind the times,
and that assorted sizes CT bent ano
rusty nails and slippery stone to drive
them in with are the latest improved
imp!ements-a sort of renaissance in
carpentry, eh?''
"Not exactly" replied Jim, laughing,
"but it gives you a chance to air that
French pronunciation that you had TO
stay after school for last night. So
there's some good comes from my I'M
provised resources; after all, that was
the phrase / stuck On yesterday"
Don't Miss Lamb put US through
the definitions and pronunciations fer
all they are worth, though? Father
says if this thing keeps up he'll have to
buy a new dictionary before the year is
out-such wear on it, you know. But,
TO resume the original theme what
are you going to put in your coop when
it. is done?"
That is also Miss Lambs doing. You
see, she knows all about my poultry
craze-knows I'm saving up TO go into
the chicken business, ! mean-and yes
terday she showed me chance to be-
gin. The folks where she boards are
regular chicken cranks, you know
fine stock, incubators, and all thai.
Wei, Yesterday she heard Mrs. Jansen
say that she had a hen so determined
t. set that she couldn't break her up.
and that she'd sell her very cheap to get
I'd Of her. So Miss Lamb told her about
me, and she offered to sell me the hen
and setting cf IS eggs-all good stock,
too, mind you-for one dollar. Don t
you call that a layout, now?"
"'Tis, for fact. And you happened
to have the dollar?'
"Yes, I've saved up sl,15, and if | can
get the coop done I'm going after school
to-right for the hem
"And l suppose you will buy bicy-
Gle with the proceeds? But that does2 t
explain why you are using rusty nalls
and stcne hammer"
why, you see, our hammer is LOST,
as usual. Some of the children are a.
ways getting away with it, and can't
afford to spend my extra Is cents On
nails That has TO go for chicken feed,
and I don't know when I'll have
chance 10 earn any more; So I'm draw
GRaEG6 10 6aEn any mOIt: 90 a.""
ing these NJ aiIs out of the boxes on the
k:nding pile. They are really mine
you know. l worked for them at Mr..
Lakes grocery last vacation"
Going into business on strictly
cash basis, eh?"
Yes, stree! That's my ticket, every
time
Been reading the life OF Rockefeller
and all those penni,ess-boy millionaires,
| suppcse?"
jim flushed.
''WeE, that's the right way to begin,
anyhow" he said, stlrd;lY, wrenching
a; stubborn nail with the cold chisel;
but do wish they wouldn't railways lose
the hammer"
"Why don't you wait till it turns
up?'
TOO much risk. You must make
hay while the sun Shines you know
in other words, set hens while they re
in the notion"
Going into the poultry business
with one hen is too slow for me. I'm
going to Klondike as soon as school IS
out, and when l strike it rich in mines
you'll be puttering away with an old
clucking hen and half dozen scrawny
chickens"
"AIl right" responded Jim, cheerily.
1T may be slow. but "A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush.
(which. being translated, means "a
hen in the coop is worth two mines in
the ground suppose?"
That's about the size of it. But
/ say, Sam, before you start for Klondike
won't you please hand me that stone
lying at your feet--the smooth one
that looks like petrifed potato? This
loose granite chips off so.''
1T does look like potato-the white
elephant variety.n said Sam, tossing the
stone to Jim.
Thank you. This will make a fine
hammer-so hard and smooth.n
"Ha. ha! hal / should say sol" for
at the first stroke on the rusty mai. head
the stone broke in two, one-half falling
to the ground and the nail head grazing
Jim's hand. AS he turned his hand
over TO examine the scratch the broken
surface Of the stone caught his eye. He
gave loud whistle
Look here, Sam. Stop your laugh
ing and see what is inside of your white
elephant potato.n
With that keen interest in "speci-
mems" which is the natural birthright
Of every Rocky mountain boy Sam
stepped eagerly forward.
"Geode?"
Not much! Nothing so common a;