Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-04
MEAN TRICK ON THE HENS.
Connecticut Yankees Way of Making
Them Work Overtime.

From the New YORK sup.
81 hate to tell this story" said the
man from Long Island, as he raked
his chin whiskers with his fingers.
cts a tale of deception and betrayal
of confidence of faithful Woodworking
creatures.
"Well, to boil it down. it was this
way. A thin-faced Yankee moved over
from Connecticut, bringing with him
about fifty hens. He fixed up the old
barn on the farm next to mine. which
he bought, and he installed the poul-
try. with three or four arrogant roos-
tiers, in this here barn. He gave out
although he didn't talk much, that he
was a-going to run an egg farm. He
called it an egg ranch. AS he wasn't
sociable to any large extent, and was
in the habit of drinking by himself, no
body paid much attention to him. We
let him potter around and just formed
the conclusion that he was a mighty
mean man. And, by gingerspruee! he
was the meanest, low-downest cuss that
I've ever run up against, and we have
some pretty mean members of the tribe
over in Long Island.
"Well, things went along and this
fellowPerkins was his name-went
down to the railroad station every day n
shipped his eggs to N'York. One
day Sam Martin came to me and seq,
sezzee:
Joe, how many hens has that Per-
kins fellow got layin' for him."
"Well, didn't know exactly. but the
postmaster, who keeps the grocery
store as a sideshow to his business
with Uncle Sam, he Clipped n n says
why, he's only got fifty hens; count
ed EN-
That's just what I thought says
Sam, AN that's why | asst We. Ye see,
that fellow is sendin about twelve doz-
en- eggs to the city every day. He
can't make eggs an he don't steal EN-,
fer nobody's missed none, SO where in
thunder does he get 'em?'
ITO tell the truth. we all thought
Sam was mistaken, but the next day
was down at the railroad station, anC
| so were lot of others. Sure enough
Perkins shipped about II dozen eggs tt
the market.
Now you folks who live w her,
can't think how that Perkins egg sit
uation bothered us. We stopped talk
in politics, church squabbles were los
sight of, an we didn't do anything blu
| talk about the Perkins egg output day
time and in the postoffice at night
! Bimeby it came to crisis. The straiT
was a-gettin heavy. We were losIn
| sleep over the matter 1t was decided
| that we must investigate We appoint
ed a committee and went out to Per.
kin's place. But do you think he'd lie
us get within ten feet Of that barn
| Nary
I'VE felt bad over our throwdown fol
day or two till finally somebody sug
| gested that Perkins had cast spell OF
the hens. The thing looked supernat
| ural, uncanny, you know, so to get a
| the gist of the whole thing we decided
| to sneak out TO that barn some nigh
about midnight Well. we did, an II
never forget that night till my dying
| day. We sneaked up to the barn. Ev.
erything was quiet. an we didn't notice
that he'd run electric fight wires from
the big hotel into the barn. How
someyer, We got hold an one OF our
gang threw open the barn door.
Say, gentlemen, it was the saddesi
scene Of my life. I've seen deceived
women and such. but this beat 'em all
for those hens were dumb creatures.
Whatier think this mean cuss Of a Per-
kins had done? Well. he'd hung up
painted scenery, like We see in theeay-
tiers, al around the sides of the barn, to
look Ikea landscape. Then from the
middle of the roof hung down dozen