The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-01-12

good IL seemed to do them.
8 won't go bac; on mother for minute.
said 81, with hri ghiened eyes and stronge
voice, after he had drained the last precious
drop of the broth. and was sucking luxuri
ously Oh the bones; " she KIN cook chicken!
bettern any woman that ever lived. All tn,
same, | never knowed how good CHECKER
could taste before"
Jeho .ephat, the way that does take the
wrinkles out down here" said Shorty, rub
bing approximately the front of his panta
| Icons Il feel rs smooth as if I'd BIZ!
starched and ironed, and there's new life
clear down to my toe-nails. If me and 81
could only have q chicken q day for the next
10 days we'd feel like goin' up there OH tho
Ridge and bootin' old Bragg off the hill.
Wouldn't we. 81? ~
Guess So" acceded ST cheerily. il
every one made us feel as much better us this
one has, How in the world did you git
the chicken. Pap?"
| Little boys should cat what's set before
| 'em, and ask no questions" said the father,
coioring. It's bad manners to be pryin'
around the kitchen to find out where yittels
come FROM
Well, I've got to take off my hat 10 you
rs a iorager," said Shorty. g A man that
kin find a chicken in Chattanoogy now, ;ind
bold on TO it long enough to git it into the pot,
kin give me lessons in the art. When / cit
strong enough to travel again / want you to
learn me the trick"
This Deacon did not reply to the raiIlcry.
He was bordering anXiously about the
preservation OF his four Temaining chickens.
The COOL results, manifest from cooking th,
first only made him more solicitoas about
the others. several hili-iamsiied dogs
bad COME prowling around, from no one
knew here. He dared not Kill them III
daylight He knew that probably some if
not all Of themthad masters and the worse
and more dangerous dog is the more
bitterly his owner resents any attack upon
him. Then, even hupsrier- looking men
with keen eyes and alert noses Wandered
hear, with inquiry in every motion. Tie
would have liked to take Shorty into lis
confidence, but he feared that the rayenous
appetite OF conyaicscence would prove too
much for tn gentlen!an's confluence.
lie kept thinking about it while engaged
in what he called ''..doin' up the chores, +"
that is making ST and Shorty comio table
for the day, before he lay down to take much
needed rest. He had never been 50 puzzled
III all his life. He thought OF burying them
III the ground, but dismissed that because he
would he seen digging the hole aud putting
them in, and If he should escape observation,
the dogs would be pretty certain to nose
them out and dig them up Sinking them
III the creek suggested itself, but had to be
dismissed for various rcasons one being lear
that the ravenous catfish would devour them
If | only had balloon,' he murmured
to himself 8 might send 'em up in that.
That's the only safe way / kin think OF.
Yes there's another way. I've intended to
put Il stone foundation under that crib, and
daub it WELL SOS to stop the drafts. 1t orter
he done, but it's Il hard days work, even
with help, and Pm mortal tired. But ]
spose it's the only way, and Ive got to put
in stones SO big that dog can't pull 'em
out"
He secured couple of negroes, at prices
which would have paid for highly-skiled
labor III Indiana, to roll up enough large
stones TO fill in the space under the crib. and
then he filled al the crevices with smaller
ones, and daubed over the whole with clay
:. There, " he said, as he washed the clay
from his hands, . think them chickens are
safe for tonight from The dogs and probably
from the men. Think OF all that trouble for
four foory chickens not worth more'n four
bits in lnjianny. They're as much bother
as drove o steersd be. think kin now
lily uOWIl ana take Wink U SleSp-
He was soon sleeping as soundly as only
Thoroughbred man can, and would have
slept no one knows how long, had not Shorty
succeeded i'll waking him toward morning,
after a shaking which exhausted the latters
small strength
wake up, Mr.. Klegg," said Shorty; sit
must've bin rainin' dogs, and they're tryin,
10 tear the shanty down"
he Deacon rubbed his ewes and Isteped
moment to the clamor outside. 1t seemed AS
if there were a thousand ours surrounding
them, barking, bowling, snarling, fighting
and scratching. He snatched up club and
sprang out, while Shorty tottered after He
ran into the midst of the pack, and began
laying about with his strong arms. tie broke
the backs OF some Drained others and sent
the others yelping with pain and fright, ex-
cept two particularly vicious ones, vino were
SO frehzied with hunger that they attacked
him. and bit him pretty severely before he
succeeding in killing them. Then he went
around to the end of the crib nearest his
precious hoard, and found that the hungry
brutes had torn away his clay, and even the
larger OF the stones, and nothing but their
lighting among themselves had prevented
the loss of his chickens.
. What in tarnaton set the beasts on to
us?" inquired Shorty ronderingly "1hey
were wussn cats around catnip rats alter
aniseed or cattle about a spot O. blood I've
felt that me and 81 wuz in shape to bring the
crows and buzzards around, but didn't ex-
pect TO start the dogs up this way
I've got four chickens hid under the
underpinin' there for you and 81, confessed
the Deacon. "The dogs seemed to we
smelled 'em out, and wuz after 'em''
He went to the hiding place and pulled
out the fowls one. after another ''They are
all here, +" he said; bat how in the world am
goin' to keep 'em through another night"
You amt a-goinh to keep em through
another night, are you?" asked Shorty anx-
iOusly, as he gloated over the sight. LES
eat 'em today
And starve to-mOrrer?" said the thrifty
Deacon rebukingly. g. don't know where
any more is comm from. 1t was hard enough
work gittin' these / had calculated on
cookin' one day for You and ST. That d
made 'em provide for four more days. After
that only the Lord knows what we'll do
Inasmuch as we'll have to trust TO the |
Lord at last anyway" said Shorty, with
a return OF his old spirit, "why not 90 the |
whole gamut? A day or two more or less |
won't make no difference to Him. / feel as |
If | could eat 'em all myself without Sis
help"
81 tell you what II do" said the Deacon,
after little consideration. s. feel as il .