The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-21
WONDERFUL TRAMP HEN rs DEAD.
She Had ideas About Laying Eggs, and
Also n Tender Conscience.

Also n Tender Conscience.
II was up In the Genesee Valley last week"
said John Gilbert. the travelling groceryman.
and went over to Arnold's place to see how
the wonderful tramp hen was getting along.
and was grieved to hear that she was dead.
That hen beat all. Nobody aver knew where
she came from. Arnold found her In the yard
one morning Ave years ago keeping company
with the only chicken he owned at that time,
another hen. The strange hen was plainly a
tramp. No one In all that vicinity had lost n
hen. and no one had ever seen this one. She
was a red hen. with a blush cast to her comb.
and OF breed uncertain. She settled Town on the
Arnold place with such an air OF contentment
and ardent determination to stay there that
Arnold raised no objection. Two or three
days later the hen made q nest on an ash heap
and laid an egg in It. She must have laid the
egg early In the morning. for 1t was there at
z O'Clock. when Arnold discovered il. This
was on a Monday. The hen laid an egg every
day after that until the following SUNDAY. and
each egg seemed to be put in the nest an hour
later each day. Sunday the hen didn't lay, but
at noon next day she deposited an egg in the
nest, AS II to make up for skipping an egg
sunday. Mondays egg was an unusually large
one and had two yolks.
This remarkable hen kept on laying an egg
daily during that week. tho one that was laid
on Friday being deposited In the nest at lust 1
o'clock in the afternoon. Next day she started
In at D o'clock in the morning with her egg for
that day. and on Sunday rested again and laid
no egg. The following Monday. though. she
laid another very large egg. This one. too.
was found to have two yolks. 1t was laid at 7
O'Clock. And 30 she went on. depositing an
egg In the nest an hour later each day until
she reached 4 o'clock In the afternoon. when
she would resume operations at q o'clock In
the morning. always taking a rest on Sunday
and making up for it by laying q double yolked
egg on Monday. She was so regular and
prompt on the hour that the Arnold family got
to depending more on the hen for the right
time O. day than they did on the clock. but not
until one day. according to their clock. she had
laid her egg at ten minutes before IL. and they
thought she had made q mistake; but they
found that she hadn't. the clock being just ten
minutes slow.
1T was along about Maylast year that 1 hap
ley. and everybody was talking about Arnold's
wonderful tramp hen. her fame having spread
miles around to take a look at her, and I went
9yer TO see the extraordinary chicken myself;
wallowlng lazily in the dust In the road, and
could see that something was wrong.
ia WHAT'S upF said. The hen amt sick.
I've Nv don't know, said Arnold. but things
a aoa sb foo ba .isst l,l Her nn hour eSr for to-day is passed
waited around ali DAY, waiting 70 see what
the re; suit w1 gu be, but The hen didn't lay |
in tie dumps, The news spread that the Won
else was talked about. Mex. day I Vent e " over to
Arnold's, again. anxious to hear how tho hen
was getting along aEa o found the family in hiSh
hear her a quarter OF a mile AVA
I Ana i Iaid 4 an dos sFE at aS6 5hs hour IL WAS s due b t0vd .Ps
happened to make a sijp; Of yesterday '"'
sag" ~ " ? s sddq t. ' aH 1ae Sa ns re- found out yet
May 80, wern't itp'
hen doesn't work on holidays, I take it. any
An that proved to be the case, for Arnold
Kept me posted a good while by letter as to the
H found no S1 ' esa hf but % " doab bGuytS Ss ' ons G ne.s
az egg every, day but Sunday. double .yolE on
mas. no ess New Years Day, but dcnbie-ytosIhk
vent vent a on as saG regular u ine as the hUs' days and An su so s1s
and HOLIDAYS came. I hadn't heard anything
from the h hen for 3 : long na time; her p~eTformanoes
over to see how the wonderful tramp hen was
uloik.
oh! = said Arnold. she's dead
II was sorryto hear II; and no mistake.
Hope you did not kill her for potpie,' I said.
lord. no. said Arnold. She lust diedH
How did 1t happen p said /
well. you know Christmas fell on Sunday
said Arnold. OF course she didn't lay an egg
on Sunday. and. as we kept Monday as the hol-
iday. Of course she didn't lay an egg on that
day. Tuesday she laid an egg that was a sight
to see; II was as big as a goose egg. and three
yolks! But don't think, she liked doing three
tiously do anything else. New Year came along
the same way. Saturday the hen laid her egg'at
her regular hour for that day. and we didn't
notice particularly until Tuesday morning that
she wasn't around as usual. There was no
and then We became alarmed; We started out
to look up the hen; We found her lying under
the manRer. dead
That's what Arnold told me. and l had no
reason to doubt it. That hen was quite as
wonderful in her death. according to my idea,
as she was In her life. She was Extraordinary
and no mistake, but she drew her conscience
down a little too fine"