CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1899-03-02
JIMMIE'S AMBITION.
By LESTER /. LOCKWOOD.
Hu ELLo, Jimi What's up nowa"

ELLO, jim! Nhat up now
"Chicken coop-that is, it will
be when | manage to get few more
nails in"
Sam Simmins vaulted the low fence,
and, standing with his hands in his
pockets, watched Jim few moments.
Then he gave an amused whistle. u
say, Jim, there's nothing like having
conveniences to work with. Now, if
were to build chicken coop should
be silly enough to use new wire eight
pennies and steel-dpped hammer; but
l daresay I'm quite behind the times,
and that assorted sizes of bent and
rusty nails and slippery stone to drive
them in with are the latest improved
implements sort of renaissance in
carpentry, eh?'
mot 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 inn
provised resources; after all, that was
the phrase l stuck on yesterday"
Don't Miss Lamb put us through
the definitions and pronunciations for
says if this thing keeps up he'll have to
buy 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 donew
THAT is also Miss Lambs doing. You
see, she knows all about my poultry
craze-knows Tn saving up to go into
the chicken business, l mean-and yes
terday. she showed me a chance to be-
gin. The folks where she boards are
regular chicken cranks, you know
fine stock, incubators, and al thas.
Well, yesterday she heard Mrs. Jansen
say that she had hen SO determined
t. set that she couldn't break her up.
and that she'd sell her very cheap to gel
rid of her. So Miss Lamb told her about
me, and she offered to sell me the hen
and a setting Of Is eggs-a.i good stock.
too, mind you-for one dollar. Don't
you call that layout, now?"
"'Tis, for fact. And you happened
to have the dollar q
Eyes, I've saved up $1.15. and II can
get the coop done I'm going after schoo'
tonight for the hen"
And | suppose you viii buy bicy-
Gle with the proceeds? But that does-' I
eNp,ain why you are using rusty nails
aIt a stone hammer.
Why, you see, our hammer is LOST,
US usual. Some of the children are al.
ways getting away with ii, and l can't
afford to spend my extra Is cents on
nails. That has TO go for chicken feed,
and I don't know when III have .
chance to earn any more. So I'm draw
.irg these nails out Of the baxes ON the
!. nd;ing pile. They are really minr,
,-u know / worked for them at Mr..
Lakes grocery last vacation"
Going into business on strictly
cash basis, eh?"
.'Yes. sir-eel That's my ticket. every
time
Been reading the life of Rockefeller
and all those penniless-boy millionnires,
1 SUPPOSE"
Jim flushed.
..well, that's the right way to begin,
anyhow he said. sturdily, wrenching
n; stubborn nail with the cold chisei:
..but do wish they wouidn' I always 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 ] strike IL rich in mines
you'll be puttering away with an old
clucking hen and a half dozen scrawny
chickens"
''All right" responded Jim, cheerily.
at may be slow, but n 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 supposep'
"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 a petrified potato? This
loose granite chips off So"
81; does look like a potato-the white
elephant variety" said Sam, tossing the
stone to Jim.
"Thank you. This will make fine
hammer-so hard and smooth"
"Ha! hn! ha! shnnld say sol" for
at the first stroke on the rusty ras head
the stone broke In TWO. one-balf falling