The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-06-24

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He Tried His Best to Get on an Init
maze Footing with His BIuebIood-
ed Neighbors.
"There's only one way to do it."
said Mrs. Doake. You must go in for
fowls"
Doake had come to live in Tofton on
his retirement from business, and was
anxious to spend his money in the best
society, only, unfortunately, the best
society seemed in no hurry to take him
up. He was especially keen on getting
intimate with the Blueveres, the people
next door, who were what he called
''real swells," though not wealthy.
They had been coldly polite, but Mrs.
Doake had noticed that Mrs. B~luevere's
hobby was poultry keeping and thought
that a common interest ought to bring
such near neighbors together, SO it was
with an air of triumph that he dis
closed her brilliant idea.
Doake was delighted and at once set
about buying a stock of poultry. He
attended a sale at a farm in the neigh
borhood, where some prize birds were
put up for auction, and bought freely.
He meant to spare no expense, but he
was considerably surprised when he dis
covered the value of exhibition fowls.
A friend advised him to buy a certain
cockerel, and he bought it, but another
bidder ran him up to 8 guineas before
he secured it. Then he had to put up a
run and soon found out how easy it is
to keep poultry for profit" He had
the poultry, and some one else had the
profit.
A few days later he encountered Mr.
Bluevere.
$50 you have gone in for poultry ?"
she remarked.
Doake said he had at last hit upon a
really delightful amusement.
81 wanted to buy that Plymouth Rock
cockerel of yours, " continued his neigh
Dor, rather acidly. ''but you ran me up
so fearfully."
Doake apologized and felt small. His
first attempts had evidently not ad-
vanced him much in his neighbor' s good
graces.
The cock turned out to have wonder
fully fine lungs, which it exercised
chiefly at unseemly hours; so much so,
indeed, that Mr.. Bluevere, who was a
bit Of an invalid, sent round a polite
complaint.
Doake. in a fit of contrition, imme-
diately had the offender lynched. When
he met Mrs. Bluevere after the sacri-
fee, she asked him what he had done
with the bird, and when she learned its
fate she turned upon him with a look
of scorn and exclaimed in a voice Of
horror:
"You killed that lovely cockereli
Really, Mr.. Doake, that was a shamel
You might at least have given me the
chance of buying it."
Doake thought this rather unreason-
able. considering the cause of the birds
decease. He felt disheartened. Was
there no way Of propitiating this i'm
perious womanP The fowls and the run
had cost a lot Of money, and the birds
were always getting loose and damaging
the garden, but the poor man stuck to
them and tried to like them, though
they worried him to death. 1t was slow
work. Mrs. Bluevere did not unbend in
the least, though her neighbor invested
in all the newest and most expensive
appliances that were to be bought until
one suspicious day when she invited
him to see her poultry.
81 a let you have some of these, if
you like, she said. II am reducing
my stock"
Doake accepted the offer with alac-
rity. The opening seemed too good to
refuse. Before he left he was the proud
possessor Of two pens of choice Minorcas
not that he knew a Minorca from a
bantam-and had written a check
for G7.
"If you know of any one else who
wants fowls" said his hostess, 81 shall
be glad to get rid of a few more. It's a
nuisance having too many to carry
when one is moving"
"Moving2" gasped Doake.
"Yes; we are going away in about a
fortnight. The people who have taken
the house are great fowl breeders, I un-
derstand. so you will find them. inter
| esting neighbors. Good day."
Poor Doakel That was the end Of his
fowl scheme. The birds were sold off
at a pitiful reduction, but their late
owner has not learned wisdom. He
would keep a bull in his back garden
tomorrow If he heard that a desirable
neighbor was interested in cattle
breeding. Indy.