Evening journal., 1899-08-05
CURIOUS TRAMP HEN.
She Had Ideas About Laying EGGS
and Also n Tender
Conscience.

ST was in the Genesee valley in York
state recently" said John Gilbert, the
travelling groceryman, "and went over
TO Arnold's place to see how the Won
derful tramp hen was getting along,
and was grieved to hear that she was
dead. That hen beat ALL Nobody ever
knew where she came FROM. Arnold
found her in the yard one morning five
years ago keeping company with the
only chicken he owned at that time, an
other hen. The strange hen was plainly
a tramp. No one in all that vicinity had
lost a 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 down in the
Arnold place with such an air of con-
tentment and ardent determination to
stay there that Arnold raised no objec-
tion. Two or three days later the hen
made nest on an ash heap and laid
an egg AReit. She must have laid the
agg early.in the morning, for It was
there at seven o'clock, when Arnold dis
covered It. This was on Monday. The
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, br. at noon next day she de-
posted an egg in the nest. AS if to
make up for skipping an egg Sueday,
Mondays egg was an unusually large
one and had two yollSs
"rhis remarkable hen kept on laying
an egg daily during that week, the one
that was laid on Friday being deposited
in the nest at just four o'clock in the
afternoon. Next day she started in
at six 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, too, was found to have
two yolks. 1t was laid at seven o'clock.
And so she went on, depositing an egg
in the nest an hour later each day until
she reached four o'clock in thesafter
noon, when she would resume opera
tions at six O'clock in the morning, al
ways taking a rest on Sunday and maxi
ing up for it by laying a doublo-yollSed
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 the clock, she had laid her
egg at ten minutes before IL, and they
thought she had made a mistake; but
they found that she hadn't, the clocl,
being Just ten minutes slow.
"At the end of May queer thing hap
pened. The hen skipped week dag
without laying an egg. Arnold was
worried, because such a thing had not
occurred before. All of sudden an
! idea hit me.
"'Sayl' said /. You haven't found
out yet what a real wonder this hen isl
Yesterday was May 40, wasn't it?'
"'Yes,' said Arnold.
Decoration day. said /. Holiday
This hen doesn't work on holidays,
take it, any more than she does on Sun,
daysl'
, "And that proved to be the case, fol
Arnold kept me posted good while by
letter as to the doing of the hen. Wher
! Fourth Of July came round no egg, but
double-yolked one next day. Ther
right along she went again, with an ege
every day but Sunday, double yolk OF
Monday until Thanksgiving No egg
, Thanksgiving. double yollS next day
No egg Christmas, no egg New Years
day, but double-yollS eggs after each o.
s these holidays. And so she went on al
regular as the days and Sundays ant
5 holidays came. hadn't heard any
thing from the hen for a long time, hei
performances having become an ais
, thing, so last week, when I was up il
+ the country again, / went over to SCI
. how the wonderful tramp hen was get
ting along.
r "'Ohl" said Arnold, she's dead
j. "'How did il happenT saidI.
+ "'Well, you know Christmas fell OF
, Sunday, said Arnold. of course sh
|. didn't lay any egg on Sunday. and, a
we kept Monday as the holiday, o
course she didn't lay an egg on tha
q day. Tuesday she laid an egg that wa
y a sight to see. 1t was as big as a COOS
d egg, and three yollxs But don'tthinl
h she liked doing three days work in on
5 and she couldn't conscientiously d
anything else New Years came alonI
e the same way. Saturday the hen lai
z her egg at her regular hour for tina
!, day, and we didn't notice particular
q untn Tuesday morning that she WASH
e around as usual There was no egg
IT either big or little, IN the nest that day
g and we became alarmed. We starte
8 out to leolS up the hen. We found he
lying under the manger, dead
+ THAT'S what Arnold told me, and
4 had no reason to doubtit Thathenwa
\ quite as wonderful in her death. accord
d ing to my ideas. as she was in her lif'
Ie She was extraordinary, and no mistals
e but she drew her conscience down Iii
IS tie too fine. Chicago Inter Ocean.
An English Lad.
(, IT. o. is a boy Of II years Of age, O
+. the Baker street school, stepney. On
a of school he works for a shopkeepe