The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-14


ger ones. IF 1 was so poor that 1
couldn't enter any fowls at the fair I'd
go jump into Naugatuck."
But little Bryant instead of making an
ugly reply, simply turned a handspring
and went down the road to help Beecher
Ward knock a crate together for his Pc
kin ducks.
on the way to Beecher's house he came
upon an old woman, who had slipped on
a slide and had fallen. She had dane
ing black eyes and a sugar-loaf hat and
long stranght hair and her nose was with
in hailing distance of her chin, and she
looked a good deal like old Mother Hub
bard or Mother Goose or one of the other
mothers of nursery tales.
Bryant was a helpful chap and instead
OF laughing at the old woman as Abbott
would have done he stopped and said
Have you hurt yourself? Can I help
you?"
Indeed you can. sonny. I think I've
cracked my hip I didn't see the ice and
the first thing did see was stars"
Bryant laughed. Here was ar old wo-
man who could make a joke of her trou-
BILE and he was the better pleased to help
her for he was always joking himself
He put his arm around her and finding
her bag of bones he lifted her with no
trouble at all.
Indeed, but you're a good lad. Once
I'm on my feet I'm good for all day, but
when I tumble-which I don't often do
I'm as badly off as a turtle on its back"
Are you going far?" said Bryant.
Cant l carry your basket"
Thank you kindly if you will" said
the old woman. My hip pains me a good
deal / suppose you'll be going to the
3angtown fair and exhibiting some chick
ems like the other boys"
mo, indeed said Bryant, ruefully. II
have just money enough to get in myself,
,Or,N De- ,-I
take care of his ducks l wish I could
enter some hens, for l love them and
would like to win a prize"
We'll, it's a lucky thing that you met
me and that ! fell, for l have the hen
that laid the golden egg in my basket
and I will let you have her all day to-
morrow if you will promise to return her
to me next day. l live on Black noun
tain
And then Bryant knew who ii was that
he had befriended; none other than the
witch woman of Waterfowl who in win
ter lived in WATERFOWL but in summer
lived in an abandoned charcoal burners
hut on the mountain.
you can win a prize with the hen and
you can sell the golden egg which she
will lay at 10 in the morning, for a great
deal of money and you can show her IN
a tent and charge so much admission"
Did ever boy find fortune knocking 20
many times on ms uOOf at once! frlS eyes
filled with tears and he grasped the Old
woman's hand and thanked her with all
the fervor Of warm nature.
Il must go and see about getting tent
at once" said Bryant.
Now l like that" said the old witch.
Some boys would have expected me TO
furnish tent AMI all myself but I see that
you are willing to help yourself. Go TO
Lowell .Russell and tell him I sent yo0
and he will fix you out Here, take the
hen along, but be sure that no one steals
her or she and the thief will disappear en-
tirely."
Bryant promised and ran off with the
basket While he was waiting for Mrs
Russell to open the door he lifted the COW
er of the basket and looked in. There sa
quiet looking hen of a bright golden
color. Her comb was as red as blood and
she looked exactly as if laying golden eggs
was a good thing for her health. Which
it undoubtedly was, for think how many
years it is since she was first discovered.
Bryant told his errand to Mrs. Russell
and she told him that her husband-who
was vice president of the Bangtown Fair
Association-had tent that was to have
been used by man with a five-headed
calf but the calf had lost four of his
heads in a railroad accident and was now
no better than any calf and so the man
didn't need the tent. And then Mr.. Rus
sell came in and proved to be kindness
itself
Next morning the fair opened, and it
was like all the country fairs that were
ever held. And if you never attended one
| can tell you that the chief things to be
seen there are people. People who have
come afoot and horseback. on wheels and
between wheels-and some would come In
balloons rather than miss coming. There
is one big tent and a lot of small ones
and there a who sell candy and
tiers and soda and whips. The whip men
are really worth while. They sell half a
dozen whips each one worth a dollar
and charge a dollars for the lot and still
make money. Now that ought to make a
good problem in arithmetic. If one whip
is worth one dollar and man sells six
such whips for a dollar and makes money
on the sale how much does he make? Do
! it in long division. Or maybe fractions
would be better. But I'm sure l don't
know how the man does it.
The poultry show was a fine one; not
only all the boys, but the farmers for
| miles around had entered birds. But Bry-
ON took first prize a matter of course.
A hen that lays golden eggs is worth any
number of hens with silver feathers.
Bryan was kept busy taking in the nick
| els that the people paid 10 go in and see
| the hen in a parrot cage-loaned by Mrs.
Ward. Mr.. Russell had pointed a beau
| tiful picture of a hen at least two feet
| high and with two high feet and the tent
was naturally magnet of attraction.
OF course the biggest crowd was in the
| tent at 10 O'clock when the hen was ad-
| vertised to lay the egg. The tent had been
! fun before that, but there's always room
| for more people who happened to he in the
/ tent when the egg was laid had something
! 10 talk about for the rest of their lives,
! and | dare say If you go up to Oakville
| you'll find persons who saw the whole
| proceeding.
! AT ten sharp the egg appeared and the
hen began to cackle a silvery lay. Mr..
Russell, who stood by Bryant to see fair
play, held the egg up and told the crowd