Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-11-24
. ALPHEUS CHUBBUCK'S
. HEN CART.
BY Susan Brown Robbins.


ferent. She took great pride in her little
village home and its trim yard. SIZE cared
for the flower garden, but ii was the duty
Of Alpheus % hoe the vegetables and
NOW tie lawn. lie did this under pro-
test and had to be asked many times
before the work would be satisfactorily
done. Ia a year from the time Of his
marriage he had the distinction Of being
known az the LATEST man in town.
1t is said that satan finds some mis-.
chief still for idle hands to 10. Whoever
furnished it, mischief was certainly done
by Alpheus Chubbnck-not by his hands
to be exact, but by his lively imagination
and his active tongue
By gentle ridicuIe. sly insinuation and
the repeating of things people said he
soon had the whole town unsettled Old
family feuds were revived. new ones
started, while half the people would not
speak 70 the other half.
One day-it was April Mrs. Alpheus
heard strange sound in the yard. She
went to the window and saw Gathering.
rickety, dingy hen cart drawn by raw
boned sorrel horse. On the seat of the
cart sat her husband and another man
a shabby, slouching, disreputable lookisg
man. Both jumped TO the ground when
the cart came TO d stop in the middle of
the side yard and with apparent haste
Embarrassed the horse.
Then Alpheus took out his pocketbook
and gave the man some money. The
man swung himself on the horses back
and, with his legs dangling against her
thin sides, ambled out of the yard and
down the street.
well, Of all thingsr' said Mrs. Al
pheus. and she went out to make inqui-
ries
I'm going into the hen business" said
Alpheus. And, just think. Loizy, /
bought that cart for So.
"And got cheated. too" she said sharp
iy. But then it's your own money
she added
Yes, and I've got 81 left to fix it up
with"
"A dollarr' she said contemptuously
"How far will that go? 1t won't set the
tires. to say nothing of painting it and
fixing the broken DOORS
"Oh. WE'LL said Alpheus easily, Il
shall have some more money next month,
and I'll do all | can on it myself
For more than two months Alpheus
was missed from his old haunts, and the
relations of the villagers became less
strained. One pair of lovers after anoth-
er became reeonciled and number of
the family feuds were as If they had new
er been.
All this time Alpheus was at work on
his hen cart. and people began TO drop in
to look at it.
Eve got it just about in condition to
paint" he would say proudly. Its tax
en- me a good while to get it ready. but
believe that If anything is worth doing
at all it is worth doing well. and my wife
will tell you that it was a pretty hard
looking old trap when | got it. You see,
it's fixed up pretty nice now. OF course.
it won't show how much I've done to 1t
till after it is painted. | had the tires
set and that broken shaft mended and
two new spokes and a part of rim in
that hind wheel I've scraped and sand
papered it and put new snaps on all the
doors. Why, they were fastened with
clothespins when got it, And I've fixed
a little railing around the top so | can
carry things there if want to, and I've
got hinges on the seat. and, you sec,
there Is a box under il where l can carry
my dinner. and I've put up that frame
for an awning so ! won't get sunstruck.
when are you going 10 start in bust
ness?"
ooh. don't know; time enough for
that when | get my cart finished
In due time the cart was painted. But
now, instead of going into the hen bust
ness, Alpheus began again to loaf about
the grocery store and TO resume his old
habits When he went home at noon. he
would look proudly at his hen cart, and
he always smoked his after dinner pipe
and read his evening paper in the shade
of it's striped awning.
Arthur Wade was walking home from
his ladylove's house one evening in July.
He was one of the lovers who had been
estranged by Alpheus the previous
spring Tonight he was gloomy and mo
rose. Alice had shown a marked GOODNESS
that evening. and he remembered how
their former trouble began in just that
way.
Hes up to his old tricks again." Ar
thur muttered as he came opposite the
Chubbuck cottage. He frowned darkly
at it and Mt the hen cart that showed
plainly in the moonlight.
Tie walked on to the next corner,
where he stopped suddenly. He turned
about and retraced his steps, and for a
long time he stood looking at the pink
and green hen cart.
"I'll do it," he said at length. Eyes,
I'll do it the very first cloudy night"
And with that he walked briskly away.
1t was several mornings later that.
when Alpheus. as was his habit. went to
the dining room window to look out at
his hen cart he gave, n start of surprise
and exclaimed, what in thunder"
Then he snatched up his hat and ran out
into the yard.
There stood a rickety. dilapidated hen
cart. Alpheus looked at it blankly; then
his eye caught sight of an envelope tack
ed TO the side On it was written the one
word Boot" With trembling fingers.
he tore it open and drew forth IS bill.
When he went in to breakfast, his eyes
ere sparkling.
Its worse than the other one" he
said enthusiastically, "and the wheels
are dished like pie plates. The color Of
abe other one did not just suit me-" he
said after pause. 81 think I'll paint
this one yellow and purple, and it won't
take me so long as it did before, either