The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-10-21
Seasoning
VERSUS
TRAINING.

train a game rooster.
Tn the first place. there was an old Dutch
man UP there lad an old Indian game. and
he was d dandy. even If he was old. lie
WASH, exactly what You could, strictly
speaking. call 4 regular fighting cock. but
he'd licked everything he'd ever gone Up
against. And ned had lots and lots Of bat
ties. too.
Well. one time me and my friend up
there. the bartender. figured out a chance
70 have a good joke on old Jake. This here
bartender knowed a fellow Ia Chicago that
made Il business OF fighting chickens. and
We sent up there ana got him to send Us
down q bird to pit against the Dutchman's.
But he was only a young bird. and
| oil Indian game made short work OF him.
"Of coursc. that put the laugh on u in
stead OF the Dutchman. and maybe you
think the old fellow wasn't tickicd. I can
just see him pow. half slcuShed. and laying
back and laughing at us.
"Tain't no jusc. boys. yer can't gil no
wr-~r-r-r-g-oostdh what can lick mine And
that's the way he pronounced rooster, too.
II. WIS q PIOtdc.tsaer. you see. ard that
| accounts FOR II, because there amt no IL't-
G"etsker living can pronounce rooster
! right.
so we sent to Chicago again. and this
time we got u regular OLD veteran or IN"
ring, guaranteed never licked.
The only trouble about him Was he was
out Of training, and the Chicago man tod
Us we'd better train him for u couple OF
weeks. He was kind OF s~hort-winded. that
vas what was the matter.
so we took him up into a great big emp
~ room Just above the saloon. where
| there'd used to been a paint shop. Round
the edge where the painters had used to
set their cans the floor was hard and slick
as glass. SO We spread b~urlapping all
| around close To the wall. and then I'd staEd
-, ~ -, $50 L.I lU.sN- -. ~. - Al
place. and I'd take u long fishing pole and
give that chicken his daily exercise. Course,
] never hit him none TO hurt him. just
Irodded him UP a little bit, when he'd set
lazy: that's all.
well. he didn't like that ~fishing-poie
itea OF mine q little bit. and he'd nearly
break his neck To get away from IL. We
put the buriapping around his runway. Of
course. TO keep him from slipping. But once
IN i While he'd get In such a big hurry to
turn a corner that he'd get off the burlsp-
| ping and strike that hard paint, and then
he'd 40 a-sltding clean around the room
| almost.
That's where the fun came IN was tell
Ing You about. u was WORTH a can of beer
| any time to see him hit that hard paint
V hon he was going AT a lively gait.
Well, come time 70 fight '.m in about
two weeks. Me and the bartender figured
ont that after two weeks with the fishing
! HttN. II ne u!ut I nave MS tHinJ, ne q never
get It.
You never seen 4 prettier chicken fight
than that one was while il, lasted. Old
| Jake had his bird IN elegant trim. I'll say
that for Jake.
both of them were o!d-old-timers. and
you oct they scrapp,d some. Jaks'S bird
got whnded first. and. to show YOU how
! cute ne was, he'd run his head unde. the
other fellows wing and hold II there till
| he LsL- lhrlT fVgp ar Tkr..s s.a.I l.ny lr,.fb-
and than he'd go TO ~scrdpping again.
Well. ~hy-and-by Come our birds turn
Z" breathe. and that's where the Sam Hill
came in. He hadn't no more than stuck
his head under old Jake's Indian games
wing than he let out d whoop and few the
pin, and Va never could get him back in.
, either.
1t all WIS done So quick We couldn't
see what lakes bird done to him. bur
I; about q year afterw a~r,is-after he had the
' laugh on us that long-Olj Jake admitted
that he had put red pepper under his birds
two wings.