The Newtown bee., 1901-03-22

er(the money and the idealI thought I saw chance to promote an industry which would rival John D. Rockefel- ler's oil plant when it came to a mat ter of declaring dividends. It was ev- ldent that there was nothing to do but collect large, choice company of fowls, lean back in my bOunteous office chair and softly murmur, Hay on, McDuff," or whatever their various names hap- pened to be-
 l therefore purchased a tract of rolling prairie. It was covered with a heavy growth of green blue grass shaded in spots by stately elms and towering catalpas and irrigated by sparkling, babbling brooklet. It was spot that would make hens life one long dream of happiness. It was a resort that would have coaXed eggs out of the most barren prospects. It was here I built chicken house of such mammoth proportions that it re- sembled a snow shed on the Northen Pacific. 1t was built on the most inn proved plan of hen architecture. I gathered my ideas from personal visits to all the poultry farms in the country that were worth while, and every time l visited new one I come home and changed my plans. There was an en- tire suite of rooms for every particular grade of chicken kind. There were drawing rooms for the aristocratic and hOspitalS for the feeble. There was a souvenir >>building for the Plymouth Rock; there were temples for the Bramahs; improved foot-baths for the l White LeghOrns and china-closets for the ChOcin Chinas. I hired small boy to do the scratching for them, so that they could sleep during tho early morning hours.
 built stable for my horse and de- livery wagon, sunk well, fitted up an office and bought burglar-proof safe in which to keep the eggs pending a rise in price. Then 1 began to look around for tenants. This was difficult. At that time all hens looked alike to me. was :tompelled to take the sell ler's word as to their pedigrees and habits. l have since learned that hens as rule dOmOt always carry out the agreementsOf their former owners After getting in touch with every man in central IAinois who had hen he was willing,.tO part with I secured enough to open up for business. The first roll call showed 375 present. Statistics show that one energetic hen will lay one egg day on an average. round the placP, so Substituted good, soft, well-upho1tered nests for each one of the 375. o
 In short tin1e through the courtesy of dozen naughty roosters which 1 introduced around among those pres ent and the help two Steam-heated incubators I swklled the total number to 1,26O. Then Ifelt that my troubles were at an end. I had spent enough money to supply the town with eggs for years at Easter prices. had pur- chased everything from satchet pow bone for aiding digestion. 1 bought drinking fountains, hQyers foot-baths steam-heaters and egg cases. 1 nat urally supposed that it was all over but putting the income in the bank. 1 was hugging a delusion. It soon de- veloped into proposition of stupen- dous proportions. My health began to fail and my placid brow, on which my earlier years of struggle had left no mark, became as corrugated as wash board. l decided to secure a manager for my plant, one who' knew the hen business, and give myself a needed va He claimed he had made, f fthe chicken business life study; that, he was on speaking terms with every lien in Knox county; that he knew every ill that chicken flesh is heir to: knew all their little troubles, their faults aud their accomplishments. When I thought of all he said he knew I wondered how he got him so cheap. As1SOOn as he entered the place he became univer- sal favorite. Day after daynthe hens grew more fond of him. They would eat from his hand, climb upon his knee, and permit him to shampoo them and manicure their toe nails.
 turned the whole business over to him and went away on a two months vacation thinking that the next hen census would show remarkably in- crease and that the absolute control of the egg market of the world would be in my grasp, but 1 reckoned without any host, also without my manager When returned to the scene of Tiny labors bringing with me the latest style of cash register to figure up the profits, l fOundthat out of l, 29O happy, well cOntented hens, only 27 we're gathered to welcome mo and some of them did not seem particularly glad to see me. The attendance reminded me of a Galesburg Sunday school right after the scholars had their Christmas tree. l was never able to find out to my entire satisfaction just where the rest of those hens were. If any of them had been guilty of an egg in my l q hcQnna fhoro oril oP