The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1901-07-12

market Is waiting for us.
jeans dark face lighted up In one
of its rare moments till 1t looked al
most beautiful. and Dolly threw her
arms about her and kissed her, while
Ruth, feeling that the die was cast,
and the family honor forever blem-
ished, settled back on the lounge with
out murmur.
AS spring drew near, the plans began
to materialize. Jean studied poultry
papers, and they talked hens till Dolly
declared that fried meat tasted like
omelette, and corned beef like chicken
pie.
Jean bought ten large dry goods
boxes, and hired carpenter for a day.
He made four of them over into neat
little houses, with sloping roofs and
sliding wire doors, according to some
plans Jean had found. These were to
hold twenty chicks each, while they
were small. To make the rest over,
Jean hired the neighbours boy, who did
their chores. He was a handy lad of
fifteen, and by following the carpen-
ters pattern and Jeans directions, he
managed to convert the rest into dry
and comfortable tenements, If they
were not quite as symmetrical as the
models, while Jean and Myra found
that they, too, could learn to drive
nails and saw boards with considerable
accuracy.
A little later two 'brooders were
made-one for the wee chicks, and the
other for them as they outgrew the
first.
Jean had begun to hatch out her
chickens, when Myra discovered her
one day casting up accounts with a
very sober face.
Won't they balance?"
mo; the bills weigh down So" an
swered Jean. frowning. I'm afraid
must avail myself of your offered loan,
after ALL
Il think you have done well not to
need any more; any business requires
some capital"
Indeed, there are; you are an old
dear, and l fancy we shall need all of
your confirmed optimism before we
get"
1.-THE Octopus buried" chimed in
Dolly, who had arrived in time to hear
the last words.
Only Jeans chicken yard flourished
without drawback. She had bought a
good thoroughbred in the spring, and
several sittings of eggs from straight
fine laying stock. OF course this was
not fancy" at all, but reliable and
excellent for her purpose.
"'Tis eggs that pay the best, l be-
lieve, in the long run, and / am going
to work for them; and so long as can
not start with frst-class stock ! shall
use my best hens. and gradually work
into something above the ordinary"
She continued Matching until we'll
into the summer, and the first of Au-
gust found her with two hundred
healthy growing chicks.
They were matured as carefully as
though they had been real incubator
babies" as Dolly said. why Jean
gets up nights to put on their cocks
and fill their nursing bottles" But
this was early in the spring, when
Jean was Weakened by high wind, and
went out TO see if the brooder was
warm enough.
81 do consider that well started is
half won," she answered. "If little
more care means success, / am willing
TO give it." So she fed on the most
approved plan, with oatmeal and baked
food, kept her houses warm and clean,
and by the time they were ready to
shift little moro for themselves, the
danger age" was past, thanks to this
same vigilant care.
But even with no drawbacks, at this
stage her poultry brought in no re-
turns, and the outlook was better filed
with promise than with proofs.
"'Tis of no use girls" groaned Ruth.
one hot day in midsummer. Either
the market is flooded, or else Dick isn't
much of a huckster. lie has brought
home nearly all the raspberrles, and
every pea and potato. What are we
going to do?"
Even Myra's face fell. II thought
there was always a market for good
fresh garden stuff at some price," she
said vaguely.
There's one thing we can do" said
Burton turns over in his grave, we
shall never know it. We can take
boarders. There is always an over
flow at Mrs. Smiths, and she has nice
people, too. We could MANAGE half a
dozen as well as not in this big house;
and I'll do the cooking, and play for
the hops"
Ruth was past demonstrating. She
merely said:
Jeans business career seems TO
have fired your ambition, Dolly, If you
are willing to turn cook"
And thus 1t was settled, and brighter
days began to dawn. The vegetables
and berries, eggs and cream, found a
ready market on the Burton table.
Myra's good judgment soon taught her
how to plan and buy wisely, and her
CHEEKY manner never failed toward the
most trying boarder. Dolly's slim
fingers developed wonderful concoc-
tons to supplement the good country
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