Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-11-22
THE BLUE HEN.
ny ALEXANDER black.

| following morning, as Richard and Mrs
Seckley sat at breakfast, did ever tell
sou the story Of the blue hen"
Il don't think you ever did, Mrs. Cor
IRISH"
The old nurse stood near the door with
an empty tray in her hand. She was en-
! joyinq her first relaxation from the strain
Of her bedside ugls Shrewdly silent or
/ briefly CHEEKY in the sickroom, she was
never laxative until danger points were
passed Then, barometicaly, she permitted
1 herself to reflect an easy mind in the
present instance il Is probable that she
was in some degree actuated by feeling
that the man Of the house needed lift.
Seeing them eggs makes me think Of
/ IL, pursued Mrs. Cornish Il cali it the
/ blue hen because il certainly wasn't any
other color IN the world, and it did have
blush cast when you saw it in the sun.
/ Well, when we was in Brooklyn this was
before my second husband died-we used
| to keep hens You can keep hens in Brook
lyn. The yards are bigger"
| II see, said Richard.
| "Wel, as / say, we had few hens
| eight OF one time. And there was this blue
1 hen / speak Of, which all Of a sudden seemed
/ to stop laying | couldn't make it out.
think it was three weeks before / diseov-
| cred what the matter was. You see We was
! next door to a wood yard sort 81 charity
wood yard where poor wfetches could go
I and get a days work. and sawed wood, and
was paid at the end Of each day Ny un-
derstending was that they got paid by the
/ piece IL was . godsend to many a poor
/ family Well, now, do you know, there was
hole in the fence, and that peculiar blue
hen used to 60 through the hole every day
and lay her egg in a certain shady corner
Of the shed, under a beam. I'm telling you
/ now what [ found out after. OF course
/ when ] discovered about the hole | closed
/ it up. Now, do you knowI got the whole
/ circumstances from an Irishman named
! Brodie who used to saw about six sticks
/ day, to my knowledge, and must have
earned about 20 cents-do you know, those
/ shiftless, unfortunate creatures learned the
4 trick Of the hen. They watched her, and
made for the egg as soon as she was through
/ with it,"
Mrs Seekley eoughed and took definite
] gulp Of coffee.
"One morning there was a row about the
4 egg, and the manager Of the yard had to
j interfere to save the peace. In fact, think
/ there was blow struck, or some roughness,
1 at all events. So it came, would you believe
/ me, that those hungry rascals figured out
4 the times Of the hen--that she laid some
where between 10 and u in the morning
sometimes at one hour and sometimes at
/ another but always in those limits, you
understand. There was always eight or
! nine of the men, and they drew lots for the
quarter hours, and took their chances,
/ shifting the time table, as you might say,
every week or scat least that's what they
started ont 70 do until ! spoiled the plan.
! You see, s tAe egg was laid in the first 10
| minutes oil the first hour it went to the
/ first man; anywhere in the second 10 MIN
utes to the second man, and so on. The
ninth man, if there was one that day, had
| to be satisfied with the chance of its being
laid after y o'clock"
Richard paused with his breakfast Mrs.
| Gorrish may have suspected shade OF in
credulity, for at this point she INTERCEPTED
at sounds like joke, but it's as true as
I'm standing here"
1T was very ingenious, commented
| Richard
"Well, this went on, as l say, each man
taking an egg as the thing happened, and
! Brodie told me it was a surprising matter
!
! them two hours There was still some dis
turbance now and then, and twice, at all
events, they had to get the manager, who
| had watch, to come out and stand by
when it was going to be close, you know
| Mrs Seckley coughed again
But l must tell you how l came to find
| out everything One morning, you under
stand, | missed the blue hen. | wasn't slls-
pecting anything, but l had been watching
! her now and then, because / was puzzled 20
know what could be amiss with her. And
when | went to the fence heard noise
the voice OF this Brodie man, a man with a
brogue you wouldn't look to find outside
the old country. l couldn't see his head
until | looked down and spied him crouch
ing over the blue hen, who somehow never
moved for him. Me darlint,' he was say
ing-I can't never give his brogue-c couldn't
you hurry with that business of yours this
morning. Sure, you know he says, that
l haven't had one of your superior eggs for
eight mortal days. and me hungrier this
mornin' than I've been for eight mortal
| years You wouldn't believe it, but | saw
him put his hand on the back Of the hen.
and stroke her like you might cat, and
croonin' very soft TO her, as you might to a
baby. 'Dariint, be says, wouldn't you
consider bat! II you put it off much
longer that BLACKBOARD of Dutchman, that
niver raised chick-divvle hen they
| have in the German country-that black
guard of Dutchmaa will be after liftin'
the fruits OF your honest labor And you
know, l could see him urging that blue hen
toward the corner under the BEAM But
she pecked away in the Sawdust, and was
so indifferent that / could have laughed if
it wasn't for disturbing him, Ant Brodie
was a coaxing man! There's one thing
you don't know, darlint,' he says then,
you don't know how many times I've
passed me own for the sake Of that lame
dago who whit yesterday to his last reward.
Would it be right, now, for you, good pro-
vidin' hen, 20 deny me what you'll never
miss? No, DO, darlint! Consider a bit.
Consider that I'm needin' an egg this morn
in The old woman takes all / get in the
way OF money, and do you think, now, she's
likely to give me steak for breakfast? Is
she likely now, to put me out for work