Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1902-04-24
THE BUFF cocHlN's MISSION.


the fowls in the yard. Ayoung thing,
the belated product Of late Matching,
yet she lowered above the other hens,
and her feathers were thick and glossy
as maiden's hair, and Of such bril-
liant, beautiful buff. The buff Cochin
heard the envious, ill-natured remarks
of her mates, and her heart was often
sad.
"Such a stump of tail, said the
pert white Leghorn chick. I'D be
bobtail outright if l couldn't raise
more respectable tail than that"
"And such a ridiculous comb,
shifted the black Minorca, whose bright
red comb hung over like plume.
"For my part l admire the rose combs,
if one isn't Minorca."
The man who feeds us says she
pays for her keep in looking pleasant,
crawked the motherly old white hen,
who had raised so many broods of fine
chicks that she was on the pension
list, so to speak, and she told the truth.
There was a commotion in the yard
when Buff laid her first egg.
Chanticleer sat on the edge of the
box and warned the hens that friend
of his was engaged in serious and
delicate operation, and must not be
disturbed.
Buff bore her honors meekly as she
flew off the nest at last with a modest
announcement that she had done her
duty as patriotic citizen Of the yard,
but her friends took up the strain so
loudly that the mistress came running
out. 1t was almost a golden egg, so
large and yellow, and she carried it
in to show the family
"Bless the bird. We must save
every egg for a setting, was the
unanimous verdict, and the cracked
blue dish was set apart in the corner
of the cupboard for the purpose.
"The buff Cochin if by far the finest
fowl we have"
The fowls were more than ever en-
vious, as every day the fine, yellow
egg was carried to the house with such
care. The mistress picked up the
pretty golden pullet one day and ca
ressed her, and instead of futtering
and rebelling against human touch,
the gentle creature leaned her head
against her arm, and crawked away as
prettily asif she was saying real words.
"Shs is telling us that she is trying
to be good biddy, and that she ap-
preciates all we do for her, said the
daughter, laughing.
ut is foolish, l know, to get so at
tached to little, senseless creature,
replied the mother, stroking the glossy
feathers "but how can one help it
when it is so evidently living up to
the very best of its knowledge and
ability? If only humans would do as
well, and a sigh escaped her, for she
had wayward son, and her heart was
often sad.
1t was not long before the buff Coch-
in began to feel an impulse to do the
strangest thing which had ever en-
tered into her experience.
Instead of going up on the roost
with the other fowls at night, she on
ly wanted to sit quietly on the nest
where she had laid her eggs. To be
sure, there was only a cold, white
china egg there; but she brooded over
it, and lowered it carefully, clucking
softly, and in the morning rufiing
her feathers warningly when the other
hens attempted to share the nest.
The buff Cochin's feathers rustled
and quivered with maternal JOY, and
she spread hsraelfout as ifshe already
felt the downy brood under her wings.
The mistress came out with the blue
china dish piled high with the golden
eggs, and the happy fowl clucked soft
ly as one by one they rolled into the
nest in place of the ugly imitation.
All, but she was faithful. Day and
night she brooded and watched, and
might have starved at her post had
not the mistress taken her from the
nest for necessary food and exercise.
In the next block lived the widowed
mother of poor little crippled child.
All day long little Marie lay helpless
upon her cot while the mother went
out to earn the pittance upon which
they lived, her only company the
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