The Washington times., 1903-07-26

wv have my two daughters
home again." said DR..
as he clucked to old Dob
bin. and the family blackboard rolled
away from the station.
ITS good TO be back. too" said Elsie
as she drew deep breath OF the sweet
country air.
After six months absence their sim
pie country home seemed TO both
paradise, with which the fashionable
boarding school in New York city was
not TO be compared. AS the blackboard
rolled on they exclaimed with delight as
first one familiar object and then an
other caught their eyes. AT last both
sprang to their feet and waved tnelr
handkerchiefs and kissed their hands
toward an old-fashioned homestead
with a broad lawn in front and a bit OF
orchard behind. This was home, and
there was mother on the porch waiting
for them.
AS Dobbin turned in the gate, how
ever. a sudden screech above their
heads startled the girls so that they
both sat abruptly down again And the
screech was followed by chorus OF
dfscordant. alarmed cries.
Goodness, what Is it7" exclaimed
Marie and Elsie together
The doctor laughed. do you mean to
say that two country raised girls don't
know what guinea hens are?" he said.
And locking back at a tree which over
hung the drive the girls beheld num-
Der of these birds among the foliage
How horrible, Where did they come
FROM ," they asked
But before any explanations could be
made the carriage had drawn up at the
porch and Marie and Elsie had leaped
from II into the arms open to receive
them.
n was not until they were sitting at
that delightful home supper ana the
cries OF the guinea fowl again broke
shriIly forth that the girls remembered
about them :.
"gorne patient to see me. l suppose,
said Dr. Witherbee. We don't need
doorbeIl since your mother has MADE
pets OF guinea hens And ne went OUT
10 see Axho the caller might be
s.Oh. rnotheri Not really, They don
always scream like that whenever any
one comes. do they?" asked the girls.
mot Ii, the daytime" replied MRS
wstherbee. But al night they have
taken 10 roosting in that tree, ana they
are the most vakeful creatures ina GIN
able No one can come in or out OF tns
gate without their rousing TO proclaim
the fact. It's most amusing, and mas
come TO be quite joke among the
r,etghbors" Then noticing that the
e,ris looked rather dismayed By these
facts. their mother added You won
mind the noise after you get used to il
No one around here keeps guinea fowls
but when ] was a girl f7ther always na'
them and | learned to love them dearly
When I was deserted BY my two daugn
tiers this winter I thought ! should nc
be SO lonely II had some OF them agar
as pets. And you've no idea what
comfort they have been and how toni
1 have become OF them
After supper the three Stanford boys
who lived opposite the Witherbees. cams
over to see the girls. AS they trasnpe'
I'D the path the guinea hens sounded
their discordant chorus. and the boy
rnimicked the harsh cries. thereby ex
citing them still more.
Good evening. girls Glad TO see yol
home again Welcome to Guinea Hei
Ranch" the boys called gayly-
And this was only the beginning. Oi
that and several succeeding evening
rode from all over the countryside Z
welcome the rwitherbee girls home. an
not a single arriving or departing CUES
escaped the vigflsnt cutlery Of the guine
hers This afforded endless amusenen
10 the callers. One merry party thanke
the girls for having sncb a beautiful
haspipe orchestra proclaim their ar
rival "Quite like sending brass ban
10 meet your guests" they said. Other
likened the harsh voices OF the bird
TO alarm clocks. Everyone had som
joke 70 crack On the subject, or son
new ridiculous appellation- with whic
to dub them
But though the girls tried TO take th
fun good naturedly. as Il was mean
both we're deeply mortified. and learne
20 fairly bate the fowls. who. the
thought, made both them and their HON
ridiculous. They racked their brain
for some means by which they migl
get rid OF them without offending the
mother, whose heart was evidently wraI
ped up in these new pets. No plan pr'
sented itself until one morning Mr.
witherbee unexpectedly announced h
intention Of spending two weeks wit
their Aunt Susan.
at seems too bad to leave you nor
when we have no cook" she said, ''bl
Susan has written that this Will be Il
most convenient time for her to ha1