The Topeka state journal., 1905-02-10
THE WRECKER.

With a steady vibrating hum and a
cloud of dust the big car swept up the
hill. Out of the dust came a sound of
confused and perturbed clucking.
Breathless on q heap by the roadside
the young chicken observed that it had
been a near thing.
The old hen looked anxiously and
rapidly in several directions, gave a
swift iab of its beak into the dust,
found nothing, and pretended to eat it,
and began a clack that broke off as
suddenly as If the actuating spring had
snapped. 1t was wiry old hen that
had seen much of life and had long ago
given up tail-feahers as a useless van
YES" said the hen with a rapid
blink Of its vacuous and self-sacrifced
eye, lit was d mighty near thing for
meaning !" asked the young chick.
The hen made sudden minatory
rush, and the chicken descended the
beg pardon I'm sure said the
young chicken. I never understood
that you wanted to stand there"
No" grumhled the hen, 'and you
never asked eithel. The fact of it is
you don't understand much. There's
nothing annoys me more than to make
a plain statement and then to have 1t
questioned. 1 said that it was near
thing for tht people in that car, and /
meant exactly what 1 said. We let
them off that time. and I'm not sure
that 1t wasn't mistaken kindness"
Ibid we really let them OFF, asked
the chfcken1 = Very likely WAS RTongsz
but I vas under the hfmpression that
we ran as hard as We couldsto get out
of their way"
wrong? You are perfectly absurd,
If I had merely wanted to get out OF
their way I should have started much
earlier What 1 did want to do-and
what 1 succeeded in doing-waS to give
hon a them
careful for the future"
Il see.' said the chicken, meekly, I'D
never looked at it from that point of
view
VERY likely not" said the hen with
an indulgent senile chuckle. you've
not been in this world quite as long as
1 have. I shall be 103 next birthday
and I've had rather more opportunities
of observing motor cars than you have
/ know them inside out-in sickness and
in health; know them like my own
tail. Well, to show you the terms of
familiarity we are on 1 once laid an
egg in one"
'Really?'
Yes, 1 did The car came along
with two people in it. There was a
lady with her acidulated face packed
up in a blue veil, and there was man
with a hopeful eye and a small black
1t was a little car and it
was doing its best in jerks, but could |
see that it was tired Presently 1t gave |
they both got out. The man wandered
around with a screWdriver, using the |
most scientific language and blacking |
his hands and face. Presently he said
that as a rule he had a spare plug
with him. and it was really most un-
fortunate. And the lady with the aci- |
dulated face said: George, this is not |
the first time this has happened So
he went off to get what he wanted, |
and she went with him. saying she was
not going to be left alone in that car. |
suppose she was afraid of it, but it |
iidnt frighten me. l simply got up |
INTO the tonneau and laid an egg there
can tell you this is a world where you /
nave to assert yourself
YES" said the chicken, hesitaHngly, |
that is, of course, true to some ex-
-ent. I've often felt it myself Still,
f we had stopped in the. way of that |
motor car what would have hap
oened ?"
1ur way. That's the law of the land.
What's more if they had not got out
IF our way they would have been
urned over. One day l saw a light
headed young retriever bullocking
lbout the road trying to catch spar
'ows A car came along, and the car
;Iowed down and sWerVed across Sinp-
y to avoid running over that dog Yes;
know what I'm talking about.
-emember another occasion when it
vas not even a dog. 1t was only a
mall child playing about in the road.
It was much such a road as this, with
high path one side ana stone wall
he other The car made a shot at
he path and went over. That child was
wrecker, and I shouldn't be sur
0rised if I did a little Wrecking my
self. next chance / get
The chance came quickly. sIhere1
vas toot-toot in the als tauce- .,r,,, II
Now then,'' said the hen, I'll put