The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-31

mornin' I'll take care of him, don't you fear"
 Elated by her prospective joke. Mrs. OBrien sat down to drink a cup of tea to quies her excited nerves, and in half al hour was sound asleep.
 In the morning Easter day broke glo- riously. At o'cloc Mrs. O'Brien was in the kitchen, humming her crude Easter arthem. Unto Us a Child Is Born, Unto Us a Child Is Given' She took the egg from the oven anu bathed it in strong bluing water. Then she wiped the egg and placed it on the back of the stove to keep dry and warm. What happened is better related by Mrs. OBrien to Mrs. Rafferty, who came in to borrow draw ing Of tea and to ask her for the loan of a sad iron.
 What happened you3s" said Mrs. Raf- ferty envying the cause which made tears of delight roll down the checks of her neighbor.
 Sit ye down, Mrs. Rafferty, and walt till l get me breath" said Mrs. O'Brien.
 Iris all about me little boy, Patsy, and his Easter egg. A weeny joke played on him, dye see? If ye saw the face of the gosson-ah, dear, I'm laughin' about 1t for two hours, Mrs. Rafferty-to see the egg, and my husband laughin' till I thought he'd have fit, and"
 will ye stop laffin' and tell me what it's all about?" said Mrs Rafferty.
 Well, ye must know this,' said Mrs. OBrien. that Patsy wanted wan O thim eggs wid paint on 1t that they have in the candy store windy, and I had no money to buy wan. But told him on Saturday night to never fear but I'd have nice egg on Easter mornin', all blue like robins egg. Yen mind, I'm afther set tin the ould Muscovy duck on three eggs, and the time was near for the chick III tt1o 1a1 &x bed on the night before Easter took wan of the eggs from under the duck and put 1t in the oven to keep 1t warm until the mornin' There was no fire in the stove, and only a little heat in the oven, dye see. On Easter mornin' I put the egg in bluin water before the boy got up, and when he came down to breakfast there 1t was on the plate before him, blue as the heavens in July. Twas actin mighty queer, though Mrs. Rafferty rollin' around on the plate as if the diyvil was In it, and me husband and Patsy lookin' at it as if twas a ghost they saw. But Mrs. Rafferty, if yell believe it. had to keep me back to the table, ] was that full Of laughter. Ye'd think the egg was tryin' to stand on it's little end, twas that full of tricks.
 Iris only a crooked egg. and your plate is standn' down hill," said me hus- band. ''Whack it wid your spoon, me lad."
 "So Patsey took the egg in his hand and gave it a slap wid the spoon, and out came the head of a chicken that let yelp out of him that 'ud wake the dead. Sure, he kicked the blue shell off him like yed shed a petticoat, and waded up to his knees in the gravy of the pork chops, and him howln' like a cat bird, and the egg shells iyin' in the coffee and the mashed potatoes, and me husband on the broad O his back yellin' wid delight. Oh, glory be, Mrs. Raf- ferty, me sides is achin' Pm afeerd I'll break somethin' in side O me!'
 "Yell mind that chicken that chated my Patsy out O his Easter egg?" said Mrs O'Brien to Mrs. Rafferty several months later. 'Well, he's the most dig nacious bird that ever was born. He's Shanghai rooster and the wickedest bird that ever grew feathers. The way he treats that duck mother of his is shameful, and she so quiet and peaceful He grows at the rate of three inches day and he's that hungry that nothin'll blaze him. He's all the time diggin' up the ward and his poor little mother stand In by with tears in her eyes watchin' him tear up the ground and she wid no