The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-06-09
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: The Ninety and Nine. .
= BY MRS. ETHEL THOMAS q
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IL.
just know everything! Say! hawk
caught one Of my little chickens 4
few moments ago-can you give me
any kind of remedy for him. be-
sides Il shotgun?''
A humorous twinkle came into the
old lady's eyes. "Why, your pore
lgnerant little thing! put Il horse shoe
or flint rock in the fire. Keep it hot
and it I'll draw the hawks claws up
II le come in 200 yards Of the house,
an he can't open 'cm to grab a
chicken to save his life
Mrs. Allen! be ashamed of vo,u-
sclf!' laughed Mrs. Thorndvkc.
"S"rely YOU arc not that Supersti-
tious?'
'Wcll Susan Baker has the
best luck raising chickens Of anybody
IN this settlement an I've heard her
say time am agin that the hawks wuz
alters dabbin' after her chickens an ;
cudnt get 'cm, am hot horseshoe
wuz all that saved 'cm, an she lowed
1t WIZ Il more ChriStin act then mur-
dcrln' the pore things which didn t
know any better, but jest follercd at
ter thare material instincts,' continu-
cd the old lady solemnly.
Murder a hawk, indccd,' ex-
claimed Mrs. Thorndykc. "Sakcs
alive! when | think Of how my poor
little innocent chicken went off cry
ing in agony-why, could kill 100
hawks and feel no compuncton. IF
Mrs. Baker is SO squeamish about
killing hawks how does she manage
to shed the innocent blood of Il
trusting chickcnq'
Mrs. Allen leaned over and whisp-
cred loudly: "Shc don't-shc puts
'em in a oil cloth bag an chloroforms
'em!' and then joined in Mrs.
Thorndyke's laugh
"No. dearie, layin' all jokes aside
don believe in hot horseshocs and
rocks. An we wimmin folks can't all
handle the gun-but we oughtcr. Nux
v"mlca, teaspoonful every other
day in food for - little chicks, will
do Mr.. Hawk up a job if he catches
One. NuS vomica is a queer stuff; it
won t hurt chickens or people or cny-
thing born with their eyes open, but
is shore death to hawks or envthing
else born with their eyes shut.'
'What treasure YOU arc!' cx-
claimed Mrs. Thorn'lyke. "IIl get
some right away. | do wish there was
something | could do for you-yo,,
It" :" much for me-
"Wcll. you can. | want to borry
some readin for the boys. to see if
| can keep 'cm home of mites. Here Of
late my baby one. jim. has got to
rnnmn' around turrible an We no
tised if he could get rcadin' matter
that he was interested in, d stay
in an read. | We bin after the old man
to perscribe fur some books and
weekly's fur 'em but he lows times
air too hard. You see, he hain't got
no hankcrin' after books hisself, an ,
don't know how to feel about them
at has. I've never bin able to read
much, an never try nuthin. but the
Bible, but I do love to see folks with
books an papers in thare hands an
tr! to larn.'
"What kind Of reading matter
does Jimmie like best7 ?" asked Mrs.
Thorndyke, leading the way to the
"front ROOM where the girls re-
ceive company, and where a goodly
number of books were piled on the
"center table, and also filled a neat
little homemade hanging bookcase.
"Why, tharc's one kind of a weekly
about boy named "Wild West'
and anuther about "Thc Liberty
Boys of 76 and--' Mrs. Thorndykc
turned deadly pale. Turning, she
caught Mrs. Allcn's s hand and drew
her to a seat on the sofa, placing her.
self at her side.
"Mrs. Allen, for God S sake. for
your boys sake, for your own sake,
keep such books from your house!
IhcE are rank poison to Il boy OF
Jimmie s age-to any one. Oh! such
literature is running the young gen
Grafton. There ought to be law
prohibiting the sale Of such stuff. T
verify believe that more boys are
ruined bv such trash than are ruined
by whiskey and cigarettes. To read
of the daring exploits, thrilling cx-
pcricnces and hair-brcadth escapes of
'Wild Wcst,' "Dick Slater" and
Bob EStabr0ok. - naturally makcs