Norwich bulletin., 1912-12-26
DAYS OF WISDOM

Ezra Townley was forty years old and bachelor. Few men arrived at this state unless the door to their hearts has been closed by a woman's hand, and Ezra was no exception to the rule.
 While still an awkward schoolboy, he had cen.erel lis affections on prel.y Abbic Gum ipgs and the scorn in hec eyes had never shaken his Loyalty. She was still Miss Abbie. an alert self-reIiant little woman serenely conscious of the fact that the village applauded her wisdom in refusing t1 mate with so shiftless man as Ezra. Perhaps there were moments when womanl1ness conquered wisdom, when she yearned for the lonely man. But her dark eyes told no tales and Ezra naturally diffident, had never dared come to the point of proposal.
 They had lived across the street from each other all their lives, but were still only good neighbors, with no apparent prospect of changing their | relationship.
 Ezra's cottage stood in the centre ! of an acre of ground, the greater part II VI WI W dS uCNNtOu lO I4S SdL OtL ] There were hives of bees standing
 under the old apple trees, while be- | hind them was a small poultry yard. Every spring Ezra laid plans for | matching a large flock of chickens. but | he had never succeeded in raising more than nine. His interest in poul- | try was unabated and he availed him. self of the first spring auction to be- l come the purchaser of an incubator. l It was rather loose as to doors and l wobbly as to legs, and the heating ap- paratus was hardly in a state to court l investigation. But Ezra's expecta- tions of success were as sure to boom
 as were the hardy perennials in Miss
 Abbies garden. He saw in the much the worse-for-w incubator a sure road to the realization of his hopes Having carefully read the tattered
 book of directions he set up the ma
 chine in his barn. Then, taking a bas-
 ket, he went down the street to the
 village store. When Miss Abbie en-
 tered the store few minutes later,
 she found everyone laughing heartily
 There will be doings in your neigh
 borhood in about three weeks said
 the young clerk who had sttpped up
 to wait upon her. T suppose you
 know that Ezra Townley has an in-
 cuoator? He is going to start the ma
 chine tonight and has stocked up with
 cold storage eggs. I told him that we
 would all be up to see how the ma chine turned out. Maybe We wont
 have some fun with him then" , Miss Ab5ie went home with hel ? head in a whirl. Why should people } pick on Ezra as the butt of such z } joke?
 [ What should she do about it? Tel | oc la 3 never learn from her that he haC 3 been the object of ridicule.
 Suddenly, her face lighted up witt l a smile, showing that the right idef . had come. Never had she been nor, g cheerful and serene than during thi t next three weeks At times her eye . would twinkle at some secret joke . and more than one village gossip won . dered what good fortune had befallel a l Miss Abbie.
 @ Ezra was not an early riser. bu l on the day that the incubator hatcl r 1 was due he awoke just before dawn ; It seemed to him that he heard tn 5 barn door creak. Dressing himsel quickly he went out to investigate
 Everything was in perfect order, wit
 no sign of any disturbance.
 But hark! What was that sound |, A faint peep from one of the eggs il | the incubator? Were they really he ginning to hatch?
 :, Never had so many callers as wake up the path that day, One and a
 they turned away, baffied, bewlldere
 and sure fonly one thing that th
 joke was not on Ezra
 fl "There were twenty eight chicks oll '- the last time that I counted" thei n host exclaimed juIbilantly. and c - course they just keep s-coming.
 tell you 1t was great streak of luc