The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1912-01-25

| thuHHeu uellIHte0iF.
me chickens" be said. "Why didn't
ever think Of that before? OF course
they are! They are just little brightly
colored cocks and hens. But what
would you say to me wild chickens be-
ing good deal tanner than yours here
in your yardT'
"Hoot, lad,' cried Duncan.
make yours light On your head and
eat out Of your hands and pockets .
challenged Freckles.
go tell your fairy tales to the wee
people! They're just brash on be
levin things" said Duncan.
81 dare you to come seer' retorted
| Freckles.
Take yer' said Duncan. "If ye
make just ane bird LIGHT on your held
or eat frae your hand ye are free to
! help yourself to my corncrib and wheat
| bin the rest of the winter"
| After that Freckles always spoke Of
| the birds as his chickens. The next
| Sabbath Duncan, with his wife and
children, followed Freckles to the
swamp
Freckles' chickens were awaiting
him at the edge of the clearing. They
cut the frosty air about his head into
curves and circles of crimson, blue and
black. They chased each other from
Freckles and swept so closely them
selves that they brushed him with their
outspreaG wings.
At their feeding ground Freckles set
down his old pail of scraps and swept
The snow from a small level space with
LiOOm improvised from twigs. AS
soon as his back was turned the birds
clustered over the food. snatching
scraps to carry to the nearest bushes.
Several of the boldest, a big crow and
a couple of jays, settled on the rim
and Toasted at leisure, while a cardi-
nal that hesitated to venture fumed
and scolded from a twig overhead.
Then Freckles scattered his store.
At once the ground resembled the
spread mantle Of MonteZuma. except
that this mass of gayly colored feathers
was on the backs of living birds. While
they Toasted Duncan gripped his wife's
arm and stared in establishment, for
from the bushes and dry grass with
gentle cheeping and queer, throaty
chatter, as if to encourage each other,
came fiocks of quail Before any one
saw it arrive big gray rabbit sat in
the midst of the feast, contentedly
gnawing a cabbage leaf.
"Weel. l be drawed ont" came Mrs.
Duncan's tense whisper.
"Shu-shur' cautioned Duncan.
Lastly FreckIes took off his cap. He
began filling it with handfuls of wheat
from his pockets. In a swarm the grain
eaters rose about him like a flock of
tame pigeons They perched on his
arms and the cap, and, in the stress
of hunger forgetting all caution, a bril-
liant cock cardinal and an equally
gaudy jay fought for a perching place
on his head.
"Weel, I'm beat.' muttered Duncan.
forgetting the silence imposed on his
wife. "I'll haze TO give in. Seem is
believin"
A week later Duncan and Freckles
rose from breakfast to face the bitter
est morning of the winter. When
Freckles, warmly capped and gloved.
stepped to the corner of the kitchen for
his scrap pail he found a pan of
steaming boiled wheat on the top of it.
He wheeled to Mrs. Duncan with a
shining face
Were you fixing this warm food for
me chickens or yours?" he asked.
"Its for yours, Freckles," she said.
Freckles faced Mrs. Duncan with a
trace of every pang of starved mother
hunger he had ever suffered written
large on his hOmely, splotched, narrow |
features.
"Oh how wish you were my moth |
err" he cried
Lord love the lad"' exclaimed Mrs. |
Duncan. why, Freckles, are We no |
BRIGHT enough TO learn without being 1
taught by a woman that 1 am your /
mither? If great man like yourself 1
dinna ken that. learn it now and ne'er |
forget it. Ance woman is the wife |
of any man she becomes wife TO all /
men for having had the wifely eX |
perience she kensi Ance a man child /
has beaten his way to life under the .
heart of a woman she is mother TO all |
men, for the hearts of mithers are 4
everywhere the same. Bless We, lad
die. am your mitherr'
She tucked the coarse scarf she had
knit for him closer over bis chest and
pulled his cap lower about his ears,
but Freckles, whipping it OFF and hold
ing it under his arm, caught her rough,
Redeemed hand and pressed it TO his
lips in a long kiss. Then he hurried
away to hide the happy. embarrassing
tears that were coming straight from
his swelling heart
Mrs. Duncan threw herself into Dun
,an's arms.
"Oh, the puir ladr' she walled. "Oh,
he puir mither hungry lad, He breaks
ny heartr'
Duncans arms closed convulsively
about his wife. With a big brown
hand he lovingly stroked her rough
'orrel hair.
Sarah. you're guild woman!" he
aid You're MIGHTY guild woman!
Te haze way o. speakin' out at times