The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-08


dents.
| window. "zeke, Confound you, mig
ger, where are you? Come here!'
| Zeke came and Miss Ophelia fed
She's been up here in cold blood and
| cleaned up my room"' complained the
| Colonel.
| Now, get to work, Zeke, and hunt up
| my things. Put everything where can
md 1t. Hang my pants back on the
bed. Fumigating my drawers, by gol-
| lyw
"She bin perfumigatin de ottermo-
bile, too,' giggled Zeke, as he efficiently
| proceeded to undo the mischief Miss
ophelia had wrought.
| After a few days when the storm had
| cleared, Miss Ophelia's energies began
| to radiate' in new direction.
| Back of the garage was group Of
| chicken pens =
| Now the Colonel, knowing nothing
whatsoever about raising chickens, was
going in strongly for White Orpingtons.
| There were three swarming pens, and
they smelled to heaven: at least in Miss
| Ophelia's opinion they did, although the
Colonel and Zeke noticed nothing amss
The Colonel liked to brag at his club
about his success with White Opring
tons, the color of the eggs and so on
But the actual care of the chickens
| was left to Zeke who, having lived long
on farm, was supposed to know it
all.
However, as any farmer knows
| there's quite a difference between rails
| ing fowls where they have the run of
10-acre pastures and raising them in
SKA pens: and Zeke was not highly
schooled in matters of progressive and
scientific sanitation. To express 1t In
few words, the pens needed changing
and one day Miss Ophela summoned
| sufficient temerity to tell the Colonel
so.
The Colonel had merely laughed
What in thunderation do you know
| about chickens. ophelia?" he asked.
Nothing, Uncle Randolph. Not bit
more than you do. / don't know thing
about chickens. and I don't want TO
know. But do know those pens smell
bad, and they ought to be moved to
new place. IF Aunt Susan was here
"Shucks, said the Colonel lightly.
Il tell you what's the matter with you
Ophela: you are too squeamish by
links! Too fastidious. Too
But Miss ophelia walked Indignantly
away.
"Yassuh, das hit" put in the privileged
zeke who was, as usual, within ear shot.
'Das de way wild all desc oman folks
Dey always bes a-seein' sumpn', en-
a-smellin' sumpin, when dey ain nuth'n'
oar---Das de way all wo'en docs"
Now Miss Susan. she be's diffunt but
she amt much diffunt
"She don't go round a-smelin' things,
but time she git clost up ter dem hen
pens. she sch ter me: 'Zeke,' she sch,
g long en- move dem peus ter a new
place,-en clean up dat ole place" she
sch.
En- l COS along EN- doos it. Gaze en-
nybody halter mine Miss Susan"
''That'll do, Zeke,'' said the Colonel
srandly.
when those peus need moving by
Cricky. I'll let you know"
The next afternoon Miss Ophelia went
to a party
The Colonel watched her out of sight
with satisfaction, making sarcastic re-
marks to himself about her costume
which was really unjust and unkind
for Miss Ophelia was attired in all The
expensive scantiness of the last cry in
wcmens clothes.
The largest and most conspicuous gar
nent a woman used to wear was her
dress: now, by Jimmy, it's her SASH"
mused the Colonel
For while he roamed about the house
in untrammeled enjoyment, scattering
newspaper sheets, and knocking ashes
out of his pipe in whatsoever place came
handiest.
Then he stroled over his spacious prem