Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1913-07-04
THE END OF IT
Was Equally Disastrous
to Both Parties
By cLARlssA MAcKIH

his assertions with items from a fat
notebook that disconnected Bert Lyn
wood and quite bored their fellow com.
muters, who were trying to read thu
evening newspapers.
Bert LynwOod said his notebook waa
home. As Il was Of ledger size he
could not very well carry It to and fro
70 business each day, but he was will.
ing to prove that his own White Wy.
andottes could not DO beaten as egg
producers and that his profits at the
end Of the year would exceed those Of
his neighboF.
prove It. them" challenged Preston
smiling.
"WII you come over after SUPPER
asked the other, undaunted.
"Yea"
TO the relief Of their fellow passen.
gers, the two chicken narmers changed
the subject, and no more was said
about the matter until they parted al
the Preston gate.
See you later" said Lynwood rs he
went on 10 his own place.
"Be sur to have that ledger ready"
scoRed his neighbor.
Il collected forty eggs today" an
nOunced Mrs. LynwoOd as they sat
down to supper.
'sTh1ts doing pretty good" said heI
husband. IL don't believe Preston'a
eggs are Smelling u any better than
that"
Were just even now. Mrs. Preston
counted her hens, and she has the same
number as we have. And it's the fun.
niest thing. Bert-day by day we collect
the BamO quantity Of eggs. There are
the anne number OF lazy hens in each
yard" Mra. LynwOod laughed cheer
fully.
"Humphr' grunted her husband. with
a doubling glance at,the huge ledger
he had enthusiastically lugged home
when he went into the chicken RAISING
business. He wished now that he had
bought a notebook that would be more
In proportion to the small results he
had achieved he was not satisfied
with what he had accomplished. and
he had not yet balanced his book 10
End out where he stood Now he hur
ned through his supper In order to
strike some sort Of a balance before
Preston appeared with his well tabu.
lated facts.
"Preston's coming OvOr after supper
TO compare his books with mine," he
explained a he took down the ledger
from its shelf beside the books on
poultry raising and stacks OF govern
ment reports on the same subject.
HE Btill believes his Rhode Island
Reds are the egg producing wonders
OF the world"
wood as she cleared on the table "As
x anybody would prefer those homely
orange colored creatures to our snow
white Wyandottes. They look 30 pref
" against the green grass, don't they,
Bertr' She leaned over her husbands
shoulder, and together they looked out
Of the window at the flock OF white
fowls trooping across the grass TO
ward the chicken yard.
'sThey do" agreed Lynwood, with a
return OF his CD enthusiasm. But
you know It isn't the color alone,
Flora. This particular strain Of fowl
" adapted for producing large quaint
ties Of eggs. OF course they've only
been laying since March, and we can't
tell just what the profit viii prove 70
be by the and Of the year in septem.
Der. Now. I've got to show Preston
that I'm beginning 10 make something.
He claims he's cleared S23-20 0 far.
and it's only July"
"Did he count in the feed and the
cost OF the chicken houses3" asked
Mira Lynwood.
"He says so Let me see. Corn for
eight months. ah-humF' Lynwood set
down the figures with a distrustful
side glance at the meagre record OF
egg receipts on the opposite page.
At the end OF a half hour he looked
mp from his ledger with a worried
frown creaSing his brow. 'Flora, Just
add this mp will you. please IL can't
be possible that we're &282 short after
all these Eggs we've been gottingf'
Mrs LynwoOd came ~obediently and
verified her husbands figures. two
dollars and thirty-two cents short OF
what you've paid out" she said vexed-
~. II suppose Mra. Preston win crow
OVsr me-"
"Caekla you mean" said Lynwood
dryly as he tucked his book under his
arm and went out to he chicken yard.
It's up to Preston 70 DO the cackIing.
and here he is now"
His wife went into the house and
from q window watched the two men,
deep In discussion over LynWood's
ledger.
Two ~thirty-two. chr grinned Pres
ton. Don't talk 20 me about White
WyandOttes. Bert! II you'd had my
sort you'd be showing some pro6t by
this time. How many eggs have you
had altogether
"rwo hundred and two Dozen" an
nOuneed Lynwood. "And I guess you
have had about the same. Ny wife
says she and Mrs. Preston have tailed
aecounts."
Same here" returned Preston. with
puzzled glance AZ hfs notobook