The weekly soliphone., 1916-12-01
WAS PlAYlNi; SAFE
REASON FOR MIR. GUNNEY'S VISIT
 TO OLD FRIEND.
Horrible Threat as Cuimlnatior Real ale of Woe Caused Him Co Make Himself Scarce
 'ffof g Spell"

Caleb ICusleq was sproutIng see1 tatocs when Obed Guuney, his uSuHli. placid face wearing u hunted lloE, sank upon the bench beside Linn and began sprouting mechanically Witlnl- a word. After q moment Caleb spoke.
 "Wal," he observed, "out with ic. l Whats pcsterin' you noW?"
 AIr. Gunncy spent some time in El- found thought before he replied.
 'I dknoW," he said at length, 'WacG could be reckoned the most whifie. ninded-a hen or a duck or women folks. Prob'bIy there aint any greG . diMronce'
 lIr Peaslee grinncd and Obed tocE q little heart.
 "F'r three wceks.' he went on, "m% wife's been tryin' to break q hen and a duck firm settin'. She wore her pa ticnce bout out, and she wore the hen and the duck down so they didn't enjoy liyin. She hung 'em up by the laia and left 'em squallin', SO I was worried that hc Cruel Society Animals would get after her, and she put thislez in their nests, and tIrowcd Wala on 'em-~he tried bout every sine ever hr;'ed of, and never budgeu .Ler one of 'em.
 "NuW, my wife is what 1 mi@h5 call natfonul-that is" he went on haadIgs q might call her so to yoN but l wouldn't want it 10 get to Hge al.s. Yosl won't let on that I said -Hgj-all you, KclI0p?
 Wal, when sIa lidn't want fowls to set, she u1na want ',- to. and tbore want any whoa to her. Hl- after shed gin about thfeo weeks 10 the io5, without any success Whatef e1 sac Goppcd over and made up her lntpd she'd set lem.
 "Sho didn't have any ducks oGgs that she wanted to set. so she decided to drive over to Dedham Mills ana get some from a woman she kEey oEee there. and while she was gone she wanted me to mend up the GOODS where the hen and lhe duck was scttiE.
 "I took the hen fust and 8o, gle couldn't get out while l vas Worllil' 1L the coop, ] slid the door s!ut baao-a st.rtcd in to hammer. Then ! E. :. on strip of board oyer a crale ard nailed it Oh, and the fuSt Iicl, I fetched at nail. the hen sot up a Cdchiiu Jlal you could hear all over the place. jest kcp' right on hammerin' and let her squall.
 "Shc was stiff carryin' on at the top of her voice when I finished up with her ccop, and she didn't stop, cithr,. And " hen I got to work on the duck 2 coop she added what she could to ll) grural uHroar.
 'I fin1y got 'om bearded ia tight b-a they Ecp' up such a racket that l , - gun to be scared I'd done 'cm some lI- jury: so I kicked open the door of tte ncu's coop, and she come through i- like an arrow, with no two feathers p'mtin' the same way and her eyes as hig as cranhcrrics and put off dow. to'rds the brook.
 "Aftor I'd watched her out of sleae I went over to the ducks coop and kicked open the door, and, keilGp bIirye it OF not, that duck stood up on her hind legs and fit me like a man, and ! had to fcud her off pretty sprE to keep from gcttn' uippcd,
 "Whcn my wife got home, she start cd to set them eggs she'd been aitcg and when she got to the coops and found 'om empty, and when she found ont how I'd managed to break up them two fowls from scttin, after she'd go, her Biud all shifted over to agrc, with 'cm. she said--wcll" Oocd spoke deicctedly, "Qn Il;o whole, I guess won't go into what she said.
 'RGt when she got to makin threats" he ussertcG firmly, "I thought twas no more'n good judgment for me to como over hcre a spell"
 "What did she threaten? demanded Mir. pea4lee promptly, and 0bcd per, mjttodlimscIf another feeble grin
 "Ouly that shed a good mind to sl,dt me up in one of thcm coops ard prt both settiu's of eggs under me and make me set on 'em tin hntched 'ep, out" he explained shecpishIy, "and she was SD nad that l didn't know but she'd try it. Now that I'm here, and safe, lc's you and me visit spell and be conf ahlo.'-Yourh's Co@panion