Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-06-26
TONY B0zzl RETURNS
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

pOssesSlOn OF tne uny cottage on Long
Island.
Tony Bozzl, who had built it and
lived alene In 1t among his chickens
and flowers, had sailed Off on the first
transport ship that had left the harbor
whe Italy entered the war. f
Tony owned not only his tiny home
and slightly productive garden and
chickens, but he also owned an auto
mobile, which he ran as a taxi from
the station to nearby estates. He
met all trains and had made himself
more or less Of necessity to. subur-
banItes. He left the caretaking of his
cottage to the man who had taken his
taxi service from him. paH1 fHN
Charlotte Conway had never seen
Tony nor had she heard OF him untal
she learned that his tiny cottage was
available. As dressmaker's assist
ant. She had saved sufficient money to
live on while she established herself
as village seamstress, but 1t must
needs be a very tiny cottage and n
minimum Of expense that she could
ouutEtukc. ~ So ~ ~
When she saw the cottages Charlotte
felt that she was looking at the place
called Paradise a.
Even chickens !" she exclaimed "a
she observed the fine 0rpington cock
strutting about with his eight hens.
Charlotte arranged to take the. cot
tage and returned to town 10 pack her
meager belongings. Her sewing ma
chine and q placard announcing her.
self as a seamstress were among the
most important of her possessions.
She anticipated great contentment
sewing for village women and tending
the tiny garden and the chickens be-
tween stitches.
DreSsmaklng progressed slowly, but
Charlotte was not sorry, because she
begrudged every moment that she
spent within doors. AS reward for
her excellent care her hens produced
more eggs than she could use She
!. got six and seven a day and once
though her neighbOr said it was most
unusual-she had eight eggs from
Ci6iiI nut hNCAuStu uNC
day through the month. She was de-
lighted to realize that this number
would enable her to sell two dozen a
week and thus make her hens self-5up-
porting.
Her neighbor told her of a family In
the village that would pay her 80 cents
a dozen. but it was not until she ac-
tually fingered the 81 bill as payment
that she could believe it was true.
Never had she earned money so easily.
A few days later she went to her
neighbor with a furrow between her
eyes.
- "One of my, Minorcas sets and sets
and sets all day and kind OF growls
when 1 touch her. What shall 1 do
with herr she questioned In dlsmay.
Her neighbor laughed dmusedly.
"Broody-that's alk' he said.
"BroodyT Charlotte's eyes ques-
toned still 49,.
"Surel |" laughed the man. "Put thir-
teen eggs In the nest under her.
Twenty-one days later you will have
little chicks instead Of the eggs. It's
her motherly instinct--she wants a
family to boss"
Charlotte blushed softly and sighed
In relief. Her neighbor was kind
enough to offer to help her set the
broOdy one properly.
This was only the beginning of the
Matching season. Soon Charlotte was
kept more than busy with her hens and
their perpetually arriving chicks. To
gether with this work came orders for
dressmaking that completely filled
Charlottes days. And then the in
evitable happened.
Tony wrote to say that he was re-
turning. He had lost a foot some
where on the field of battle and had
been in the hospital for weeks. AS
soon as his cork foot was safely a.
part of him he would be able to travel.
"Weu," Charlotte thought after read
ing Tony's letter, 81 have done my
little bit in establishing a business for
one MANNED hero"
Tonys soft Italian eyes, shaded with
recent suffering, lit up when he saw
his cottage and heard the cackle of
happy hens.
Charlotte realized a great sense of
inward delight when she saw his sur
prise. When she shook his hand she
felt that she was greeting a hero and
her eyes were wonderfully expressive.
Tony was awed by the joy that his re-
turn afforded him.
But nO-nor He raised a protest
ing hand when Charlotte acquainted
him with facts and plans for himself.
81 cannot take it 1t is you who have
done IL ALL"
And in the midst of his dreams,
while Charlotte stood wondering again
just why Fate had given her so pleas |
ant part to play, the neighbor over
the fence called out:
"Say you two-my wife wants you
both over She's prepared the finest |