The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-10
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

Next door to the parsonage lived as
 good neighbors as any man ever had Il
 was fine old Methodist gentleman and
 his consecrated wife. There was noth.
 ing they left undone to make the Baptist
 preacher and his wife feel at home.
 
 There wasn't a sign of a rift in the
 beautiful relations until spring came and
 then the eternal promlem' of what to i do with your neighbours wandering
 chickens came up and pressed for solu
 ton. A big black cock proudly led his
 flock of hens at dawn to our flower garden.
 I arose early one morning to make a trip in the country, and on going out to saddle up Spokane. I spied the rooster and his bevy of bullets busily scratching up all the seed I had planted and other- l wise making my prize plot look like a stable lot.
 It was too much. even for my preacher pose to put up with, and I grabbed up a piece of stovewood lying conveniently at hand and let it fly at MT. Rooster's head and Nmiased decapitating it by only a 1 hairs breadth. But after the first flush of anger I came to myself. It is true that when flung that piece bloody murder in my heart, but having missed him, I began to be a bit ashamed | of wishing to destroy a fowl upon which such lovely neighbor placed a high value, for she had often spoken to me about his good qualities | l had sense enough, however, to know | that crisis had been reached, for ii I had given way to uncontrollable anger ! one time at the sight of his destruction, sooner or later I would catch him at it again and the same temptation to uo him bodily harm would arise, with the | chance that might not miss him. That growing rooster got on my nerves. I got so I hated the sight of him, for l l was sure that he was going to be my downfall. The more thought about him. the more sympathy had for poor, erring
 
 l growing of a cock. Something just had | to be done.
 At last, after much patience with his depredations and much tax on my gray | matter. I evolved what thought was as | fine scheme to cause his downfall with out mourning the i'll will of his proud | owner as ever had been concocted foI any marauding old cock
 
 I hardened back to my old Eufaul. days when chicken fighting was the great sport, and I shrewdy conceived tho idea that if l could get a game, I could | keep my neighbours rooster in his own backyard. There was one old, hardened sinner in the country who fought chick ems, and I beat it out to him and stated my predicament and called on him for | help.
 | I said: "Wley, I want a sure enough 1 rooster; as matter of fact, want the | best one of your range, for my whole peace of mind and probably my religious condition is bound up in the kind of q chicken that you put into my hands,, man, be careful and select a prize win ner. I don't want a show bird but a l fighter
 | We went out into the yard and called 1 up the cocks from the different runs, looked them over and discussed their good and their weak spots, and after | seemed to fit the bill for which hs was wanted. It was serious business for | me and I didn't want to make any ms. take.
 l I got my pick and started home with him. I confess that I was bit afraid l that would run across some deacon who might ask me an embarrassing question as to why I was proving down side streets with a croker sack out of which was peeping the head of a pit game. l took a part of the way in a brisK trot and got indoors without having been discovered.
 It just so happened that at dinner my wife informed me that our neighbors, the owners of the hated rooster, had asked us over for tea. I began to get shaky, for I was dying to turn my bird loose and let him settle with the big black who had so pesteredSmy soul and damaged my flowers.
 About 6 o'clock we strolled over, and one of the sweetest sights I had seen for years greeted my eyes just as ] looked over the back fence and saw my beautiful trim game make a pass at the lunbersome bunch of feathers which had come so near to giving me nervous pros tration. I heard him crow and 1t was music to my ears. went in and felt Title sheepish as my host and hostess gripped my hand so cordially and gave such cheery words of greeting. A lovely tea was served and as each new dish was passed 1 got more and more ashamed of my rooster play. which meant the death of the pride of her barnyard,
 As soon as supper was over, l couldn', stand it any longer, and excused myself on the plea had forgotten something and would be back in a moment. I went 1 over to keep my game from killing her dunghill, but I just did get there in time to save my own bird, for her chicken was playing football with him. He was fighting gamely, but the big bird had him