TAKING ABOUT HENS. How a Coolness Sprang up Between Two Good Friends.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 165, 14 August 1886, Page 4

TAKING ABOUT HENS. How a Coolness Sprang up Between Two Good Friends.

A Rochksteb man named Muggs has lteen outinthe town ofWheatland visiting come friends., who live on, aif arm. . Mr Muggs ia not only a man of more /than average intelligence, ? but he is always of an inquiring turn .of mind, and while he was visiting on the'farm he managed to pick up a good deal of valuable information by asking question* about things. The first day that.hewent around^ith the farmer to look at! the stock., t ,one of the. first things excited* his cunoeitftwas a hen that was on a nest under the end of a lumber pile. . " This must be a hen," said Muggs, confidently.,, , "It W^ said the farmer. > . seems to be faking life pretty easy," ventured -Muggs. , • , "Quite) 1 the contrary,'; said the farmer. "She 18 getting." " La y. in S » n egg) probably, • suggested Muggs; " >*f - ' "' ' * "* ' Probably not, " Beiid the farmer. « « She is 'setting.'^. : " ' • . 1 Then Muggs made 1 some patronising remark to the hen arid reached down to stroke the f&r,' on; her neck. The hen was busy, but'hot'tod%usy to keep an eye on Muggs and tyh'en'hia hand came within reach she picked a. small ( piece of akin off from it. Muggs took his hand away with wonderful quickness' and put it into h\a pocket. Then he stood and contemplated the hen in /silence for several minutes. At length' ho said : '- ' '-"*,•.;• "I suppoae' hens seldom have hydrophobia?'' ' z ," Seldom," said the farmer, '' TBut'wlien tn'e'y do have it they have it pretty bad; dbn r t ! they?" inquired Muggs, with considerable anxiety, "Oh, you hee'dn't be alarmed," said the farmer. ' *' The' ( hen is mad, but not in that way. ' Her fangs dYe not'pbisonous." 1 "iWppose, no^j'.' said Mugge, "that an induejbrioui,, persi^tehi' hen like that w,ill hatch out^a chickeh "every day and not feel it." "' '' //-■'- ' "There is a difference in hens," said the farmer; "Some^hfehs set harder 'than others and hatch chickens faster. I- have got one that hatched out a brood of chibkenc last summer mT ten- days She never stopped for Sundays 6'i legal holidays'; but just kept right at it. 'But it wasn't a very good job, because it was ruehed too much* Nine of > the chickens were foolish and the other 'four were not any too bright. You see, -they 1 wetfe not expecting it, and they seemed to be sort of dazed— couldn't understand 'how they got here so soon. "They would-stand around in a half-witted kind of way and try to figure it out, bub they never seemed' to understand it at all. "I should think," said Muggs, thoughtfully,' " thut chickens hatched so fast as that would> be apt to mature quickly— get old while they are young, as it were." " Exactly— they do," said the farmer. "You remember that I bought a couple of spring .chickens; of you last fail," said „M uggs still more thoughtfully, as if an idea had occurred to him. " Yes, I remember," said the farmer, who was also beginning to have an idea. " What of it ?" " Oh, nothing ; only I thought perhaps they belonged to this blood that you have been speaking about. - We broiled them a i couple of days, and then gave them to my boy to cut iipToto bean'ehboters." A coolness has since existed between Muggs and the farmer,