MRS. JANE'S EXPERIMENT. 



One is surprised at the wonderful vital- morning four pert little downy fellows oc- 



ity.to be found in an egg. The following cupied the bottom of the bucket, with 



incident, almost incredible as it seems, is seven unhatched eggs, 

 ail absolute fact. Those chickens grew faster than almost 



Mrs. Jane, very fond of raising select any chickens ever known. They were 



breeds of chickens, put a setting of fine never anything but tame, and the most 



Brahma eggs under what she considered active of the four, who bears the appro- 



an absolutely trustworthy Biddy, but, priate name of Theodore Roosevelt, al- 



alas ! JBiddy proved unstable, like many lows any one to pick him up and fondle 



another. bipec}, and went off in a few days, him, but is ready to fight with anything 



leaving her nest and rather costly con- in the poultry yard big chicken, little 



tents to the mercy of the elements. chicken, the skye terrier, the cat or any- 



Mrs. Jane, in three or four days, discov- thing else that is or might be in his way. 



ered the abandoned domicile, and, deter- Mrs. Jane says she never was sorry for 



mined not to be outdone by any such her experiment but once, and that is all 



maneuver on the part of Biddy, proposed the time. 



to show her that Brahma chickens could The cause for Mrs. Jane's regret is the 



be developed without the assistance of fact that whether she be in the hen yard, 



any old hen. kitchen or parlor, no place except right 



So, not having an incubator of any ap- under her motherly gown is quite good 



proved manufacture, she proceeded to enough for these enterprising birds, 

 make one. She secured a large bread pan Recently I saw "Teddy" open the 



to hold the water, a small wooden pail to screen and walk into the kitchen, 

 hold the eggs, which were wrapped in He lifted his foot, pulled the screen 



warm flannel, and' a good kerosene lamp, open wide enough to admit his head and 



which was placed under the pan holding then pushed his whole body, now quite 



the water and then lighted. large and plump, through the crack. 



The bucket containing the eggs was How long this interesting little hero, 

 then placed in the pan of water and the with his mates, will be permitted to en- 

 whole apparatus left in a quiet bedroom, joy the rights of chickendom yet remains 



Oh, how Mr. Jane and the boys and the to be seen, but the fact that "Mrs. Jane's 



neighbors twitted Mrs. Jane about wast- incubator was a success" has been ad 1 - 



ing coal oil and time in keeping those mitted by^all who were so skeptical when 



eggs warm ! But, behold ! in a little over she began her novel experiment, 

 two weeks, one morning a shell was Mary Noland. 



chipped, at noon another, and by the next 



72 



