TROUBLES OF POULTRY-FARMING 151 



The sleeping Klinker would suddenly feel a peck 

 at his tail, and would start up, with a remonstrating 

 howl, but he would never touch her. When May 

 came, with its torrid heat, and the Professor sailed 

 away to his work, I found the trouble of the fowls 

 too much for me, with half their interest gone. 



So I hired a boy to do the work. 



He departed and others came, and they either 

 starved the fowls or fed them till their crops burst. 



So I thought a comfortable bazaar woman 

 would do better, and have some sense. 



It turned out that she did not even know 

 enough to place the wire cage flat on the brick 

 floor, over a brood of young chickens ; consequently 

 in the morning seven were missing. She had 

 rested one side of it on a stone, so the rats found 

 an easy way in. 



Added to this, she had two of her own babies 

 with her all day, who cried incessantly, like kids, 

 which I abhor ; so she got her dismissal, and was 

 followed by the Imp. He did very well for a time, 

 but oh ! wanted such a lot of looking after ; and I 

 came to the conclusion that the master's two eggs 

 a day cost a great deal more than they were 



