THE HBN FEVER. 28 



sorts of people flocked to the Public Garden to behold the 

 " rare and curious and inexpressibly-beautiful samples " of 

 poultry caged up there, every individual specimen of ■which 

 had, up to that hour, been straggling and starving in the 

 yards of "the people" about Boston (they and their 

 progeny) for years and years before, unknown, unhonored 

 and unsung. 



Gilded complimentary cards, in beautifully-embossed 

 envelopes, were duly forwarded by the "committee " to all 

 "our first men," who came on foot or in carriages, with 

 their lovely wives and pretty children, to see the extraor- 

 dinary sight. The city fathers, the public functionaries, 

 governors, senators, representatives, all responded to the 

 invitation, and everybody was there. 



The cocks crowed lustily, the hens cackled musically, 

 the ducks quacked sweetly, the geese hissed beautifully, 

 the chickens peeped delightfiilly, the gentlemen talked 

 gravely, the ladies smiled beneficently, the children laughed 

 joyfully, the uninitiated gaped marvellously, the crowd 

 conversed wisely, the few knowing ones chuckled quietly, 

 — everybody enjoyed the thing immensely, — and sud- 

 denly, prominent among the throng of admirers present, 

 loomed up the stalwart form and noble head of Daniel 

 Webster, who came, like the rest, to see what he had only 

 " read of" for the six months previously.. 



