S8 THE HISTORY OF 



fancy eggs as a certain agricultural concern had been doing 

 for some months: that is, by first purchasing them at a 

 shilling a dozen from the eastern packetSj or in Quincy Mar- 

 ket. The next man thought that three dollars per dozen 

 would be fair. Another member believed that one dollar 

 ■(vas enough for twelve eggs, " but he did n't know much 

 about it," he acknowledged ; which was pretty evident from 

 his remarks. At any rate, he had never fed a " laying 

 hen " long enough on good corn to ascertain how much she 

 would devour while she was furnishing him with the said 

 twelve eggs, I imagine ! One gentleman, more liberally 

 disposed, probably, ventured to express his willingness to 

 Tpnyjive dollars a dozen for what he wanted. I understood 

 he got home safely after the meeting, though it was feared 

 he would be mobbed for his. temerity in making this ridic- 

 ulous offer ! 



I had already fixed m/y price for the eggs that were to be 

 dropped by my " extraordinary and superb " Cochin-China 

 fowls, which by this time had got to be " the admiration of 

 the State " (so the newspapers said). I had the best fowls 

 in this world, or in any other ; this being conceded by every 

 one who saw them, there was no necessity of " talking the 

 subject up " to anybody. I charged twelve dollars a dozen 

 for my eggs — and never winked at it ! 

 . And why shouldn't I have the highest price? Were not 

 my fowls the " choicest specimens " ever seen in America? 



