THE HEN tBVHB. 151 



when " Fanny " was round. She could outcrow the lustiest 

 feathered orchestra ever collected together in Christendom. 

 She was a wonder, that redoubtable but frisky, flashy, 

 sprightly, sputtery, spunky " Fanny Fern." 



And did n't the boys run after her ? Well, they did ! 

 And did n't they want to buy her ? Did n't they bid high 

 for her, at last ? Did n't everybody flock to see her, and to 

 heai- " Fanny" crow? And didn't she continue to crow, 

 too ? Ah ! it was heaven, indeed (and sometimes the other 

 thing), to listen to " Fanny's " voice. 



When " Fanny " opened her mouth, everybody held their 

 breath and listened. "Fanny" crowed to some purpose, 

 verily ! She crowed lustily against oppression, and. vice, 

 and wrong, and injustice; and she crowed aloud (with her best 

 strength) in behalf of injured iianocence, and virtue, and 

 merit, exalted or humble. 



And, finally, "Fanny" hatched a brace of chickens; 

 and didn't she crow for and over them? She now cackled 

 and scratched, and crowed harder and louder and shriller 

 than ever. , The people stopped in the street to listen to her ; 

 old men heard her ; young men sought after her ; all the 

 women began to " swear " by her; the children thronged to 

 see her; the newspapers all talked about her; and thou- 

 sands of books were printed about my charming, astonishing, 

 remarkable, crowing " Fanny Fern." 



I sent her to the fowl-shows, where she " took 'em all 



