| Show With the cobwebs swept down shelves washed and re papered floors swept and stairs scrubbed clean the room was finally finished the day almost spent Hilda looked on the room with satisfaction picked up the bucket of fruit but just at that moment her big Plymoth Rock rooster helped himself tobeak-full of fruit Hilda changed her mind and immediately poured the contents of the bucket into the chicken trough This taste of fruit might benice change from the handsful of wheat she fed her chickens morning and night Hilda didnsee her chickens again until evening when she went to feed them What she saw startled her almost beyond reason There on the ground lay every one of her chicks roosters hens and spring pullets At first glance she thoughtskunk or weasel had been in her flock On closer inspection she saw them sprawled in every unlikely position possible some lying with wings widespread some lying on their sides others cramped in strange grotesque positions with their heads under their bodies some on their backs with legs straight in the air and some had fallen across anotherlifeless body Had she killed them She knelt down and feltbody It was warm Then she realized she haddrunken flock of chickens She knew just how it had happened--the fermented fruit of course Since the bodies were still warm her first thought was to cut their heads off and dress them but she was too tired after her day of housecleaning So she decided to leave them in the cool night air and finish the job in the morning Bright and early the next day she approached the yard and was startled to see the dead chickens up walking around--a little wobbly to be sure but up and walking She gave them plenty of grain and fresh water and by night they were chipper as ever Who knows Maybe they enjoyed their night on the town The authors late husband Willis Madsem was Hilda Madsen Longsdorfnephew 38 |
