A PHENOMENAL ROOSTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2769, 26 March 1910, Page 1 (Supplement)

A PHENOMENAL ROOSTER.

By MAX ADELER.V “Perhaps you never noticed* tnat rooster,” said Cooley, pointing Wo o. chicken on the fence between his\j**rcl and mine; “very likely you -never paid much attention to him! But 1 don v care in what light you _ look at him, the more you study him the talented he appears. You about your American iggles aD<2 ' birds of freedom, and all such slus.i as that, but that insignificant-looking chicken yonder kin give any of tnero twenty points and pocket them at tho first shot. 1 pledge you my word tnau that rooster has fine traits of character that’d adorn almost any wain ox life. He’s just lovely ! 1 don’t say anything about his voice. That’s neither here nor there. Although, if you’re going to allude to that subject, I just want to mention that, as far as crowing :s concerned, he kin begin earlier, knock off later, and reel off more crows in a minute than any other rooster the State. And when he does try to spread himself on vocalisation, be kin infuse emotion into it that’d almost bring tears to your eyes. “Most chickens are kinder stupid; but- what I like about him is that ho is sympathetic; he has feeling. ] know last fall that my shanghai hen was taken sick while she was trying to hatch out some eggs, and that rooster was so compassionate that he used to go in, and sit on that nest for hours, trying to help her out so that she could go off recreating after exercise. And when she died, ho turned right in and took charge of things; seemed to :eel that he ought to be a father to those unborn little orphans, and he straddled around over those egs for ever so long as graceful as a mermaid!

“He never got much satisfaction out c. c i+. though. Most of them were duck eggs, and it seemed to kinder cut him up when he looked at those birds after they hatched out. He took it to heart and appeared to be low-spirited and afflicted. He would go off and stand by himself —stand on one leg in a corner of the fence and let his mind brood over his troubles until you’d pity him. It disgusted him to think how the job turned out.

“Now, you wouldn’t think such a chicken as that would have much courage, but as true as I’m telling you he’d just as lief fight a waggon-lead of tigers as go to sleep. He got a notion in his head that that roostc-r on" the Baptist church steeple was alive, and he couldn’t hear to think that :t was up there sailing around and putting on airs over him, and a good many times I’ve seen him try to fly up at it so’s to arrange a fight. When he found be couldn’t make it, he’d crow at the Baptist- rooster and dare it to come down, and, at last, when all his efforts were useless, would you believe that rooster one day tackled the sexton as the weathercock’s next friend, and drove his spurs so far into the sexton’s shanks that he walked on crutches for more’n a week, I never saw a mere chicken have such fine instincts and such pluck. “He is a splendid fighter, anyway, just as ho stands. And so intelligent, too. Why, he had a little fuss with Pitman's Poland rooster here seme tune back, and instead of going at him r.r.d taking the chances of getting licked, that chicken actually put himself into training, ate nothing but corn, took regular exercise, went to roost early, took a cold bath every morning, and got a friendly pullet t-o rub him down with a corn-cob. It was wonderful i

and in a week or so he was all bene and muscle, and he flickered over the fence after Pitman’s rooster and senthim cahooting into the next world in the fourth round. “1 never saw such a roGster for intellectual culture. Now, do you know I believe that chicken actually takes an interest in ,politics ! Oh, you may laugh, but last fall, during the campaign, he was so excited about- something that he couldn’t eat, and the night they had the Democratic mass-meeting here he roosted on the chandelier in the hall, and every time General Beller made a good point that chicken would crow and flap his wings as much as to say: ‘Them’s my sentiments 1’ And on the day of the parade he turned out and followed the last waggon, keeping step with the music, and never dropping out of line but once, when he stopped to fight a Republican rooster belonging to old Byerly, who was on the Republican ticket for county commissioner. And in the morning, after the Democrats -won, he just got- on the fence out here and crowed so vociferously you could’ve heard him across the river, particularly when I run up the American flag and read the latest returns.

“Yes, sir. Now, I know you'll think it’s ridiculous when I tell you, but it’s an actual fact that that very day my daughter was placing the 'Star Spangled Banner’ on the piano, and that rooster, when he heard it. came re-ad-ding into the parlor, and after flipping up on the piano he struck out and crowed that tune as natural as if ho wn s an educated musician. Positive truth, and ho beat time with his tail! He didn’t crow like any other rooster. Every morning he works off selections from Beethoven and Mozart and those fellers, and on Sundays be freouentiy lets himself out on hymn tunes. Why, I’ve know him to sit on that fence for more’n an hour at a time practising the scales, and he nearly kicked your rooster to death one day because your rooster crowed flat. I saw him do it myself. And now, I really must be going. Good morning. I am going to kill Cooley's rooster at the first opportunity. I want him to have one thing less to lie about. He bar too much variety at present.