eggs larger in size than those of any of her neighbors. This I
attribute to her excellent care of them, generous diet, but
principally to the fact of the elimination of all the roosters among
the flock during the season between the "first of May and December
first," with one exception. "Brigham," an immensely large, old, red
Shanghai rooster, a most pompous and dignified old chap. A special pet
of Aunt Sarah's, she having raised him from a valuable "setting" of
eggs given her, and as the egg from which "Brigham," as he was called,
emerged, was the only one of the lot which proved fertile, he was
valued accordingly and given a longer lease of life than the other
roosters, and was usually either confined or allowed to roam outside
the chicken yard during the summer months; in the winter, being a
swift runner, he usually gobbled up two shares of food before the hens
arrived. That accounted for his great size. The old rooster was also
noted for his loud crowing.

One day in early Spring, John Landis came into the house hurriedly,
saying, "Sarah, your old Shanghai rooster is sick."

"Yes," answered his wife, "I missed hearing him crow this morning; he
is usually as regular as an alarm clock."

She hurried to the barnyard, picked up poor Brigham, wrapped him
carefully in a piece of blanket and laid him in a small shed. The next
morning she was awakened by the lusty crowing of Brigham, who was
apparently as well as ever. The next day the same thing happened. Aunt
Sarah found him, as she supposed, in a dying condition, and the
following morning he was fully recovered. It was quite puzzling until
one day John Landis came into the kitchen laughing heartily and said,
"Sarah, I am sorry to inform you of the intemperate habits of your
pet, Brigham. He is a most disreputable old fellow, and has a liking
for liquor. He has been eating some of the brandied cherries which
were thrown into the barnyard when the jug containing them was
accidentally broken at house cleaning time.

"Well, Sarah, old Brigham was not sick at all--only 'ingloriously'
drunk." In the fall of the same year Aunt Sarah spied Brigham one day
on top of one of the cider barrels in the shed busily engaged eating
the pummace which issued from the bung-hole of the barrel. John
Landis, on hearing of Brigham's last escapade, decided, as the rooster
was large as an ordinary-turkey, to serve him roasted at Mary's
wedding.

Fritz Schmidt remarked one day in the presenc