's business in life but to lay eggs?" demanded
Herbert, laughing at the Chinaman's curious expression.

Then it came out. That hen did lay eggs--such eggs! She was a big hen
and her eggs so small, and so many! Ah! she was bewitched. She was
bewitching Wun Sing. She had already bewitched Mateo, yes. It began the
very day the master left. On that sorrowful, august occasion that pent
up, solitary fowl deposited two eggs in her softly lined nest.

"That might be. Ma's hens do that, sometimes, good breeds," said Alfy,
in answer to the Chinaman's impressive statement.

With all this company of doubters around him Wun Sing felt secure enough
to go on and state that on the day following there had been four eggs!
Then one--then again seven--the mystic number. Latterly there had been
eight, nine, as high as ten! All in one twenty-four hours! Could a fowl,
free from an evil spirit, so conduct itself? No. No, indeed. Wun Sing
knew what he knew. Disaster was coming. There was trouble on the wing.
It would light upon San Leon. They were doomed--doomed--doomed!

"I don't believe it!" declared Leslie. "But a hen of that character
_ought_ to crow as well as cackle. How much'll you take for her, cooky?
I'll buy and start a hennery to stump the world. Anybody want to go in
with me on this deal? San Leon Chinese Poultry--Warranted to Make
Possessors Rich! The Egg Trust of San Leon! I say, boys, the thing's
just rippin'!"

"Undo that little gate, Wunny. I'm going in to collect the eggs. Come
on, Alfy, or anybody," cried Dorothy, laughing. "That empty cracker box
to hold them in. By the way, Wunny, when did you empty the nest?"

He assured her that he had done so the last thing before retiring on the
night before. He had already taken two from it this day. Now by the
cackle--there must be--Ah! he finished his speech with a wild flourish
of his hands, then put them before his eyes to shield them from an
uncanny sight.

Those outside the little poultry yard waited in curiosity for the others
to come back. The two girls within it had their heads close together
peering into the hen-temple, while Monty had squeezed his plump body
through its little door with the cracker box in hand.

"Oh! I say, come out of there! How many have you found?" called Herbert.
"Hurry up! Nell and Molly are getting scared. Fact!"

"I'm not," denied Molly, but Helena said nothing. It was absurd, but she
was actually catching some of the Chinaman's nervousness o