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ChAPTER 7More Pranks

Ma’s Old HenEdward, Claude, and their cousins crossed the

creek, coming out in the barn yard. Raymond picked up an ear of corn that had fallen off the wagon. He was aimlessly flipping grains of corn, one at a time, and pretty soon he saw Ma Nicley’s hens and old red rooster following him. Claude noticed them, and an idea struck him. He said, “Hold it until I get back!” He darted into the house and came out with a small piece of wire, and a battery. He fastened the wire on a grain of corn. Instantly, one of the hens picked up the wired grain of corn. There was such a commotion made by the hens, that Ma came hurrying out the door to see what all the uproar was about.

What she saw was one of her big Barred Rock hens, rolling from one side to the other, flopping her wings and making strange noises. All at once, the wire slipped off the grain of corn, and then the hen became calm. Ma exclaimed, “What have you boys done to that hen?” “Nothing, Ma,” was Claude’s innocent reply, “We were just feeding them

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some corn, and she began to act queer.” Ma knew they had done something, but what?

Now The Old Red Rooster!!After Ma had gone back in the house, Claude slipped

into the house, picking up a spoon and Ma’s little bottle of alcohol she used when she had the toothache. He raced back out to join the other boys. He said, “Okay boys, more corn!” They began to shell more corn, and soon had all the chickens following them again. Claude said, “Somebody catch that old red rooster.” He was caught and his mouth was opened. Claude poured a spoon full of alcohol into his mouth. They turned him loose, then stood back and waited. Pretty soon the rooster began to walk sideways, then fell on his side, tried to crow, walked backward, then forward, flap-ping his wings the whole while. Once again, Ma, hearing all the clamor, came out and saw her big rooster. “What makes him walk so funny?” she inquired sternly. “We don’t know, we thought he walked funny too,” they solemnly replied. When the rooster began to sober up, the boys knew the fun had ended, and the cousins went home.

Uncle John’s PigNext morning, Edward needed something to do, so

he decided to go up to the coal mine. He had heard Uncle John Williams had a pet pig that followed him everywhere he went. Edward wanted to see that pig. Uncle John was the one who made things run at the mine, and every thing went his way. He had piercing black eyes, and no one dared cross him. However, he liked Pa and Edward, and they never had any trouble with him. As Edward came near the mine, he kept hearing the pig squeal. He saw the pig, with his head in

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the air, going in circles squealing as loud as he could. Edward went over to Uncle John’s shanty and asked, “What’s the matter with your pig?” He said, “Nothing, he just got into my *mash barrel and got too much. He’s drunk.”

In a few days, the pig came up missing. Uncle John told Edward he had put a sack over the mash barrel, and the pig went through the sack, head first and drowned. He wanted Edward to help him get the pig out. They got the pig out, and took him to Uncle John’s shanty and skinned him. Uncle John said a little mash on the meat wouldn’t hurt anything. The meat was salted down, and a feast was declared for Uncle John, and anybody else, if they dared to eat any of it.

The Little Green SnakeIt was spring, and Pa Nicley’s corn was growing very

fast, and was about knee-high. He was really proud of his field of corn. One morning Pa told Edward to get the horses ready. This was the day they were going to start plowing corn. Edward loved to work with horses, but not hooked to a walking cultivator. Claude was to take a hoe and cut out the weeds left by the plow.

They had been working quite a while, when Edward’s feet become tired, so he stopped his horses to rest. Claude quit hoeing, and came over to visit with Edward. In his hand he held a little green snake. He reached over and dropped it down Edward’s shirt collar. There was so much confusion caused by Edward trying to get his shirt off, that

Mash: They used barley, or other grain, pouring water on it. It was crushed and left in a barrel until if fermented. They used this mix to make beer or ale.