Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1896 — COURTEOUS HINTS. [ARTICLE]

COURTEOUS HINTS.

They Are as Forcible as Other Kinds—A - Case in I‘oint. ‘ ' 7 : . r Perhaps there- is no greater strain upon “neighborly feeling” than living next door to a poultry yard whose inmates are allowed to “run”—-making exercise ground of the adjacent flower and vegetable gardens. A San Diego young lady who was subject to this annoyance politely asked her neighbors, says Youth’s Companion, to keep his pets at; home. She asked it .several Itimes, and still no attention was paid to her grievance. Finally she hit upon an ingenious method of protecting herself. ■ She prepared grains of corn by tying to them, with strong. carpet thread, small cards bearing the words: “Please keep your chickens at home!” and distributed the grains about her flower beds. The chickens came to feast as usual,' and greedily swallowed the corn, not perceiving the thread until the card was against their--jaws.—-Then—tney coiild heither swallow the card nor rid , themselves of the swallowed corn. Twenty or thirty, of the marauders,, ran home, bearing the polite request to their culpable owner, who, struck with the method of the hint, promptly cut the threads and cooped up the birds. This was forcible, but a delicate hint upon a like offense was conveyed from one aggrieved relative to another where stronger measures would have beenout of place. i The suffering victim of hens was taken ill, and the perhaps unconscious offender slew his choicest birds and sent to the invalid. The invalid feasted thereon, and sent back a message of thanks to the effect that the fowl was delicious, and tasted of her violets !