Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1875 — A Climber. [ARTICLE]

A Climber.

The following strange occurrence did not come under our personal observation, but is undoubtedly true. On Wedlnesday last some domestic fowls belonging to a gentleman near the eorner of Miner avenue and California street were driven by the high water from the house in which,they were kept and forced to seek shelter in the branches of a tall oak near the premises. The fowls consisted of some dozen or more hens that belonged tc the harem of a gallant rooster full of years and honors. This leader of the flock, after they had been several hoars in the tree, evidently became tired of the monotony of gazing upon tbe dreary expanse of water and conceived the idea (if roosters have ideas) of changing his quarters and inducing his tribe to follow him. He discovered a little knoll of dry land about fifty yards distant, and for this he flew, reaching it in safety. The hens. however, did not dare to follow, and like Officer Wells, on Banner Island, he was “ alone in his glory." He became Dervous and homesick ants mad, but he bravely stood to his poet and kept a wistful eye upon his dozen better halves in the tree. As evening approached he wished himself back in the bosom of his family, tut how to get there was the question, for he couldn’t fly up at an angle of forty-five , degrees and had never learned to swim. Finally, after being abused by a lot of ducks that were swimming all around him, he got desperate, went down to the water’s edge and plunged boldly in. H£ struck out for the tree and swam to it with as little effort as a frog. Reaching the tree, the next thing was to get into its branches, for he was too wet to fly and the nearest limb was fifteen feet above him. In this emergency he commenced to climb, and with his bill and toes actually did climb the fifteen feet, and in five minutes was in the top branches flapping his wings and crowing at the ducks, which became disgusted and started home! Such is the tale, not one-fourth of which would we believe were it told by any man except Joe Long. He is the living wiiness of the fact, and, like George Washington, he never told a lie—that we know of What he might do or say for an entire hen-roost matters not, but it is certain he could not be induced to prevaricate for one rooster —not for Joseph; no, not much. —Stockton (Cal. ) Indc]>m*dent. A New BampsAike woman, when dy-v ing, made /her husband swear, on the Bible,, he’d never marry a woman Withi a sharp nose. And yet a sharp noee is noV — half so bad as a sharp tongue.