r Mrs. Jameson's hens were
enough to awaken merriment, and no mistake. Louisa and I could never
see them without laughing enough to cry; and as for little Alice,
who, like most gentle, delicate children, was not often provoked to
immoderate laughter, she almost went into hysterics. We rather
dreaded to have her catch sight of the Jameson hens. There were
twenty of them, great, fat Plymouth Rocks, and every one of them in
shoes, which were made of pieces of thick cloth sewed into little
bags and tied firmly around the legs of the fowls, and they were
effectually prevented thereby from scratching up the garden seeds.
The gingerly and hesitating way in which these hens stepped around
the Jameson premises was very funny. It was quite a task for old
Jonas Martin to keep the hens properly shod, for the cloth buskins
had to be often renewed; and distressed squawkings amid loud volleys
of aged laughter indicated to us every day what was going on.

The Jamesons kept two Jersey cows, and Mrs. Jameson caused their
horns to be wound with strips of cloth terminating in large, soft
balls of the same, to prevent their hooking. When the Jamesons first
began farming, their difficulty in suiting themselves with cows
occasioned much surprise. They had their pick of a number of fine
ones, but invariably took them on trial, and promptly returned them
with the message that they were not satisfactory. Old Jonas always
took back the cows, and it is a question whether or not he knew what
the trouble was, and was prolonging the situation for his own
enjoyment.

At last it came out. Old Jonas came leading back two fine Jerseys to
Sim White's, and he said, with a great chuckle: "Want to know what
ails these ere critters, Sim? Well, I'll tell ye: they ain't got no
upper teeth. The Jamesons ain't goin' to git took in with no cows
without no teeth in their upper jaws, you bet."

That went the rounds of the village. Mrs. White was so sorry for the
Jamesons in their dilemma of ignorance of our rural wisdom that she
begged Sim to go over and persuade them that cows were created
without teeth in their upper jaw, and that the cheating, if cheating
there were, was done by Nature, and all men alike were victimized. I
suppose Mr. White must have convinced her, for they bought the cows;
but it must have been a sore struggle for Mrs. Jameson at least to
swallow instruction, for she had the confidence of an old farmer in
all matters pertaining to a farm.