night, wondering what
evil genius could thus attack his laurels. At dawn, worn out by
his sleepless night, he set out, eager to learn the cause of his
failure.

All those whom he met winked knowingly, laughing in their sleeves,
and courtesied to him without giving him any information. At last
one, touched by his despair, answered:

"Why should we come to you? We have here in this very place, where
we can see it for nothing, a marvel beside which yours are
commonplace. Have you in your menagerie a curly-haired hen?"

"A curly-haired hen!" cried Sir Booum. "Gracious, goodness me!
What are you talking about? Three times have I been round the
world and have never heard of such a thing."

"Go to the big farm down yonder and you can see the one I am
telling you about. You will be ashamed to think how uninteresting
in comparison are the things you show."

A few minutes later, a magnificent equipage, driven by an elegant
gentleman and drawn by two light bays, entered the courtyard of
the big farm.

"Does Madame Etienne live here, please?" he asked Petit-Jacques,
who was busy grooming Coco.

"Yes, sir."

"Will you kindly give her this card and ask if she will see me?"

"Certainly, sir, at once."

Petit-Jacques returned a few minutes later with Mother Etienne.

The gentleman got down from his seat, handing the reins to his
groom.

"Excuse me, Madame. I am Sir Booum. It was my circus which gave
its first performance here yesterday as announced on the placards
posted on the walls throughout the village.

I have heard, Madame, that you have a most extraordinary hen, and
I have come to beg you to show it to me. If it is really such as
it was described to me, I will buy it at once."

"Sir," said Mother Etienne, "I am very pleased to meet you; I will
show you Yollande as you ask, but sell her to you?--never. I love
the dear thing far too well to part with her."

"But, Madame, if I give you a large sum? How much do you ask? Name
your figure."

Mother Etienne, without answering a word, went off to fetch the
Cochin-China hen to show to her visitor.

American as he was, he was astounded and was soon convinced that
there had been no exaggeration. This was indeed the curly-haired
hen.

"Well, Madame, how much is it to be?--$1,000, $2,000, $4,000?
Can't you make up your mind?"

"No, sir, please don't insist. I do not want to part with dear
Yollande," and Mother Etienne, distressed and trembling, covered
her hen wi