TRAGEDY OF METHUSELAH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20112, 24 November 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

TRAGEDY OF METHUSELAH.

BY E. J. RYBURN. Peggy and her father and mother had boon fiway for ft holiday. When thoy returned, they found Methuselah walking about the garden. Methuselah was a bantam rooster. He had always with him a littlo bantam lien. Methuselah was a gorgeous bird. Ho walked with such an air, had beautiful glossy feathers, that shone and glittered in tho sun. His comb was bright scarlet. As for his crow, it was a wonderful performance. Altogether, ho was just the last word in bantam roosters.

As none of tho neighbours would own them, Peggy adopted the two littlo fowls; quickly got tho fowl house put in order, and coaxed them in, at sunset. During tho day, they wandered about tho garden.

By and bye the littlo hen sat on a nestful of eggs. In duo course, about fourteen little chicks came bursting out of their shells. They were such lovely balls of fluffy down, and the little mother was very proud of them. She would walk about on tho lawn, with the chicks trail ing along behind her. Methuselah would bo there too. finding worms for them. Peggy was prouder still, as she admired her family of fowls. They grew and grew, until at last they wero as big as Methuselah Now Methuselah's worries began. There wero several roosters among them ana thov began to put on airs, and despised poor old Methuselah; called him

bad-tempered. lie chased everybody in sight and one day Peggy's mother had to fly before him. She was glad to seo the back door open, so that she could run inside.

Peggy's father began to talk darkly of killing and eating the old rooster; but none of them felt that they would like to sit round tho table and eat Methuselah So ho was let alone.

Ono morning. Peggy discovered that he was not there. Everyone looked all over the garden, but no Methuselah appeared. During tho day, a neighbour told Peggy that she had seen a dog run down the road with a fowl in its mouth.

Probably that accounted for his absence. So that was the end of Methuselah. No one know how he had come, and no one knew, exactly, how ho had gone, but, in between these two points, bo bad lived well.