A Complete Edition of the Works of Nancy Luce Part 3

I must be as reconciled as I can, To part with Poor little dear, All I have to comfort me is, She is taken from the evil to come.

I hope I never shall have a hen, to set so much by again, From over sea, she was brought to me, one week old, I raised her in my lap, She loved me dreadful dearly.

She would jam close to me, Every chance she could get, And talk to me, and want to get in my lap, And set down close.

And when she was out from me, If I only spoke her name, She would be sure to run to me quick, Without wanting anything to eat.

She placed her whole affections on me; When she was alive, and saw me to the east window, She would put her head through the pickets, And look at me, as long as she could see my face.

She had more wit than any hen I ever knew, Poor, sweet little dear, down in her silent grave, Turning to dust, O heart rending, I never can see her again.

G.o.d is supporting me under my trouble, He took away my dear friend, He has done it for the best, It is all right and just.

But O it was heart rending, For that Poor little heart, To undergo death, And for me to part with her.

When overwhelmed with grief, My heart within me dies, Helpless, and far from all relief, To heaven I lift my eyes.

This world a place of misery, O Lord land me in heaven, That Holy, happy place, When I bid adieu to this vain world.

Blessed are they, Which have feelings to melt, For the poor harmless dumb creatures, And for sick human too.

And for all the troubled, In the wide world around, Human and dumb creatures too, Great sympathy and love, they will have from the Lord.

I must be as reconciled as I can, To part with Poor little dear, It is all for the best, From the evil to come.

She was sick and died very sudden, Only two hours and a quarter, About fifteen minutes dying.

b.l.o.o.d.y water pouring out her mouth, And her breath agoing, Poor little heart.

O dreadful melancholy I do feel for my dear, She laid eggs till three days before her death, She laid the most eggs, this four years around, Than any hen I have on earth.

Soon my turn will come, and I must follow on, I hope to land on that blest sh.o.r.e, Where no sickness, no trouble, no trials, Distress me no more.

My heart is fix'd on Thee, my G.o.d, I rest my hope on Thee alone, Christ wept so much himself, He counts, and treasures up my tears.

Prayer an answer will obtain, Through the Lord a little delay; None shall seek his name in vain, None be empty sent away.

The Lord takes pleasure in the just, Whom sinners treat with scorn, The meek, that lie despised in dust, Salvation shall adorn.

Blest are the meek who stand afar, From rage and pa.s.sion, noise and war, G.o.d will secure their happy state, And plead their cause against the great.

To G.o.d I cried when troubles rose, He heard me and subdued my foes, He did my rising fears control, And strength diffused through all my soul.

Consider how distressing sickness is to undergo, And how distressing in many ways, My parents' sickness, a number of years, Caused them to sell cows, oxen, horses, and sheep, English meadow, clear land, and wood land, Consider how distressing sickness is in many ways.

OUR SAVIOUR'S GOLDEN RULE.

Be you to others kind and true, As you'd have others be to you, And never do nor say to them, Whate'er you would not take again.

HEN'S NAMES.

TEEDIE LETE, PHEBEA PEADEO, LETOOGIE TICKLING, JAATIE JAFY, REANTY FYFANTE, SPEACKEKEY LEPURLYO, PONDY LILY, KALALLYPHE ROSEIEKEY, TEALSAY MEBLOOMIE, LEVENDY LUDANDY, APPE KALEANYO, MELEANY TEATOLLY, ATERRYRYREE ROSEENDY, VAILATEE PINKOATIE.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, my G.o.d of Heaven, Grant me I beseech Thee O Lord, I pray for Thy Kingdom to come, to ease this misery world, it is now a place of misery, for some human, and some poor harmless dumb creatures, Thy Kingdom come, be no more dying, no sickness, no crying, no misery of no kind, The sinners have their punishment for their sins.

Thy Kingdom come. Amen.

NANCY LUCE.

_West Tisbury, Dukes Co., Ma.s.s.,_ 1871.

HENS--THEIR DISEASES AND CURE.

Human, do understand how to raise up sick hens to health. Some folks do not know how to doctor hens, they doctor them wrong, it hurts them, and it is dreadful cruel to let them die. It is as distressing to dumb creatures to undergo sickness, and death, as it is for human, and as distressing to be crueled, and as distressing to suffer. G.o.d requires human to take good care of dumb creatures, and be kind to them, or not keep any. Now do understand, and I will tell you exact.

STOPPAGE IN STOMACH.--If a hen has stoppage in her stomach, her corn stops in her crop, hard and swell large, and she sick, first work with your fingers carefully, get it soft, then take a small teaspoon and measure it full of epsom salts, and dissolve it in water, and give it to her with a teaspoon; you must keep to work with your fingers often, to keep it from hardening again, and the next day, if her breath smells bad, there is a rottenness in her stomach, then give her most as much of epsom salts again. Put a little flour porridge in her mouth with a teaspoon, three times a day, and a little soaked cracker, soaked in water; put a little in her mouth if she can swallow it, in five days she eat with the hens and be well. This is the way I cure them. Folks bring hens to me in this disease, to the point of death, been sick a long time, I cure them in five days; they must not have any milk in this disease, it will kill them, do as I tell you and you can cure them. Once in a great while one of my hens have stoppage in their stomach; I cure them with only my fingers, because I take her as soon as the corn stops.

Milk does not agree with hens in sickness nor health, it keeps up in their stomach, and they vomit it up. I think strange it does not agree with hens, because milk is so good for human. You must not give your hens any castor oil, nor rhubarb, in not any disease whatever; it is poison for them, my reason tells me so, and I hear of folks killing their hens by giving them such stuff. My hens all keep healthy, because I keep them clean, and keep victuals and clean water standing by them, and take good care of them. I can cure a good many diseases for hens, but I cannot cure every disease. Every once in a while a sick hen is brought to me, to the point of death, been sick a great while, most dead, some ail one disease, some ail a number of diseases; I receive them into my care, I doctor them, and take care of them, I raise them up to health, I am unable to do anything, but I must take pity.

FROTH IN THROAT.--If a hen has froth in her throat and crop, measure a small teaspoonful of epsom salts, dissolve it, put in a little black pepper, and give it to her with a teaspoon, it will cure this disease; but if she make a screaming noise with it, and distressed with it, then a sore growing in her, then no cure.

GAPES.--If a hen or chicken gapes a great deal, and sick, and complains of her throat, make pills of black pepper, cream, white flour, and put a pill in her mouth and make her swallow it till she takes down enough; the black pepper kills the worms. I cure them so.

BAG STONE.--This is a seldom case, I have known this case once in a while. If a hen has a bag of stones grow in her, hang down under her, you must give her the best of good cake to eat, the stones will consume in a few weeks, then she will eat corn and oats with the hens, and lay you eggs; but if you do not give her the best of cake she will certainly die, she cannot eat anything else then, in this disease, but best of cake. I cured them so.

SKIN IN HEN.--If a hen goes on her nest, and try to lay an egg, and cannot, and there most all day, then a skin of an egg is in her, she will certainly die if the skin of egg is not took out of her; some one has a small finger, and common sense, take the skin of egg out of her, then she is all right. I cure them so.

BONES.--If a hen is wounded in her hips, or any of her bones, bathe freely with McQuesten's Extractor a number of times every day, put on a good deal, till she gets well; I have cured a number of hens with this Extractor, they could not stand nor walk, their bones was so spraint, and so wrenched, &c. If their bones stiff too, then put on Dr. Job Sweet's Sprain Liniment, if any sore, then put on castile soap. I cure them so.

WILD.--I bought a young hen last year, she was dreadful wild, and when one week was at an end she came to me, and let me take her up, she keep still, and eat out of my hand, she remains gentle ever since, and a good hen to lay eggs.

GREEN.--If a hen has bright green come from her, look same as bright green paint, with yellow in it, give her rice water with nutmeg grated in it, and Jamaica ginger, a number of times a day, till it cures this disease. I cure them in a few days.

FEELING.--It is your duty to take good care, and not let anything hurt your hens, consider dear little hens.

BIRDS.--When I step down to the door, the little harmless birds come fly down on the ground, only one yard off my feet, and some of them half a yard off my feet. I give them oats and dough to eat; they eat it. Will they come to any one else? so few folks have feeling.