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Show HER HEART TO HAN WHO OWNS THE BEST CHICKENS. "Love me, love m chit ens." Is tho answer Miss r.osa Ray, a beautiful West Vlrlgnla girl, mi es ttall aspiring suitors for she has pledged herself to wed none but the man!who hptures the most prizes at the early btate poultry show. I Reautlful of face aid flglc, with a wealth of golden hair nnd a voice that la charming. Miss Ray It. onejf tho most attractive girls In West Virginia. She ls posfesed not o.ily f thcficcompllshmenls ordinarily taught to the girls of today, but she Is thorcughbjtvell versed In tho knowledge of tho farm She Is particularly enthusiastic as ahicken fancier and devotes the most ot her spare time to her flocks. Sh has sme of tho Hnest poultry In tho State Many a suitor has nskertjor the lovely girl but she has given them all the same answer But when several of tho Hen began to press her for a different reply and Insisted that she aould learn to tare for them, she announced that the would wed the pcrton wjnlng tho largest prizes at tho poultry show She thought she might be able tobe happy with a man who cared for chickens and wac as successful with them. Then there was a scramblcamong the oung men for space In the show, and the finest birds In the State wre entered. While not more than a dozen exhlb. Its avere expected, on accoun of this belnjr the first ihovv ever given by the State Poultry association, themnouncement that Mlsa Ray had offered herself as a prize brought out more thtn fltty exhibitors Competition was close andevery exhibitor watched carefully the scoring of his birds by the Judge. So basely were his acts scrutinized that the scorio were given with tho greatest accuracy, even half .points elng recorded, and several of the birds tied for tint place. But the oung men who were not really fanciers, and who entered ther chickens merely In the hope of winning tho main prize, were not successtil The winner was the West Virginia Poultry farm, owned by It. S. Nelson ind A. I. Spencer And that Is the reason the prlre was withdrawn thla year.but will be renewed at the next annual meeting of the Poultry association When It was ascertained th. the poultry farm was the victor consternation seized all the would-be suitors. Then hope lighted up their countenances, for she could not marry a farm, md she might lie Induced to marry the eecond prize winner. But It was suggeited that while she could not marry the farm It was owned by two exhibitors. loth wero brought up before the Judges to claim the prize. i When Miss Ray saw them Kie declared that she could not marry either of them ' You can't marry me," sild Mr. Spencer, who Is president of the association, associa-tion, ' because I am already nitrrled " So am I," said Mr. Nelson. Half a dozen claimants to tho prize thm stepped forward and asked that she accept the next to the first winner. Out of the question," said Mss Ray. If I cannot marry the winner I wilt not marry anyone I will go bak to my own chickens and my happy country home, and when the next State ixultry show Is held I will renew my proposition, and will marry the man who win then the largest number of prizes Mr. Spencer, the president ofthe association, who was also the largest prize winner, blushed to the roots of lis hair when ha was pointed out to Miss Ray as the winner, who was entitled to claim her hand in marriage, and la said to have remarked In private to a a1end that he would have given ten years of his life If ho had been single n?.lh Twcntj-flve joung men. upot hearing that the same prize would be offered next vear. Immediately htgan topuy up all the prize winners, ard the price of fine chickens went boundlrg skyward Ono pair told for t50 One man paid 5135 for six chickens, nnd others paldjirices about as high All thd young men who entered the contest say they wllliVe on hand next ear, and the prospect ls that tho exhibit will be largest and wll consist of finer birds than have ever before been seen together In the State, When asked by a reporter If she Intended to stand by her proposition to matry the greatest prize winner. Miss Ray said. I did indeed And if the t Inner had not been married and had agreed to the proposition, I should have married him." |