Chickens

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Hiram Gothrocks, having recently acquired wealth, desires to enter into society and agrees to marry his daughter, Ethel, to Count Chasem, who is coming to visit Gothrocks at his summer home. Jabbs, who until now has been Ethel's sweetheart, is ordered by Gothrocks to cease paying attentions to her and in despair seeks the advice of his friend, Pokes, the village barber. Pokes, learning from Jabbs of the count's intended visit, advises his friend to impersonate the count, which Jabbs agrees to do. On his way to the residence of Gothrocks the count and his valet are held up by two tramps who are enjoying a meal at the roadside of chickens they have stolen from the hencoop of a nearby girls' seminary. They force the count and his valet, after first exchanging clothes with them, to enter the seminary by way of the window, where they are arrested as the tramps who recently stole the chickens. In the meantime. Pokes and Jabbs have been disporting themselves in the Gothrocks home at the expense of Gothrocks' furniture, The tramps having found in the clothes of the count the letter of introduction to Gothrocks think that they shall pass themselves off as the titled nobleman and his valet, but instead find themselves marched off to jail by the irate Gothrocks. In the station house, when Gothrocks learns that the count is the husband of the matron of the seminary, his dream of society vanishes and he gladly gives Ethel into the arms of Jabbs.