this is copied from another site. It was posted by Jerry Hill:

Life was as usual down on the Hill farm, that lay in the bend of the Coosa river southeast of Wilsonville,Alabama. But, this morning Howard had the day off from plowing the fields and had other things on his mind.
"Where you going Howard"?ask his brother Off, as he passed through the yard. Howard, had his bow in one hand, quiver full of arrows on his back and a game rooster under his left arm. Howard answered,"I'm going over to Miles Chappall's house and let Rusty fight his rooster". "Afterwards, he thinks he can out shoot me with his slingshot". Off said,"Why that rooster of yours could'nt whip Edna's rhode island red rooster, over there in the chicken pen". Howard said,"Rusty's one heck of a fighter","Why I've seen him fight two house cats at the same time and win". Off said, "I still say that red rooster can whip yours". Howard answered,"Get him out". A few minutes later the fight was on. The roosters wasted no time in making the feathers fly. Howard and Off were cheering each rooster on and enjoying the whole ordeal. All of a sudden the two roosters went up about four feet off the ground and Rusty popped his razor sharp spurs through the side of the Rhode Island roosters head, killing him stone dead. With all the racket being made out in the barn yard, Edna (Off's wife)knew she had better see what had the chicken's upset. She hurried through the house and out onto the back porch just as Rusty made his winning punch. Edna seeing the action and seeing Howard and Off surpossedly enjoying it all, made her extremely mad. She called out, "Howard"! "You've, let that rooster of yours kill my prize Rhode Island red rooster". "I paid two dollars of my egg money to buy that rooster" "Now he's dead"."You've had it". About this time she ran inside to the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife and a cold hard biscuit, left over from a meal the day before. She had saved the left over buscuits, with plans to make a bread puddin, later in the day.
Howard knew that he was in trouble and was picking up Rusty, planning a fast exit. He had heard her yelling all the way, coming back through the house. Howard knew she was one more mad hen. Edna ran out onto the porch, down the steps and out into the yard. Just as Howard was straightening up, after picking up Rusty, Edna hit Howard upside the head with that cold, hard buscuit. The buscuit all but knocked Howard off his feet, causing him to drop Rusty to the ground. Howard gathered himself and started to run out of the yard. Edna, dishing him out instructions, all the time, that he better go to town and get her a replacement rooster and to not come home until he had a new one, or else.
During this whole time, she was waving the butcher knife, making jesters that Howard knew meant business."Yes mam", Howard said, and off to town he went running. He looked back over his shoulder and couldn't see Off nowhere. Off knew his wife and he also knew when it was time to disappear.
While Edna was occupied with Howard, Off had ran inside the barn and got himself busy milking a cow.
Howard was still picking his feet up and putting them down, when he past by the Chappall homeplace. Miles Chappall was standing out in his yard, seeing Howard passing by, called out to him. "Howard","Where you going in such a hurry"? Howard stopped, just long enough to fill him in. Howard explained,"Edna's so mad at me"'"she hit me up side my head with a cold hard buscuit". Miles was laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes. Howard continued,"If you had seen that butcher knife she was waving in the air, you would'nt be laughing".Howard's brother Off was married to Miles sister and Miles knew how tuff his sister could be.
Miles told Howard, "Boy, you better listen to her"."She always means what she says". Howard said, "I could see it in her eyes"!
Howard only had fifty cents in his pocket. He didn't know how he was going to come up with enough money, to buy Edna another rooster.
A fence row ran along side the dirt road that lead to town. As luck would have it, Howard spotted a rabbit sitting in its bed in the bushes. He drawed an arrow and killed it with one shot, through the head. Now, he thought to himself, he had a rabbit he could sell. It would have been alot better, if he could have taken it home and had it on his own table for supper, but he was despert this time around.
When he got close to town, he saw Little Boy Jones, a black fellow about his same age, coming out of his house. Howard called out,"Where you going Little Boy"? Little Boy answered, "I'm headed to town to sell these four dozen eggs, so I can get something else to eat". Howard told him, "I'll trade you this rabbit" "I know you love rabbit".Little Boy said, "You got yourself a deal Howard".
Howard took the four dozen eggs and went to Pope's merchantile store in town. The store was the largest store of its type for miles around, and bosted on their business card that they had everything from "Birthing the babies to burying the dead". Howard sold the four dozen eggs for twenty five cents per dozen. This gave him one dollar and fifty cents with the fifty cents he already had in his pocket. All he needed now was fifty cents more, and then he could buy Edna a new rooster to make things right.
Howard explained to the owner of Pope's store the delimar he was in. The owner laughed, but agreed to give Howard a new rooster of his choice, by letting him work the balance of the cost off.
Howard went to work watering the mules out back in the holding pens as well as the other livestock. Next, he swept the floors, both upstairs and downstairs and cleaned all the glass counters and cabinets along the walls. Once Howard was finished, it was now late afternoon. He picked out a prize rooster and walked the long walk back to Edna's house, some two and a half miles.
As he entered the yard, he was pleased to see Rusty still alive in the chicken pen, with the hens. He had worried all day that Rusty would wind up on Edna's dinner table.
He presented the new rooster to Edna and she forgave him. She ask him if he would like to come inside and eat supper. Howard told her that he would be pleased, as he had not eaten all day and was starved. She told him to wash up. He wasted no time washing his hands and hurried to the dinning room table. His brother Off and the children were already seated at the table. Off said the blessing before they began. After he finished, he told Howard to "eat like you like it, Howard". A large platter sat in the center of the table with a cloth covering it. Off told Howard to remove the cloth from the platter and help himself before passing it to everyone else. Howard did as instructed and to his surprize, there lay Edna's Rhode Island red rooster, all fried up looking tasty. Howard looked at Off, who by now had a grin on his face a mile wide, giving Howard a wink. Howard smiled back at Off and said, "Oh You Chicken".
In years to come Howard and the rest of the family never forgot this day and as to what had taken place. After Howard had made his way to Hollywood years later and would come home from time to time to visit, he would send a telegram in advance. On the telegram only three words would ever appear along with the date. The words would be "Oh You Chicken". This would tell the family the date of his arrival and that he wanted fried chicken to eat.Jerry Hill...............................