Story of the Month: The Two Roosters

By Chuck Larkin as remembered and told by Perrin Stifel at the R.A.P.S. Chicken Festival January 13, 2022. Chuck always wanted stories to be shared and told so the stories would never die. If the time is right, tell it!

On our farm we had lots of chickens and hens and two wonderful roosters. One day one of the roosters got sick. Now when people get sick you feed them chicken soup. Chicken soup can cure anything. But I thought for a rooster to get well you should cook up rooster soup.

So, I went out by the fence and chopped off the head of the well rooster so I could cure the sick rooster. Bringing in that body of the dead rooster, I fixed a fire under the iron pot in the fireplace and put the carcass in the water. It smelled so good and was cooking up fine.

I went outside to get a little fresh air and saw a joint snake! Now a joint snake is a cousin to the glass snake. If a glass snake is in a tree and falls it breaks into pieces. A joint snake can also break into pieces but has the ability to join itself up again and is much more venomous.

When I saw that joint snake, I immediately chopped him up and for extra protection in the

future, I carefully picked up the head of the joint snake and threw the head in the fire. I was smarter than I looked! Some folks disagreed with that.

The soup cooked up fine and I spoon-fed that sick rooster hour by hour and day by day until that sick rooster was as well as the well rooster. I was very proud and content.

I went to bed and was sleeping soundly when suddenly I awoke. I heard a terrifying sound outside. It went er-er-er-er-er-sssssss. Er-er-er-er-er-ssssss. It was then I realized that the joint snake had joined itself up and found the head of that dead rooster. From then on, I was haunted by a poultrygeist!

That’s a true story. I would eat fried chicken before I’d ever tell you a lie...

A Note from the President

Hello my friends,

February is known as Black History Month. It has always been my opinion that every month of every year should be celebrated with all the rich cultures we have here in the USA. Please celebrate your culture with stories. It is the easiest way for people to understand each other. Remember, you cannot hate anyone when you know their story.

February is also a time to celebrate Valentine’s Day. MO-TELL’s “What’s love got to do with it!” series is coming up February 19th (See the flyer below). We love “love” stories in all forms. These will be about love gone wrong. We are featuring some excellent storytellers who have tales of love.

It is on Zoom, and it is free. Invite your friends.

We are gearing up for the Liar’s contest. It will be in person in St. Louis.

Can you lie? No, you say! Liar, liar pants on fire!!! Come to the Liar’s Contest and tell your story. The deadline for entry is June 1. There are new rules and new reduced fees. Check the website: https://www.mo- tell.org/liars-contest.

Truthfully yours,

Joyce Slater

President of MO-TELL

MO-TELL Member of the Month: Lynn Beetner

Lynne Beetner, our featured Mo-Tell member for February, has always been an energetic person. Early in her life she would gather wild violets and sell bunches of them. And her bread-baking business was so successful she had to quit because of too much success!

When she was leading a troop of Girl Scouts in an unincorporated area near Champagne, Illinois, she realized there were NO street signs.So, she and the girls began to search old records and found that many streets had names, sometimes three names for the same street. The leaders of the community said the girls could choose which names they liked best and street signs were erected. Soon after, Bondville was made a town!

In 1959 Lynne realized the need for a hospital in Edwardsville and went door to door to ask for donations to create a hospital. Maryville Hospital is now a reality partly due to her efforts. Lynne also began a Montessori school in the area. When she sees a need, she begins to work on it. Lynne has also served on the Children’s Museum Board.

Lynne has been president of Riverwinds Storytelling in Illinois. She believes everybody needs stories, regardless of their age. Ask Lynne about her maternal grandfather and his connection to Cochise and Geronimo, and about peanut butter being popularized at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Lynne has a wealth of information and stories!

Her favorite holidays are Christmas and Easter. Her favorite storytelling experiences were always the Friday night banquet and featured tellers at the St. Louis Storytelling Festival. Say Hi! to Lynne at the July 9 Liars Contest and Tellapaloosa, where she is

certain to be!