WITH THE ANIMALS.
"Don't forget to set that hen, Donald," called Mr. Leonard, as he and
Frank went away together. "I think there are enough of those Plymouth
Rock eggs for one more setting."
"You ought to see our little chickens, Uncle Robert," said Susie. "They
are just too cunning for anything."
"When you go to set the hen, Donald," said Uncle Robert, "I will go with
you. Then you can show me everything about the barn."
Donald went to the storeroom and soon came back with the eggs.
"There are thirteen," he said, as he joined Uncle Robert in the porch,
"but I think she can take care of them. She's one of the largest hens
we have."
Then together they went to the henhouse, which stood next to the barn.
The chickens, seeing the basket in Donald's hand, ran toward him.
"You needn't think I am going to feed you again so soon," he said. "You
have had one breakfast this morning."
Donald always talked to all the animals as though they could understand
him.
[Illustration: The poultry yard.]
The mother hens paid no attention. With quiet dignity they walked about,
their broods of fluffy little chicks looking like balls of gold in the
sunshine. With a "Cluck! cluck!" each anxious mother called her children
to her as her sharp eyes discovered some new dainty. Then the greedy
little yellow things ran as fast as their short legs could carry them to
be the first to take the good things from the self-sacrificing mother.
"How many little chickens are there?" asked Uncle Robert as they stopped
to watch them.
"There are forty-six hatched," said Donald. "Three hens are setting, and
this one will make four."
"I see you have some fine turkeys, too," said Uncle Robert.
The big turkey cock spread his tail and strutted about before them as if
he understood how much he was admired.
"Mother thinks a great deal of her turkeys," said Donald. "They are much
harder to raise than the chickens. But mother knows just how to do it.
We don't lose many."
"Have you ducks and geese, too?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Yes," said Donald, "but I don't see any of them about. They must have
gone to the creek. There they are," and Donald pointed toward the
pasture where a line of white could be seen moving slowly along under
the trees.
"They march pretty well, don't they?" said Uncle Robert. "Do they always
go that way?"
"Not always," said Donald, "but very often. When that old drake wants to
take a swim, he starts and the rest follow. You'd never catch him
walking behind."
"As the head of the family I suppose he thinks it is his place to lead,"
said Uncle Robert, smiling.
Donald laughed. "Wouldn't it he funny," he said, "if father made us
follow him that way?"
They found the hen to whom they were carrying the eggs on an empty nest.
Donald drove her off that he might put in the eggs, but she was very
cross with him for disturbing her. She walked about with her feathers
ruffled up, clucking angrily, but eagerly went back to her nest as soon
as they were gone. She moved the eggs about with her feet, placed them
to suit herself, and contentedly settled down.
Donald then led Uncle Robert into the barn, where old white Nell stood
in her stall. Besides Nell there were three strong Normandies in other
stalls, and two stalls that were empty.
Mr. Leonard had a very large barn. There was the main floor, running
through from the two big rolling doors at either end. The great hay mows
on both sides, reached by short ladders, held some of last year's
cutting. Under the mows were the stalls for the horses and the
stanchions for the cattle. A machine for cutting hay stood on the barn
floor.
Under the barn was a deep, roomy cellar, in one corner of which was the
sheep pen, lighted by large windows.
Near the barn was a tool house, in which all the tools and machinery
were housed during the winter.
"It pays to have a nice warm barn and a good place to keep the tools
from rusting," said Uncle Robert. "Do you always keep the horses in the
barn when they are not in use?"
"Oh, no," said Donald. "Sometimes they run in the pasture along the
creek. The cows and sheep are there now. After the timothy and clover
are cut we'll put them in those fields."
"Do you keep many cows?"
"We have six cows and two calves," replied Donald. "Father gave one calf
to Frank and one to me. They're beauties. All our cows are Jerseys.
Frank and I are going to keep ours until they're grown. Then if they
give as much milk as the other cows do--and I'm sure they will--we are
going to take it to the creamery and sell it. There's a creamery not far
from here."
"Does your father sell the milk there now?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Not now," said Donald. "Mother likes to make the butter herself."
"That's why it is so good," said Uncle Robert.
"Has Susie a calf too?"
[Illustration: The Barn.]
Susie, tired of waiting for them to return, had come to see what they
were doing. So she answered for herself.
"No, uncle," she said, "but I have the prettiest little lambs you ever
saw. They always run to me when they see me coming. Please come out to
the lot and see them."
"How many have you?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Two," replied Susie. "They're twins, and are just alike. Their mother
is dead. It was cold when they were born. There was snow on the ground.
Father brought them into the kitchen in a basket to keep them warm.
Mother and I taught them to drink milk, so father gave them to me. I'm
going to keep them always."
"Father likes us to have our own things to take care of," said Donald.
"I think it's ever so much more fun, don't you, uncle?"
"Yes, indeed," said Uncle Robert. "But you help take care of all the
animals, don't you?"
"Oh, yes," replied Donald, "and I like them all; but my calf seems just
a little nicer than the rest. I know it isn't any better, really, but I
like to think it is my very own."
They stopped to watch the pigeons circling about the pigeon house.
"I love to watch the pigeons," said Susie. "See all the pretty colors in
their feathers!"
[Illustration]
"Are they very wild?" asked Uncle Robert.
"Oh, no," said Susie, "they're very tame. When we throw grain to them
they come down all around us."
"Come and see my pigs!" shouted Donald, who had run ahead and was
looking into the pen.
Four white, fat Berkshire pigs lay in the straw, lazily rolling their
little eyes toward their friend and feeder. A succession of grunts
served for conversation.
"I put in fresh straw every day," said Donald, "so my pigs can keep
themselves clean. And they have a patent trough to eat out of."
"I thought farmers in the West let their pigs run in the woods," said
Uncle Robert.
"We had a lot of razorbacks for a while, but they didn't pay," said
Donald. "Our Berkshires make nice pork."
"How warm the sun is getting!" said Uncle Robert as they turned away
from the pigpen.
"The wind is from the southwest," said Donald, looking at the weather
vane on top of the barn. "It always gets warmer when the wind is from
that direction."
"Uncle," said Susie, "before we begin to plant the seeds let's go and
see my lambs."
"You go ahead, and I'll get some salt for the sheep," said Donald. "They
always run to me when they see me coming with a pan. They know what that
means."
Donald soon joined them with the pan of salt.
"Mother says she can't work in the garden until afternoon," he said, "so
we needn't hurry back."
As they entered the pasture the sheep were quietly grazing on the slope
of the hill, where the grass was nibbled very short. A few lambs were
frisking together at the foot of the hill.
"See the lambs playing, uncle," said Susie. "The two little ones with
long tails and black noses are mine. Aren't they cunning? They'll see me
in a minute. Then how they will run!"
The quick ears of the sheep caught the sound of their voices. They
raised their heads. Donald held out the pan of salt, shaking it gently.
In a moment one of the flock started slowly toward them. Donald stopped
under one of the large oak trees that grew on the top of the hill. Uncle
Robert and Susie stood beside him. The old sheep came nearer. One by one
the rest of the flock began to follow. The lambs stopped playing. Susie
held out her hand and called softly, "Come, Sally! Come, Billy!"
[Illustration: Feeding the sheep.]
The two little lambs switched their tails and started up the hill.
Donald sprinkled a little of the salt on the ground. Then the whole
flock broke into a run, and the sheep were soon eagerly licking up the
salt as Donald scattered it about for them.
Susie's lambs came straight to her side and began to lick her hands and
sniff about her dress.
"They think I have something for them," she said. "Let me have some
salt, please, Donald."
Filling each of her hands with salt, she held them out, and the lambs
eagerly licked it from the little round palms.
"The cows are down by the creek, uncle," said Donald. "Shall we go to
see them? You must see my calf."
"Come on," cried Susie, and began to run as fast as she could go.
The little lambs, always ready for a play, skipped about her. How
merrily Susie did laugh as they ran ahead and then turned around with
their noses to the ground and their tails in the air, waiting for her to
come and catch them!
"They always want me to play with them," she said, quite out of breath,
when Uncle Robert and Donald caught up.
"What beautiful cows!" exclaimed Uncle Robert as the little Jerseys
lifted their shy faces from the grass to look at them. "I never saw
finer ones."
"That is my calf," said Donald, pointing it out with much pride, "and
that one over there is Frank's. The only way we can tell them apart is
that Frank's has more black on its face than mine has."
[Illustration: Donald's calf.]
"Toot-toot-t-o-o-t!" The sound came from the house.
"There's the horn!" exclaimed Susie. "It must be dinner time."
"So soon?" said Uncle Robert. "How quickly the morning has gone!"
"I tell you I'm hungry," said Donald. "I didn't think of it before, but
I'm almost starving."