One day Chicken-diddle had gone to sleep under a rose-bush, and a cow
reached over the fence and bit off the top of the rose-bush. The noise
wakened Chicken-diddle, and just as she woke a rose-leaf fell on her
tail.
“Squawk! Squawk!” cried Chicken-diddle, “the sky’s falling down”; and
away she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran until she
came to the barnyard, and there was Hen-pen rustling in the dust of the
barnyard.
“Oh, Hen-pen, don’t rustle—run, run!” cried Chicken-diddle. “The sky’s
falling down.”
The hen stopped rustling. “How do you know that Chicken-diddle?” asked
Hen-pen.
“I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on
my tail. Oh, let us run, run, until we get some place.”
“Quawk! Quawk,” cried the hen, and she began to run, and Chicken-diddle
ran after her.
They ran till they came to the duck-pond, and there was Duck-luck just
going in for a swim.
“Oh, Duck-luck! Duck-luck! don’t try to swim,” cried Hen-pen. “The
sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know that, Hen-pen?” asked Duck-luck.
“Chicken-diddle told me.”
“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?”
“Why shouldn’t I know it? I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my
ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run until we get
some place.”
“Yes, we had better run,” quacked Duck-luck, and away he waddled with
Hen-pen, and Chicken-diddle after him.
They ran and ran till they came to a green meadow, and there was
Goose-loose eating the green grass.
“Oh, Goose-loose, Goose-loose, don’t eat; run, run,” cried Duck-luck.
“Why should I run?” asked Goose-loose.
“Because the sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know that, Duck-luck?”
“Hen-pen told me.”
“How do you know that, Hen-pen?”
“Chicken-diddle told me.”
“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?”
“Because I saw it with my eyes, and heard it with my ears, and part of
it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run some place.”
“Yes, we’d better run,” cried Goose-loose.
Away they all ran, Goose-loose at the head of them, and they ran and
ran until they came to the turkey-yard, and there was Turkey-lurkey
strutting and gobbling.
“Oh, Turkey-lurkey! don’t strut! Don’t strut!” cried Goose-loose.
“Why should I not strut?” asked Turkey-lurkey.
“Because the sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know it is?”
“Duck-luck told me!”
“How do you know, Duck-luck?”
“Hen-pen told me!”
“How do you know, Hen-pen?”
“Chicken-diddle told me!”
“How do you know, Chicken-diddle?”
“I couldn’t help knowing! I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my
ears, and a part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run until we
get some place.”
“Yes, we’d better run,” said Turkey-lurkey, so away they all ran, first
Turkey-lurkey, and then Goose-loose, and then Duck-luck, and then
Hen-pen, and then Chicken-diddle.
They ran and ran until they came to Fox-lox’s house, and there was
Fox-lox lying in the doorway and yawning until his tongue curled up in
his mouth. When he saw Turkey-lurkey and Goose-loose and Duck-luck and
Hen-pen and Chicken-diddle he stopped yawning, and pricked up his ears,
and he was very glad to see them.
“Well, well,” said he, “and what brings you all here?”
“Oh, Fox-lox, Fox-lox, don’t yawn,” cried Turkey-lurkey, “the sky’s
falling down.”
“How do you know that, Turkey-lurkey?” asked the fox.
“Goose-loose told me.”
“How do you know that, Goose-loose?”
“Duck-luck told me.”
“How do you know that, Duck-luck?”
“Hen-pen told me.”
“How do you know that, Hen-pen?”
“Chicken-diddle told me.”
“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?”
“I couldn’t help knowing, for I saw it with my eyes, and I heard it
with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, where shall we run?
We ought to go some place.”
“Well,” said the Fox, “you come right in here, and I’ll take such good
care of you that even if the sky falls down you won’t know anything
about it.”
So in ran Turkey-lurkey, and Fox-lox put him in the big room, and shut
the door. In ran Goose-loose, and he put him in the little room, and
shut the door. In ran Duck-luck, and he put him in the cellar, and shut
the door. In ran Hen-pen, and he put her in the attic, and shut the
door. In ran Chicken-diddle, and Fox-lox kept him right there in the
room with him. And what happened to them after that I don’t know, but
nobody ever saw them again; if the sky really fell, I never heard about
it. They were only a pack of silly fowls, anyway.
[Illustration]