1. There was once a young hen. She had led a very quiet life in a
village until she was nearly one year old. Then, all at once, she found
that people began to make a great fuss about her.
2. You will never guess why, and so, as I think you may like to hear
all about her, I will begin at once and tell you. Betty,--that was the
name of this hen,--was one of ten fluffy little yellow chicks.
3. She was dressed in soft bright down when she first crept out of her
egg-shell. She had a sharp beak and bright clever black eyes.
4. One morning, as her mother was strutting about the yard with all her
children behind her, crying "cluck, cluck!" as she scratched up bits
for them among the straw, Gip, the little pet dog, ran up.
5. He was only a puppy, and he meant nothing but play. Perhaps he
mistook the small round chicks for a lot of little balls rolling about.
At any rate he snatched up Betty, who was the finest of them, in his
mouth.
[Illustration: THE FARMYARD.]
6. With a roguish look at their fat old mother, he began to scamper off
with her. "Cackle, cackle!" screamed the old hen. "Put the baby down
this moment, sir!" And the mother flew at Gip before he had gone six
yards.
7. She jumped upon his back, and began to flap his head with her wings
as hard as she could, while she made digs at his back with her beak.
8. The pretty dog, finding himself treated in this way, soon dropped
the chicken out of his mouth. Little Betty rolled out from between his
white teeth and fell flop! to the ground.
9. She was not a bit hurt, for she toddled back to join her brothers
and sisters, who were all crying "peep! peep!" in a great fright. They
were afraid of seeing her eaten up alive.
10. But though her child was none the worse, the mother-hen began to
batter and beat poor Gip as if he had maimed it for life. And she never
forgave the little dog after that day.
11. When she saw him coming, even at a distance, she pushed out her
head, stuck all her feathers on end, and spread out her tail like a
bush.
12. Perhaps it was the dreadful fright which Betty felt while she was
in the jaws of Gip, which made her so grave and thoughtful a chicken
as she soon became. She walked better than the rest.
13. She held herself upright, and her mother was never heard to say,
"heads up!" as she did to the other chickens. Her mistress said one
morning that Betty was "the pride of the brood."
14. Her two brothers were very greedy chickens, I am sorry to say. And
as they grew older, they began to fight sadly for each worm or grain of
corn which they found.
15. Though Betty and the rest of the chickens grew up white as snow,
one of these young cocks had a speckled breast, and the other had two
black feathers in his tail. This spoilt their look.
16. They were both taken away one day by a strange man, in spite of all
that their mother could say. She bustled up and tried to rescue her
sons. Although they were both in the habit of eating too much, she
loved them in spite of all.
* * * * *
_Write:_ A little chick was picked up by a puppy. He did not kill it,
but put it down when the hen came after him. The chicken was not hurt.
Questions: 1. How many brothers and sisters had Betty? 2.
What did the puppy do one day? 3. What did the old hen do?
4. What did Betty's mistress call her? 5. What sort of
chickens were the two brothers? 6. What became of them?