[Illustration: 9057]
P at grandpa's farm the chicks were very happy since the old fox was
killed, and as Toots wanted some more cunning little ones to play with
and feed when he went up for a visit, grandpa decided to put some eggs
under Mrs. White. Now, Mrs. White was a very fine hen, and although she
had never raised any chicks of her own, she seemed so kind and gentle
that grandpa was sure she would make a kind mother. He selected the eggs
with great care, marking some very choice ones with a blue pencil. Mrs.
White sat very quietly upon her nest for many days, until it was time
for the little chicks to come out of their shell houses; then grandpa
paid her a visit. Three little ones were already toddling about, and
Mrs. White seemed to be in great distress concerning some others who
were just trying to see what the world was made of. Grandpa helped the
little fellows by picking away small bits of the shell, and then he
hurried away to make some nice dough for them. When he returned, Mrs.
White was nowhere to be seen, so grandpa covered the little new babies
with some wool and then looked for the neglectful mother. He soon found
her in the yard with Oliver Twist and a large flock of hens.
[Illustration: 0058]
Grandpa caught her and carried her back, but Mrs. White hurt the little
ones and refused to scratch for them. She covered them with her wings
for a few moments while grandpa was there, and then ran away again.
Grandpa tried shutting her up, but still she hurt her little chicks
and at last killed one. Then grandpa told her she was a cruel, wicked
mother, and he carried the chicks into the kitchen and covered them over
in a nice warm basket. There they nestled for several days until they
began to hop out and get under grandma's feet. After that they had a
little house in the shed and soon grew very fast. Toots called them the
orphans, and never again liked Mrs. White, although she was so handsome.
Soon after this grandpa put some eggs under a queer old hen which all
the family called Mrs. Gummidge, she was so cross and queer. When her
chicks came she was a very kind mother and scratched for them all day
long. She was very proud of them, too, and seemed to say, "Did you ever
see such little darlings?" Mrs. Gummidge went about with her children
until they were large enough to take care of themselves, and then she
sat quietly on some more eggs and raised another family, but none of
them ever seemed quite so precious to Toots as the little neglected
chicks of Mrs. White.
[Illustration: 0059]