The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-03-15
Our Young Readers.
THE ADOPTED CHICKEN.

5stfs ssss X - Etr s5t: -
WHEN was little girl, l lived on a
farm where there were great many
chickens and ducks and turkeys, and
among them there was brown hen named
Yellowfoot, who wanted very much to
have nice family of little yellow chickies
and she knew if she laid an egg every day
until there were twelve eggs, and then sat
on them patiently three weeks, she would
have twelve dear little chicks
She laid nice white egg every day. But
she never could get twelve, because every
day the cook took her egg away; and so
Yellowtoot felt very sadly. 3 t1gT
Now, another hen, named Tufty,
thought it would be nice to have little
chickens too; but she was very smart, and
she found place away off, that the cook
didn't know about, and there she hid her
eggs; and one day she surprised all the
other hens by walking into the chicken
yard with twelve little chickens toddling
after her!
S Now I had heard how sorry poor
Yellowfoot felt because she had no little
chickens, and when saw Tufty walking
about so proudly with her twelve, l felt
evry sorry indeed for Yellowfoot.
Well, that very afternoon something
very funny happened I was walking
about the farm, and found in the corner
of rail-fence turkey sitting on some
eggs, and running around her little
lonely chicken just out OF its shell, max
ing such pitiful little "peep- peep"
took it up in my apron and ran and
asked one of the men what it could mean,
and he said that hens egg had by mis-
take been put with the turkeys eggs, and
as it takes week longer for turkeys eggs
to hatch than it does for hens eggs, the
poor little chicken had come out Of its
shell week before there was anybody to
take care of it.
When / heard this I thought: Poor
little chicEie! what toiU you do, for
don't know how to take care of yeu at
all, and it will be week before that ugly
turkey gets ready to do it, and you'll be
dead by that time ?" and then suddenly
thought {" Why, this little chick is just as
old as the twelve that were Matched this
morning; now I'll take it to the chicken.
yard and put it down among them, and
Tufty will take care of it." So ran to
the chicken-yard and put it with the other
Jitt1.-~L:-A-s---l =. - --<.- os<.y J uot
like the others. "a
But you cannot believe how badly
Tufty acted! The minute she heard the
strange little sspeep" with the twelve other
little peeps" she turned around and
stood still q minute, and then all her
feathers began to stick out, and she bobbed
her head minute, and then she pounced
at my poor little chicken and gave her an
awful peck! bgalai
Wasn't it cruel! did not know what
to do. was afraid to go near Tufty, be-
cause she would think if I went near
her that was going to catch her little
chicks, and knew She would try to peck
me just as she did my poor little chicken.
While was thinking she flew at it again
and gave it another peck. This time l
didn't stop to think, but jumped and
caught it and ran before Tufty could
catch me, Iran till felt quite safe, and
then sat down on the kitchen doorstep,
with my poor chick in my apron, and
cried I think must have cried pretty
loud, because mother heard me and came
out.
When had told her all about it, she
said:
g Why didn't you try old Yellowfoot?"
At that, l jumped up and clapped my
hands with delight, and my poor little
chicken dropped on the grass; but it
didn't hurt it, and ! put it carefully back
yard again, to try mothers plan.
l had hard time finding old Yellow
foot, but finally came upon her, looking
very doleful, in the bottom of barrel.
poked her with stick, but she would not
come out. So finally turned the barrel
over, so she had to come out. But she
looked very angry, and made great deal
Of noise about it. Iwaited till she got
quiet, and then I put my little chicken
down by her. And, oh! you should have
seen her then! She looked at it a minute,
and, when it !" peeped" she gave quiet
little "cluck," just as if she were trying
to see how it sounded. And then the lit.
tie chicken peeped" again, and Yellow
foot "clucked" again and walked ahead
little and chickie followed her.
So nv little chicken had found some
one to take care of her, and l named her
Lucky right away. And, oh! how
proud Yellowfoot was! She strutted
everywhere with her one chick, and all
the love and care that she was going to
give to twelve she gave to this one. She
scratched for it, and /" clucked' for it,
and fought for it, and gave it all the broad
cover of her warm wings at night. And
little Lucky seemed to know that she had
all the care that was meant for twelve, for
she was the happiest little chick that ever
hved.-St. Nicholas.