The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-14
The Adopted Chicken.

When was little girl, lived on a.
farm where there were a great many
chickens and ducks and turkeys, and
among them there was a 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 pa
tiently three weeks, she would have
twelve dear little chicks.
She laid a nice white egg every day.
But she never could get twelve,
because every day the cook took her
egg away and so Yellowfoot felt very
sadly.
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 laid her eggs, and one day she
surprised all the other hens by walk
ing back into the chicken yard with
twelve little chickens tOddling after
her.
Now I had heard how sorry poor
Yellowfoot felt because she had no
little chickens, and when l saw Tufty
walking about SO proudly with her
twelve, I felt very sorry indeed for
Yellowfoot.
Well, that very afternoon something
very funny happened. was walking
about the farm, and I found in the
corner of rail.fence turkey sitting
on some eggs, and running around her
little lonely chicken just out of its
shell, making such a pitiful little
''peep-peep." I 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 mistake been
put with the turkeys eggs, and it takes
a 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 any
body to take care of it.
When heard this thought ssPoor
little chicken! what will you do, for
don't know how to take care of you at
all, and it will be week before that
ugly turkey gets ready to do it, and
you will be dead by that time!' and
then suddenly I thought: "Why,
this little chicken is Just as old as the
twelve that were Matched this morn
ing now I'll take it to the chicken
yard and put it down among them,
and Tufty will take care of it, So I
ran to the chicken-yard and put it
with the other little chicks, and it ran
after Tufty just like the others.
But you cannot believe how badly
Tufty acted! The minute she heard
the strange little "peep'' with the
twelve other little sspeeps,' she turned
around andstood stilCa minute land then
all her feathers began to stick out and
she bobbed her head;a minute land then
she pounced at my poor little chicken
and gave her an awful peck!
Wasn't it cruel! l do not know
what to do. was afraid to 20 near
Tufty, because she would think if I.
went near her that 1 was going to
catch her little chicks, and knew she
would try to peck me just as she did
my poor little chicken. While I was
thinking she flew at it again and gave it
another peck. This time I didn't
stop to think, but jumped and caught
it and ran before Tufty could catch,
me. I ran till I felt quite safe, and:
then sat down on the kitchen door,
step, with my poor chick in my apron.
and cried. think I must have cried
pretty loud, because mother heard me
and came out.
When had told her all about it, she
said:
"why didn't you try old Yellow.
foot g
At that, jumped up and clapped nv
hands with delight, and my poor little
chicken dropped on the grass but it
didn't hurt it, and Iput it carefully
back in my apron, and went to the
chicken'yard again, to try mothers
plan.
I had hard time finding old Yellow
foot; but finally I came upon her look
ing very doleful, in the bottom of a.
barrel. poked her with stick, but
she would not come out. Butshe look
ed very angry, and made a great deal
of noise about it. waited 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 minute. and, when it ''peeped''
she gave quiet little ''cluck,' just as
if she were trying to see how it sound.
ed. And then the little chicken
"peeped'' again, and Y ellowfoot s'cluck-
ed' again and walked ahead a little
and chickie followed her.
So my little chicken had found some
one to take care of her, and 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