The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-08-24

as bright as gold, the sky was as blue
as the eyes of baby-kittens, and the
grass was as green as the grass could
be. Johnny was singing little song,
making it up as he went along:
Oh, how l wish my mother'd bake
great, enormous lnsses cake
Bake-bake-
Cake-ca-a-
when he stopped and suddenly began
to laugh. And no wonder; for, looking
up, he saw the head of Daisy, the COW,
poked through the bars of her stall,
and, standing on it, right between the
horns, was Little Gray Hen.
why, what are you doing up therep"
asked Johnny.
Little Gray Hen looked thoughtfully
down at him for moment, and then
she said, well, 1 don't mind telling
You, for you are pretty good boy, as
boys go, and you never throw stones at
me, and chase me about, and mock me
when try to sing, as bad boys do.
The fact is, the hens and chickens in
the hen-yard are so fussy and noisy, and
they keep up such silly clucking, and
scratching, and quarreling, from morn
ing till'night, that lady-like hen Gas 1
hatter myself l ann finds it very disa-
greeable to stay among them. And
they are extremely rude and impolite,
and don't begin to know what good
manners are. And so, this morning,
when Big Gray Hen snatched a worm
away from me, and Speckled Hen said
her dress was much more fashionable
than mine, and those mischievous
chicks of Bantam Hen came slyly be-
hind me and pulled out three of my
prett;est feathers, declared l wouldn't
stand it any longer / would look for
another boarding-place. Their conduct
really made me ashamed of being a
hen. And called on Daisy and told
her how they acted, and she said (she
feels very lonely, you know, since she
lost her calf that she would be glad of
my company, and that L was welcome
to live on her head as long as / liked.
And I've been here now two hours-far
above those common fowls, as l have
always thought / ought to be, and it is
80 nice and quiet that l think l shall
stay here all the rest of my life.
II don't think you will, said Johnny,
and he began to laugh again as he ran
away to the hen-yard to tell the hens
what he had seen Ill the barn.
There was barrel turned upside
down in one corner of the yard, and on
this Johnny climbed, scratching both
his legs on the hoops az he did so-but,
bless you! boys don't care anything
about few scratches-and when he
was safely seated on it he called the
fowls, and they came hocking about
him, thinking he had something for
them to eat.
But Johnny showed them his empty
hands, and then he told them about
Little Grey Hen and the COW. And
when he had told them he said, "And
why do you behave so badly, that
Little Gray Hen cannot stay where
you are? Why do you make her
ashamed of being hen?"
"Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck,
cluck!" answered Big Gray Hen. Il
guess we behave just as all hens have
behaved ever since the first one came
out of an egg-no better and no worse
and, what's more, we behave as well
as we know how Cluck, cluck, cluck,
cluck, cluck. cluck! Do you?"
She popped off this question so sud
denly that Johnny thought for n
moment that somebody had thrown
torpedo at him, and nearly fell off the
barrel. But he jerked himself back
again and said-he was O truthful little
fellow-"Im afraid / don't"
well, then, what can you expect
from us?" asked Big Gray Hen.
please, ma'am said Johnny, Il
don't expect anything. And 1 should
never have thought of finding fault with
you had it not been for Little Gray
Hen"
Little Gray Hen, indeed" repeated
Speckled Hen, scornfully. 1T seems to
me the smaller hens are the bigger
they think themselves"
rs that meant for me?" said Bantam
Hen, ruflling her feather.
pray don't stop TO quarrel, you two
begged Brown Hen; but come on and
let's all 60 and see this stuck-up thing
who think herself so much above u.s."
"Cluck, cluck cluck, cluck cluck,
cluck She's not so high but that she'll
come down when" began Big Gray
Hen.
"When ?" asked the other hens.
When shes hungry, SAID big Gray
Hen. "Ive known-cluck, cluck cluck,
cluck! cluck, cluck IA good many
airs put on just after breakfast put off
just lHfore dinner"
After which wise remark away they
all started in q great hurry for Daisy's
stall; but they had scarcely got there
when Pamela, Johnny's grown-up sis
ter, came out of the house with pan
full of corn and called loudly, "Here
chick, chick, chick, chick, chick, chick !"
At the very first sound of her voice
the hens and chickens turned about
again in greater hurry than ever; but
as fast as they ran-and they ran as
fast as they could-they none of them
reached the hen-yard as soon "a Little
Gray Hen.
1T wes pleasant enough living on
| ~ 4. IL