The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1896-09-25

be quite as much frightened az the.
hens. He was just tapping his WINGS
to fly up into the oak tree, when the
strange animal made a sudden dart at
his toes.
Boo oo-voo! Gr-r-rv' it cried.
savagely.
And fiopl went Tiddlywinks, sprad-.
ding his long legs, while "bee-wee--
wool" went the enemy, diving past him
and Selling a respectable top-knot hen
by the tail
"Squawkv cried the hen who had a
temper of her own, and ruffiing up her
feathers she few at the saucy stranger,
and gave ii a savage peck between the
eyes.
Take that for your impudence." she
cried.
"Yelp," howled the aggressor, half
frightened out of his wits, but spying
Tiddlywinks streaking towards the hen
house as fast as his long legs would
carry him, it suddenly turned and
scampered after him.
'Boo-woo-woo," it cried in such a
ehrill voice that the poor Cochin stood
seized him by his handsome tail feath-
ers and stood shaking them and cry
ing, "gr-r-r" triumphantly.
Poor Tiddlywinks, more dead than
alive, could do nothing but stand
stock-still and cry "Squak! squak-aw-
awk!' at the top of his lungs. The
hens cackled in sympathy, making such
racket that Aunt Peggy looked out
of the back door to see what on earth
could be the matter.
Run, Rosy" she cried, Something
is disturbing the fowls!" And little
Rosy ran quickly to the rescue of her
feathered favorites
But when she reached the barn-yard
and espied the tall Cochin squeaking
with terror, while tiny shepherd pup
py stood holding him by the tail, and
growing savagely, she burst into a
hearty laugh. Come here, Roy" she
cried, and the fat puppy let go his
victims tail, and went frisking to her
with a shrill little bark of delight
For shame, Tiddlywinks," said Rosy,
ito be afraid of little bit of dog
like Roy, who only wanted to play
with your
But Tiddlywinks, finding himself
free, hTrriedly sneaked off around the
barn, and began pluming his rulhed
feathers. He was well twitted by the
other fowls, when they ventured to
come forth from their hiding places
you wouldn't run from fox, would
YOU" sneered the snuff-colored hen,
maliciously?
"Of course not" put in Queen Anne,
shaking her feathers, and hopping over
the pig-trough to pick up grain OF
corn on the other side. HE is not
afraid of any four-footed creature that
ever crew.
"Quack, quack, quack," said the Pc
kin duck waddling out from a bunch
of tall grass, where she had been hid
ing during the ARRAY. Pray, Mister
Tiddlywinks. do tell us what you would
do if fox were to pounce Unexpectedly
over the fence?"
tits only natural for hens to be cow
ardly," said yellow-legged pullet,
who owed the Cochin a grudge for rob-
bling her of dragon-fiy that morning.
Even the guineas flew boldly down
from the barn-roof, where they had
been sitting in row, screaming pot
rack! pot-rackw during the contest
IF it had been a great big dog, like
Farmer Dill's Howser," they said. ut
would be different. But little puppy.
no bigger than a kitten! And Tiddly-
winks squawked as II a whole pack OF
foxes were after him.
And Tiddlywinks felt so shame
faced, that he did not venture to crow
for half day But he was never heard
to boast of his own bravery again.
And what was still better, he was cured
of his other bad habits, and was never
again guilty of pecklng the guinea
fowls, nor quarreling with the Pekin
duck, or robbing the pullets of their
food.
And in time, Tiddlywinks and the
other fowls became quite friendly with
Roy, the shepherd puppy, who grew to
be such a good watchdog that not a
fox, possum, or any other midnight
prowler, dared venture near the barn
yard.