Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-25
CHAPTER FOUR.

Joel ana Betty were eating breakfast
the next morning when Betty remarked
II guess that II Will nOt hc much trouble
t. bring that boy up. Never saw such Il
tinn behaved bog in my lItc. l." Will not
give a mite Of trouble"
That was Jucl : opinion to-.
Betty was pouring Il second cup ot
! black coffc" or her husband ana telling
him that she had decided 10 e, Fun Ting
lie i'll bed as long Is he wanted To morn
| insS when there WIS a great disturbance
| in thr hen ward behind thu house. lhc
| fowls were running ubuJt making excited
| calls to each Other ANA cackIinI wildly.
~ fox, Il huwh. s;,-.. toei Jumping
up and followed by Betty. running arouru
| ihc shed il. the rear.
There in no centre o1 the yard, his
| face showing no excitement. but his littIe
shoes covered with dirt ANA wet with tho
dcW-for Ec had walked about the farm
! for an hour. stood Fun Ting. His bright
green jacket and his peculiar general ap-
pcaranCe filled Betty SrdatC chickens
and hens with terror. lie HAD pulled of
! Il couple u pickets to sGucezc into the
| hen yard, and now seemed 70 be interest
| ed in the wild antics OF the inhabitants.
Mercy on me, said Betty opening the
| gate ana rushing toward him. II Thought
| mat you We're aslcep in your room. " no
| dressed YOU? How long have YOU ht-}
! up? Why. The boy is wet through Hos
| been walking in the dew. he Will spoil
| his fine shoes il he does this. She picked
| him up and carried him out of the yard
and stood him on the piazza.
! See what | foundi' tie Suddenly oX-
| claimed. ana drew from his pocket an
egg. It was Yellow ami dirty, and Betty
| Immediately recognized one of the egg
| that for three weeks had been tcnderiy
watched hr ~ old sitting hen. The mes.
| was in the side Of the haymow, COS
down upon the damp ground, and how the
| little stranger had gone straight to it Oh
| his first trip around The farm was Il Won
| der. Holding the egg NJ in his chubbf
| fist, his eyes tWinking with delight ~
said:
| ",Ie will sing
There was Il tiny hole i'll the side of the
| rcg. from which issued a Peep, peep,
| that mystified Fun Ting. lie held it up 10
| his grandmother ear and cnucklcd. Joel
chucklcd too. Betty loked anxious. She
| had paid Il dollar for Il dozen white WY
andotte eggs for Matching, and feared
| that hc might have killed the chicks tina
We're about 10 hatch.
them. They hidden il i hole whcra
! 4 fussy old hen pecks You If YOU try 70
steal them. She hurt me-. And he held
up his arm where Il little, round blood
| SPOT was clntiing on his yellow skin
| Betty took the egg and All three went to
the barn, Fun Ting lsadng the way and
| exciting the wrath Of a patriarchai Old
| turkey WHO gobbleti furolsly and dashed
At him yiciously 1t was his brilliant
| colorcd clothes.
| Tho rest Of tile eggs were safe but IT,
Did white hon who had come off the nest
| for her breakfast and w;is scratching on
The barn floor recognized Fun Ting ana.
| tucked frantically. crclng about ham in
| wrath. BETTY restored the egg with the
| i've chicken ~ il. She told Fun Ting TO
| Keep away from tic nest and that to-
| morrow he would ind it full of baby
chickens: His eyes opened in wonder
| ncnt. He knew in Il general way a great
lcaI about farm. It had been his moth
| "r's delight to tell him long stories about
| a mysterious region far away the
mountains where her girlhood had been
passed and where her mother and father
still lived with their live hens and the
cows that gave them real milk, with real
cream that didn't come in glass bottle.
o yes, he knew a great deal about the
| farm. But he didn't understand how il
came about that baby hens came opt OF
la haymow where there had been only d
lot of eggs bc.orc. And never had n
seen an egg in the Mott street grocery
| stores that could sing like the English
sparrows that built nests in the corners
of the roofs