The Detroit times., 1916-07-10
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
The Funny Result of Counting Chickens.
,Cop T..
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
tCopyright.
One and one Is always two,

One and one Is always two,
And two and two makes four.
They cannot make a fraction less
Nor yet fraction more.
II you don't believe 1t just try
counting one and one. Do II Just
as many times as you please, the
answer will always be the same.
or course Farmer Browns Boy
knows this. He also knows that IL
Is Just as true that II you take one
away from two you will have one
left, and one only. So the instant
he discovered Redtail the Hawk sail
ing away up in the blue, blue sky
he decided that he must count his
chickens and do II right away. Then
he would know whether or not Red
tail had caught one.
Mrs. Featherlegs was still rather
excited. In fact she was so much
excited that II was some little time
before he could induce her 10 al.
low him TO lift her up so that he
could see the big family hiding un'
der her. But at last, sure that she
had had the best Of Redtail the
Hawk. and that he had flown away
for good. she permitted Farmer
Browns Boy TO count her babies
while she fused about and told
him all about the robber she had
driven away. OF course he didn't
understand word she said, but he
guessed what she was telling him,
and called her brave old lady, and
told her how proud he was OF her.
Now, there had been 20 chickens
in the care OF Mrs. Featherlegs, 10
black ones. which were her own.
and 10 white ones, which were the
ones Farmer Browns Boy thought
so much of and expected such great
things from when they should be
grown up. You remember he had
given them to Mrs. Featherlegs TO
care for because she was such a
good mother, while their own moth
or was n gossiping. needless young
thing, not at all fitted to bring up
family. particularly such an I'M
portant family as this one or course
Farmer Browns Boy was most anx-
ious about the white chickens. and
OF course, he counted them first.
"One, two, three. four. FIVE, six.
seven. eight, nine. ten, eleven"
Farmer Browns Boy scowled. Now.
how can I make eleven out OF ten7"
ne demanded OF no one In particu
lar. Those little scamps move
around so fast must have counted
one OF them twice. One. two. three,
four, Ave. six, seven. eight, nine,
ten, and one makes elcven,"
Farmer Browns Boy looked as IL
he felt foolish. I suspect he did.
He had only ten white chickens and
there were no other white chickens
on the farm. yet he had counted
eleven both times. "I'll try II once
more" said he. and began counting.
The result was just the same as be
fore-eleven, We'll. one thing Ia
sure, and that Is that old Redtail
uluH ChtC1 MY VI NhV "hitt ohtos
I would rather there should be one
too many than one short Now. you
black scamps, hold still while try
my luck counting you! One, two,
three. four. FIVE, six. seven. eight,
nine. ten; all safe. ! guess Mother
Featherlegs gave him surprise
party. He surely got left this time.
Instead OF being one chicken short
I've got one too many. Now that
I've counted the black ones right,
I'll try the white ones again"
SO once more Farmer Browns Boy
counted the white chickens very
carefully. and once moro the count
was eleven. At. first Farmer Browns
Boy had been provoked with him.