The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-11-22
70 sfOEOftO FOfOsfI TOFOl
OUR BOYS
and GIRLS
}
BLACK HEN AND
SCARLET COMB

In large barn full of sweet scent
ed hay little white hen was sitting
on nest full of eggs. She longed
very much to be out with the other
chickens, running around and eating
the young grass, which is so tender
In May, but she sat patiently on her
nest.
Then, too, tiny fairy called IN
stinct, lowered near the white hen,
and whispered: "Just little more
patience; just little more waiting;
then you will hear cheep! cheepl
cheep! You will look into your nest
and instead of eggs these will be tiny,
fluffy puff balls and the eggs will be
broken open and empty"
So the white hen sat on her nest
day after day, until just as the fairy
had whispered, she heard cheep!
cheepl cheep! Oh, what proud
mother, and now she must take her
babies out with her to seek food.
She called "Cluck, cluck," and the
puff balls all ran after her. She took
them to the kitchen door, and pref
ty little girl named Laura came out
and fed them bread crumbs soaked in
milk
Time passed and the tiny puff balls
grew to be large chickens, with long
feathers; the little girl named Laura
looked carefully after them; there
was one large black hen with high
scarlet comb that Laura had named
Curiosity. The black hen lived in the
woodshed the early part of the win
ter, but when February came Laura
each day would chase her out! by this
time all the other hens were laying
eggs and cackling, but there would be
nc sound from Curiosity.
Laura's brother Walter said: II
would not have such a useless pet!"
Then one day when he was cleaning
the woodshed he saw the black hen
stealing silently from a dark corner.
Not a sound. Not a cackIe until she
was in the chicken yard. Then she
joined the other hens.
Walter walked over to the corner
and there was stolen nest full of
eggs.
In few weeks Laura heard a great
clucking out In the woodshed and
there was the black pet with fifteen
baby chickens. Curiosity took such
good care of them that they all grew
up. Every night they slept in the dark
corner of the woodshed; the days and
nights were cold, as March was not
even here
The weeks passed by and May had
come. The chickens had now grown
large and fat. One day a gentleman
who was the owner of hotel about a
mile away came to see if there were
any spring chickens for sale. He
wished to buy some for an invalid
lady who was boarding at his place.
Laura sighed as she sold the young
chickens one by one, but SO cents
pound was tempting: she had long
wished to earn some money so that
she could buy tricycle. for an in
valid child who lived near them, and
whose mother was a poor widow. She
had often heard her father say: "If
| ever have any money that can
spare / am going to buy that little
girl rolling chair or something on
wheels, so she can push herself out in
the bright sunshine and not have tc
sit in the house alone all the long
days her mother is out at work" Now
here was Laura's chance How hap
by she felt when she thought of doing
good
When the fifteen young chickens
were gone, and the hotel man wanted
more, no other hen had baby chick
en- older than three weeks, and Cur
iosity was clucking around with a
second family.
Laura now had $11, which the hotel
man had paid her for the chickens,
She took this and bought a tricycle.
for $1,000 at the next town, which
vas not distant. The stage driver
took her over and brought her and
the precious gift back for Is cents.
Then Laura ran ioyousIy to the
home Of the crippled child. crying:
DEAREST Ellen, here Is tricycle. for
you; and 1t Is a gift from a black men