1. there was once a young hen. she had led a very quiet life in a village until she was nearly one year old. then, all at once, she found that people began to make a great fuss about her.

2. you will never guess why, and so, as i think you may like to hear all about her, i will begin at once and tell you. betty,—that was the name of this hen,—was one of ten fluffy little yellow chicks.

3. she was dressed in soft bright down when she first crept out of her egg-shell. she had a sharp beak and bright clever black eyes.

4. one morning, as her mother was strutting about the yard with all her children behind her, crying "cluck, cluck!" as she scratched up bits for them among the straw, gip, the little pet dog, ran up.[pg 107]

5. he was only a puppy, and he meant nothing but play. perhaps he mistook the small round chicks for a lot of little balls rolling about. at any rate he snatched up betty, who was the finest of them, in his mouth.

6. with a roguish look at their fat old mother, he began to scamper off with her. "cackle, cackle!" screamed the old hen. "put the baby down this moment, sir!" and the mother flew at gip before he had gone six yards.[pg 108]

7. she jumped upon his back, and began to flap his head with her wings as hard as she could, while she made digs at his back with her beak.

8. the pretty dog, finding himself treated in this way, soon dropped the chicken out of his mouth. little betty rolled out from between his white teeth and fell flop! to the ground.

9. she was not a bit hurt, for she toddled back to join her brothers and sisters, who were all crying "peep! peep!" in a great fright. they were afraid of seeing her eaten up alive.

10. but though her child was none the worse, the mother-hen began to batter and beat poor gip as if he had maimed it for life. and she never forgave the little dog after that day.

11. when she saw him coming, even at a distance, she pushed out her head, stuck all her feathers on end, and spread out her tail like a bush.

12. perhaps it was the dreadful fright which betty felt while she was in the jaws of gip, which made her so grave and[pg 109] thoughtful a chicken as she soon became. she walked better than the rest.

13. she held herself upright, and her mother was never heard to say, "heads up!" as she did to the other chickens. her mistress said one morning that betty was "the pride of the brood."

14. her two brothers were very greedy chickens, i am sorry to say. and as they grew older, they began to fight sadly for each worm or grain of corn which they found.

15. though betty and the rest of the chickens grew up white as snow, one of these young cocks had a speckled breast, and the other had two black feathers in his tail. this spoilt their look.

16. they were both taken away one day by a strange man, in spite of all that their mother could say. she bustled up and tried to rescue her sons. although they were both in the habit of eating too much, she loved them in spite of all.

write: a little chick was picked up by a puppy. he did not kill it, but put it[pg 110] down when the hen came after him. the chicken was not hurt.

questions: 1. how many brothers and sisters had betty? 2. what did the puppy do one day? 3. what did the old hen do? 4. what did betty's mistress call her? 5. what sort of chickens were the two brothers? 6. what became of them?