Henrietta Hen went out of her way to[p. 62] answer him. "Johnnie Green has a new pet," she explained. "He's a wonderful creature."
"I don't think much of him," said the rooster. He had a surly look, as if something—perhaps a pebble—had stuck in his crop.
"I can't quite swallow this new pet," the rooster told Turkey Proudfoot.
"Ah! You haven't seen him with his tail spread!" Henrietta Hen exclaimed. "His tail is simply gorgeous."
His tail! That was exactly what old Mr. Crow had mentioned. "Oh, well!" Turkey Proudfoot thought. "I'm foolish to be stirred up over this affair. The new pet's tail can't be as grand as mine. There's nothing for me to worry about."
But there was. What Henrietta Hen said with her next breath made Turkey Proudfoot miserable.
"You'd better put down your tail," she advised him.
"Put down my tail!" he squawked. "Anybody would think you were talking about an umbrella. What's wrong with my tail, madam? I hope you don't think I'm ashamed of it."
"I fear you will be, when you see Johnnie Green's new pet," Henrietta Hen rattled on. "You'll want to hide your tail then."