“That is a kind of illness,” answered their mother. “I have been expecting it all along.”
“What did you let us be sick for then?” asked Older Brother. “Why didn’t you tell us to eat more gravel or something? I don’t think it is taking very good care of us to let us get sick.”
“Now,” said the Barred Plymouth Rock Hen, and she spoke very firmly, “you are not to speak again until you can speak properly. On the day you ran away you played with Chickens who had the gapes, and you went with them into a closed hen-yard and ate Angleworms. That is what gave you the gapes. There were tiny Gapeworms in the Angleworms, and you swallowed them. Now the Gapeworms are living in your throats and you cannot get them out. The Farmer had shut the poultry out of that yard because he knew that they would become ill if they fed in there. Now you are ill and I can’t help you.”
Older Brother looked scared. “How did she know what we did over there?” he whispered to Younger Brother.
“I don’t know,” answered Younger Brother, while he watched his mother to be sure that she did not overhear. “Mothers always seem to find out what a Chicken is doing, anyhow.”
Little Sister began to cry. “I’m afraid we are going to die,” she sobbed. “I feel so very, very badly.”
“Shall we die?” asked the sick brothers, and they were so scared that their bills chattered. Their teeth would have chattered, you know, if they had had teeth, but none of their family ever do have them.
“Yes,” answered their mother, sadly. “You will die unless something is done to get the Gapeworms out of your throat. I cannot help you, for they cannot be taken out by creatures who have only wings and feet. There are times when hands would be handy. The only thing for you to do is to find the Man and keep near him until he sees that you are ill and does something to cure you. I will go with you.”
You can imagine how sad the whole brood felt when they heard the news. The brother who had not wanted to play with them was much ashamed of himself, and kept scratching up fine Worms for the sick Chickens to eat. He thought that a good way of showing how sorry he felt.
“I tell you what,” said Older Brother to Younger Brother. “If I ever get well again, I’ll mind my mother every time, even if I just hate to!”