[THE GEESE AND THE BABY]
The Little Girls had gone to play with a new friend who lived down the road, and the Man was working in the farthest field of the farm. The Baby had been laid in the crib for his afternoon nap, and his mother went up-stairs to work at her house-cleaning. She thought that she might possibly finish two closets if the baby did not awaken and call her too soon. She felt sure that she would know when he awakened, because she left the staircase door ajar, and he usually cried a little as soon as he got his eyes open.
This time, however, the Baby slept only a few minutes and did not cry at all. He had grown a great deal since he came to live on the farm, and was becoming very strong and independent. When he opened his eyes he made no sound, but lay there quietly staring at the ceiling until he heard one of the Cocks crowing outside. He had always wanted to catch that tallest Cock and hug him—he looked so soft and warm—and now was the time to try it. When his mother was around she sometimes held his dress or one of the shoulder-straps of his little overalls and would not let him catch the Cock. He would crawl out of his crib alone and go out very quietly to try it.
The Baby pulled himself up by the rounds of his crib, and tumbled over its railing onto his mother’s bed, which stood beside it. From that he slid to the floor. It took him only two minutes more to get out of the side door and down the steps. It did not take at all long for the steps, because he fell more than half the distance. If he had not been running away, or if there had been anybody around to pity him, he would have cried, but to cry now might spoil all his fun, so he picked himself up without making a sound and started for the Shanghai Cock.
The Shanghai Cock was on the ground when the Baby began toddling toward him. As the Baby came nearer he began to walk off. “I don’t want to be caught,” said he. “It is bad enough to have grown people catch me, but it would be worse to have a Baby do so, for he might choke me.”
“Here, pitty Chickie!” said the Baby. “Baby want oo.” Then he tried to run, and fell down instead.
The Barred Plymouth Rock Hen looked at him pityingly. “Just the way my Chickens used to act when trying to catch a Grasshopper,” said she. “It is so hard for children to learn that they cannot have everything they want.”
When the Baby tumbled, the Shanghai Cock stood still, and even picked up a couple of mouthfuls of food. When the Baby got up again, the Shanghai Cock moved on. At last the Cock decided to put a stop to this sort of game, in which the Baby seemed to be having all the fun, so he flew to the top of the pasture fence and crowed as loudly as he could. The Baby’s mother heard him as she worked busily upstairs. “How loudly that Cock does crow!” said she. “I am glad that such noises do not wake the Baby. He is having a fine nap to-day.” Then she unrolled another bundle of pieces and paid no more attention to the crowing.