Having put this question, Alfaretta walked to the sink and turned the spigot over her own hand, which suddenly felt soiled by contact with the Chinaman’s shoulder. Then she remarked:
“We’re all hungry. Tell us where we can find something to eat.”
The cook shook his head and Alfy foraged for herself: presently securing from the pantry a box of crackers and a jar of cheese. Armed with these refreshments she felt she would be sustained until the regular supper time, and invited her mates to accompany her on a visit to this wonderful hen whose name was in everybody’s mouth.
Wun Sing protested; but when they were determined, he tremblingly presented each of the youngsters with a bit of red paper, inscribed in black with a few Chinese characters. Laughingly, they pinned these on and so protected from “evil chalms” sought the little wire enclosure which the Chinaman had made for his petted fowl, upon his first coming to San Leon.
The hen had been the gift of his opulent kinsman, Der Doo, and was far too precious to its new owner to be allowed with the other poultry. It had lived in state within its little wire-covered yard, supplied with fresh grass each day and fattening upon the best of food. For its night accommodation, Wun Sing had constructed a tiny pagoda-like house imitating a temple of his native land. Here the pampered fowl slept luxuriously, and for a time had been the delight of its owner’s eyes.
“Let’s sit down on the grass and watch it awhile. We can eat our crackers here, first rate, ’cause if we get thirsty we can drink out of the spigot o’ running water that cooky has fixed for the hen,” suggested Alfy.
So they ranged themselves in a semi-circle, with the crackers and cheese in the centre and awaited developments.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed Herbert, in excellent imitation of a rooster.
“Oh! hush! Hens don’t do that; they just say—cut-cut-cut-cut—cut-tarket!” corrected Molly.
Immediately the rest took up the mocking cries, to the evident distress of poor Wun Sing, who stood in the background, his face yellower than common and his hands clasping and unclasping nervously.