One night the little brown hen was roosting alone in the top of the hen-house. All at once she was awakened by the sweetest song she had ever heard.
She called to her chicks and to some of her companions to wake up and listen; but they were sleepy and soon dozed off again, so the little brown hen was left listening alone.
"I will ask the gander what this beautiful song means," she said. "He knows everything."
So she awoke the gander and asked him who was singing the beautiful song, and what it meant.
The gander said gruffly: "It is the nightingale. I do not know what her song means. She should learn to honk!" And he tucked his head back under his wing.
"Ah!" thought the little brown hen, "if learning the gander's language does not help me to understand this beautiful song, I do not think it is worth bothering with. I shall never try to say 'honk!' again."
So she went back to her roost and listened till the nightingale's song ceased. Then she tucked her head under her little brown wing and went to sleep, her little heart singing within her.
At daylight she awoke, and hopping down sought her companions, eager to tell them the wonderful thing that was singing in her heart.
"This is a beautiful, simple world," she cried, "and I have learned a very wonderful thing!"
But to her surprise, the creatures had no desire to hear what it was, for they were all in a flurry getting ready for their next lesson in honking.