And make a loud din.
And hard did she strive
To teach them aright;
For to see them do wrong
Always gave her a fright.
Flowers for Children.
“There was once a hen that had five chickens. They were all very pretty. Four of them were white. One of them was of a reddish brown.
“The hen and chickens belonged to a little boy, named James. One day James heard the hen and chickens make a great noise. He was planing some boards with his little plane, to make a bird-house; but he dropped his plane, and ran out into the yard. The old hen was calling her little ones to come under her wings. She had seen a large, fierce-looking dog come into the yard, and she was frightened for her chickens. She said, ‘Cluck! cluck! cluck!’ very quickly; and the chickens seemed to know that she called them to her, for they all, except one, ran very quickly, and hid themselves under her wings. One little white chicken looked up at its mother, as if she said, ‘I will come directly, mother; but not quite yet:’ and then went on picking up seeds with her little bill.
“The poor mother called louder. James ran to drive away the dog; but he sprang forward, caught the little white chicken in his mouth, and ran out of the yard.
“Now the poor chicken was lost for not minding its mother immediately; and great harm may come to little children from the same cause.