“Laws-ee, Chile! No wonder dat ole hen yearns to git off dose aigs so offen. Dey was water-glassed an’ nuttin’ neveh will hatch outen dem but trouble!” Then as the full truth dawned upon Rachel, she sank into a kitchen chair and threw her gingham apron over her head and swayed back and forth with hysterical laughter.
“Rachel, I tell you to stop laughing like that!” commanded Janet, highly indignant.
“Oh, oh, Oh! Dat am too funny foh anyt’ing!” gasped Rachel.
“What is so funny about it?” demanded Janet.
For answer, Rachel got up and started for the barn yard, closely followed by the stock-scout. Arrived at the chicken-house she found the hen still absent from duty, so she carefully removed all the eggs and put them in her apron.
“Now you waits till I burry dese out far f’om here, so no danger kin come of smashin’ ’em premature. Meanwhiles, you clean up dat smelly mess f’om dat floor, cuz no self-respeckin’ chicken will come in dis house wid dat perfume fillin’ the place.” Rachel chuckled as she ordered Janet about the task, then she went out.
The eggs were safely buried in the barnyard and Rachel came back to finish the work she had taken upon herself to do.
“Now you cleans out all dem nestes and put new straw in. I’ll wash out dis floor wid water and a broom to sweeten it”
When this was finished to Rachel’s satisfaction, she clucked to the setting-hen that had entered the opening from the chicken-yard and had stood upon one leg eyeing the work.
“You Jan, you runs to my kitchen, now, and carries back dat basket wid aigs whats standin’ on a shelf. And find a candle, too, and bring it along.”