Henrietta that the Rooster would be sure to jump at him the moment he
opened his mouth. "Besides," he added, "it wouldn't do any good, anyhow.
The Rooster can't wait until after daylight, before he begins to crow."

"He can't, eh?" Henrietta Hen spoke up somewhat sharply. "I'd like to
know the reason why!" And fixing her gaze sternly upon the Rooster, she
marched straight across the farmyard towards him, to find out.




VII

WARNING THE ROOSTER


"Good Afternoon!" Henrietta Hen greeted the Rooster. He had not seen her
as she walked towards him. And when she spoke he hastily arranged his two
long tail-feathers in what he considered a more becoming droop.

"Good afternoon, madam!" he answered--for the Rooster prided himself that
he was always polite to the ladies. "Er--there's nothing wrong, I hope,"
he added quickly as he noticed an odd gleam in Henrietta Hen's eye.

"Yes--there is," she said. The cockerels might fear the Rooster, but
Henrietta certainly didn't. She considered him a good deal of a braggart.
Indeed, she even had an idea that she could have whipped him herself, had
she cared to be so unladylike as to fight. "I've been bothered for a long
time because you crow so early in the morning. You make such a racket
that you wake me up every day."