A FINE FAMILY


Henrietta Hen's neighbors paid little attention to her boasting, because
they had to listen to it so often. At last, however, there came a day
when she set up such a cackling as they had never heard from her before.
She kept calling out at the top of her lungs, "Come-come-come!
See-what-I've-got! Come-come-come! See-what-I've-got!" And she acted even
more important than ever, until her friends began to say to one another,
"What _can_ Henrietta be so proud about? If it's only another egg, she's
making a terrible fuss about it."

They decided at last that if they were to have any peace they'd better go
and look at whatever it was that Henrietta Hen was squawking about. So
they went--in a body--to the place where she had her nest, in the haymow.

When Henrietta caught sight of her visitors she set up a greater clamor
than ever.

"Well, well!" cried the oldest of the party, a rather sharp-tongued dame
with white feathers. "What's all this hubbub about?" And then they
learned what it was that Henrietta wanted them to see.

"Did you ever set eyes on such a fine family?" she demanded as she
stepped aside from her nest and let them peer into it.

"A brood of chicks--eh?" said the lady in white. "Well, what's all the
noise about?"

Henrietta Hen turned her back on her questioner.