Five Little Friends Part 3

Beside b.u.t.tercup was the dearest little calf with long thin legs and a soft tan coat. It was Don, b.u.t.tercup's first baby. He was just two months old and very full of life and mischief.

"Is that another cow over there?" said Peggy, pointing to a field beyond the pasture. "Oh, no," said Mary, "That's Big Ben. He is a very wild and cross bull, so he has to have a home all by himself. No one ever goes into his field except Billy. Big Ben seems to hate people. But what he hates most is anything that is red."

The children peeped in at Big Ben, with nice safe-afraid shivers going down their backs. Then Mary said, "Come let's go to the farmyard."

The farmyard was a very busy place. "I never saw so many pets in all my life," said Betty. But Mary knew them all. She showed them Mrs. Speckle with her family of little baby chicks that looked like fluffy, yellow b.a.l.l.s bobbing around her.

Next she pointed out Mrs. Black Hen with her larger children. Some of these chickens were losing their feathers. How Mary did laugh when Peggy cried, "See, those poor little chickens are peeling off!"

"Now," said Mary, "I will show you my trained chicken." First she went into the house and came out with two ripe, red cherries still on the stem. Then she called softly, "Come, come, Tom Thumb," and as she finished calling she put the stem of the cherries between her lips.

Out from among the other chickens came a beautiful little white rooster.

He looked almost like a toy, he was so tiny. With a glad little crow he flew straight up to Mary's shoulder, where he began to peck at the cherries. He ate very daintily. Sometimes he would stop eating and cuddle down on Mary's shoulder. When the ripe red treat was all eaten he gave another glad crow and flew down.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MARY WHITE AND TOM THUMB]

Betty and Dot and Peggy loved to help feed the chickens. Every morning after breakfast Mrs. White would come out into the yard with a big pan of corn-meal mush and Mary would follow with a smaller pan of bread crumbs. Then both mother and little girl would call, "Chick, chick, chick! Chick, chick, chick! Chick, chick, chick!" as if they were singing the same tune over and over. At this, such a hurry and scurry as there would be!

It seemed as if every fowl on the farm heard the call and was coming.

There were big hens and little hens, brown hens, black hens, white hens, and speckled hens. There were fluffy baby chicks and long-legged middle-sized chickens. There were proud roosters with bright combs and gay, glossy feathers. There were stately turkeys with long necks and great fan-like tails. There were ducks with long fat bodies and big flat feet.

Hurry, scurry! Scurry, hurry! "Cluck, cluck." "Peep-peep." "Groo-groo."

"Gobble-gobble." "Quack, quack." Such noise and excitement you never heard!

Such table manners you never saw! All were talking at once. Everyone was pecking and pushing and grabbing!

One morning at the farmyard breakfast Mrs. White said, "Where can Brown Betty be? I haven't seen her for two or three weeks. I am afraid she has gone off and hidden her nest somewhere. I wish I knew where, for turkey eggs are scarce this year. If you four children will find her nest I will pay you ten cents for each egg in it."

The little girls were very much excited.

"Just suppose," said Betty, "that we find a nest with six eggs in it.

That will be sixty cents. What shall we buy with so much money?"

"Wouldn't it be fun to get Father to take us to the store and let us buy things for a picnic?" said Mary.

"Oh, yes, let's have a picnic," cried Peggy and Betty.

"But first," said wise little Dot, "we must find Brown Betty's nest."

That very day the children began to hunt for the hidden eggs. They climbed up into the barn loft and looked in the hay. Here they found Mrs. Nicker on her nest. When they came near she ruffled up her feathers and gave an angry cluck. "Don't be afraid," laughed Betty; "we are looking for something worth much more than one little hen's egg."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Then hidden down in the hay they came across a mouse's home with four baby mice in it. They looked very small and young and funny. Their tiny eyes were shut tight. "You are cunning little things but you won't buy us a picnic," said Peggy.

In the eaves of the barn they found a swallow's nest, but the baby birds had flown away. Only some pieces of eggsh.e.l.l were left.

All that day and part of the next and the next and the next the children hunted and hunted but no Brown Betty and no turkey eggs could they find.

One bright June morning Mary said, "Let's go into the woods to play."

"Oh, may we?" Betty and Peggy asked their mothers. And little Dot said, "Oh, please may I?" and looked from one mother to the other.

"Yes, let them go," said Mrs. White. "The woods are not far away and there is nothing to harm them there."

So the four little girls started out.

They went down a shady lane and through a meadow. Then they came to the woods and wandered about for a while. At last they stopped by the side of a little brook that flowed merrily on its way.

In a few minutes, shoes and stockings were taken off and the children were wading in the cool, rippling water. It was lots of fun, but the water was very cold. Soon they were glad to dry their feet in the soft gra.s.s and put on their shoes and stockings again.

"Let's make a tree playhouse," said Mary; "I'll show you how." So they set to work with Mary as leader. They found a hollow tree with plenty of room in it. Next they gathered all the soft, velvety moss they could find. With this they made a thick green carpet on the floor. Then they made green moss furniture too. They had a bed, a couch, a table, and a chair.

"We should have some one to live in our green, mossy house," said Peggy.

"Let's go to the meadow and gather some daisies and make little flower people out of them."

So off the children went. In a little while, back they came with their hands full of flowers.

Peggy was the first one to reach the tree house. She looked in and then began to laugh and call to the others to come quickly.

"We needn't make any flower people for our house," she said. "It's already rented." And sure enough, there on the green moss couch was a fat brown toad. He was winking and blinking and looking much pleased with his new home.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The children sat down to rest and watch Mr. Toad. All of a sudden they heard a queer sound. "Cheep-cheep! Cheep-cheep! Cheep-cheep-cheep!" It seemed to come from the bushes.

"It must be some little birds," said Betty.

"Perhaps it is a mother quail and her babies," said Mary.

Very carefully the four little girls peeped through the leaves and bushes.

Can you guess what they saw?

There, walking about in an open place in the woods, was Brown Betty, and running beside her and talking to her in turkey talk were eight baby turkeys.

How excited the children were! They all wanted to run to the farmhouse with the good news. But at last they drew lots to see who should go.

"I will hold four daisies," said Peggy, "and each of you may take one.

The girl who gets the daisy with the longest stem may run ahead. If you leave the longest one in my hand, I will go."

"Yes," said Mary, "and the other children may drive Brown Betty and her brood back to the farmyard."

[Ill.u.s.tration: AWAY SHE RAN]

So they drew the daisies and little Dot had the one with the longest stem. Away she ran as fast as her short legs could carry her.

"Oh, Mrs. White," she cried, as she reached the farmhouse, "we found Brown Betty in the woods, but her eggs have all turned into little turkeys."