RAGGEDY ANN AND THE CHICKENS
When Marcella was called into the house she left Raggedy sitting on thechicken yard fence. "Now you sit quietly and do not stir," Marcella toldRaggedy Ann, "If you move you may fall and hurt yourself!"
So, Raggedy Ann sat quietly, just as Marcella told her, but she smiledat the chickens for she had fallen time and again and it had never hurther in the least. She was stuffed with nice soft cotton, you see.
So, there she sat until a tiny little humming-bird, in search of flowerhoney hummed close to Raggedy Ann's head and hovered near the tallHollyhocks.
Raggedy Ann turned her rag head to see the humming-bird and lost herbalance--_plump!_ she went, down amongst the chickens.
The chickens scattered in all directions, all except Old Ironsides, therooster.
He ruffled his neck feathers and put his head down close to the ground,making a queer whistling noise as he looked fiercely at Raggedy Ann.
But Raggedy Ann only smiled at Old Ironsides, the rooster, and ran herrag hand through her yarn hair for she did not fear him.
And then something strange happened, for when she made this motion theold rooster jumped up in the air and kicked his feet out in front,knocking Raggedy Ann over and over.
When Raggedy Ann stopped rolling she waved her apron at the rooster andcried, "Shoo!" but instead of "shooing," Old Ironsides upset her again.
Now, two old hens who had been watching the rooster jump at Raggedy ranup and as one old hen placed herself before the rooster, the other oldhen caught hold of Raggedy's apron and dragged her into thechicken-coop.
It was dark inside and Raggedy could not tell what was going on as shefelt herself being pulled up over the nests.
But, finally Raggedy could sit up, for the old hen had quit pulling her,and as her shoe-button eyes were very good, she soon made out the shapeof the old hen in front of her.
"My! that's the hardest work I have done in a long time!" said the oldhen, when she could catch her breath. "I was afraid Mr. Rooster wouldtear your dress and apron!"
"That was a queer game he was playing, Mrs. Hen," said Raggedy Ann.
The old hen chuckled 'way down in her throat, "Gracious me! He wasn'tplaying a game, he was fighting you!"
"Fighting!" cried Raggedy Ann in surprise.
"Oh yes, indeed!" the old hen answered, "Old Ironsides, the rooster,thought you intended to harm some of the children chickens and he wasfighting you!"
"I am sorry that I fell inside the pen, I wouldn't harm anything,"Raggedy Ann said.
"If we tell you a secret you must promise not to tell your mistress!"said the old hens.
"I promise! Cross my candy heart!" said Raggedy Ann.
Then the two old hens took Raggedy Ann 'way back in the farthest cornerof the chicken coop. There, in back of a box, they had built two nestsand each old hen had ten eggs in her nest.
"If your folks hear of it they will take the eggs!" said the hens, "andthen we could not raise our families!"
Raggedy Ann felt the eggs and they were nice and warm.
"We just left the nests when you fell into the pen!" explained the oldhens.
"But how can the eggs grow if you sit upon them?" said Raggedy. "If Fidosits on any of the garden, the plants will not grow, Mistress says!"
"Eggs are different!" one old hen explained. "In order to make the eggshatch properly, we must sit on them three weeks and not let them getcold at any time!"
"And at the end of the three weeks do the eggs sprout?" asked RaggedyAnn.
"You must be thinking of eggplant!" cried one old hen. "These eggs hatchat the end of three weeks--they don't sprout--and then we have a lovelyfamily of soft downy chickies; little puff balls that we can cuddleunder our wings and love dearly!"
"Have you been sitting upon the eggs very long?" Raggedy asked.
"Neither one of us has kept track of the time," said one hen. "So we donot know! You see, we never leave the nests only just once in a while toget a drink and to eat a little. So we can hardly tell when it is dayand when it is night."
"We were going out to get a drink when you fell in the pen!" said oneold hen. "Now we will have to sit upon the eggs and warm them up again!"
The two old hens spread their feathers and nestled down upon the nests.
"When you get them good and warm, I would be glad to sit upon the eggsto keep them warm until you get something to eat and drink!" saidRaggedy. So the two old hens walked out of the coop to finish their mealwhich had been interrupted by Raggedy's fall and while they were gone,Raggedy Ann sat quietly upon the warm eggs. Suddenly down beneath hershe heard something go, "Pick, pick!" "I hope it isn't a mouse!" RaggedyAnn said to herself, when she felt something move. "I wish the old henswould come back." But when they came back and saw the puzzled expressionon her face, they cried, "What is it?"
Raggedy Ann got to her feet and looked down and there were severallittle fluffy, cuddly baby chickies, round as little puff-balls.
"Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!" they cried when Raggedy stepped out of the nest.
"Baby Chicks!" Raggedy cried, as she stooped and picked up one of thelittle puff-balls. "They want to be cuddled!"
The two old hens, their eyes shining with happiness, got upon the nestsand spread out their soft warm feathers, "The other eggs will hatchsoon!" said they.
So, for several days Raggedy helped the two hens hatch out the rest ofthe chickies and just as they finished, Marcella came inside lookingaround.
"How in the world did you get in here, Raggedy Ann?" she cried. "I havebeen looking all about for you! Did the chickens drag you in here?"
Both old hens down behind the box clucked softly to the chickies beneaththem and Marcella overheard them.
She lifted the box away and gave a little squeal of surprise andhappiness.
"Oh you dear old Hennypennies!" she cried, lifting both old hens fromtheir nests. "You have hidden your nests away back here and now you haveone, two, three, four--twenty chickies!" and as she counted them,Marcella placed them in her apron; then catching up Raggedy Ann, sheplaced her over the new little chickies.
"Come on, old Hennypennies!" she said, and went out of the coop with thetwo old hens clucking at her heels.
Marcella called Daddy and Daddy rolled two barrels out under one of thetrees and made a nice bed in each. Then he nailed slats across thefront, leaving a place for a door. Each Hennypennie was then given tenlittle chickies and shut up in the barrel. And all the dolls were happywhen they heard of Raggedy's adventure and they did not have to waitlong before they were all taken out to see the new chickies.
Raggedy Ann Stories Page 11