20 



we were going to hurt them, and rufifled up her 

 feathers whenever we came near. 



Soon, however, she understood that what we were 

 doing was for their good. 



Then, when she saw us coming with the bottle, 

 she would fly upon the back of a broken chair close 

 by, and watch the feeding of the kittens. The 

 moment we turned away, she would fly down into 

 the box again. 



With so much care from us all, the kittens throve 

 and grew. One day one of them climbed out of 

 the box. Poor little Brown Hen was almost dis- 

 tracted. She could neither get that one back nor 

 the others out. She flew backward and forward 

 from one place to another, ruffling and entreating 

 and threatening. 



At last one of the children came in, and put the 

 kitten back into the box. How delighted and re- 

 lieved Little Brown Hen was ! She flew back into 

 the box herself and trampled about in it clucking 

 softly, and then settled down calling to the kittens 

 to come under her wings. 



When the kittens were old enough to leave the 

 box Little Brown Hen still tried to mother them. 

 She would scratch and scratch until she turned up 



