8 The Hen at Work 



up, " better 'n any brooder they sell in the stores," 

 and his troubles began. He told his chicks just 

 how to enjoy the benefits of his "better brooder," 

 and repeated the information so you could hear 

 him across the corn, but the chicks failed to grasp 

 the idea. 



The chickens "acted queer, " they drooped, and 

 died in twos and threes. He was a proud old man, 

 who had bossed the decks for fifty years without 

 help; but when half the chicks were gone, he asked 

 my advice. 



So, with many compliments for his better 

 brooder, I offered to loan him one of my store 

 brooders. He accepted, and we saved the remnant 

 of the flock. 



Soon the little sprites were scampering all about 

 his yard, much to his delight. The feathers grew, 

 the combs appeared, and the Captain was getting 

 his egg pail ready, when new troubles descended. 



He found a group of them very busy one morn- 

 ing in his lettuce bed, that lay near the hen yard. 



What he said to them could be heard across an 

 acre of com. Fortunately the season was yovmg, 

 so the com had no ears. He spent a hot half horn- 

 in capturing those birds and putting them back in 



