by Oliver Optic
There she sat, in the middle of Bobby's onion bed, and the thirteenchicks went under her wings to have a mid-day nap.
The Old Brown Hen went to sleep, too.
Soon the family came home. As they drove into the yard, Mother spied herpansy bed and cried, "Somebody has been digging in my garden and has dugall my little pansy plants up."
Next, they came to the big garden, and when Father saw his radish bed,he said, "Somebody's been digging in my garden and has dug all my radishplants up."
Then Bobby ran to look at his garden. When he saw it, he cried,"Somebody's been digging in my garden and here she is fast asleep."
When the Old Brown Hen heard Bobby shout, she woke up and ran away.
And her little chicks ran in all directions and called, "Peep, peep,peep!"
"Let's catch her," said John.
"When he saw it he cried, 'Somebody's been digging in mygarden and here she is fast asleep'"]
Father and John and Bobby chased the Old Brown Hen and caught her andput her in a chicken coop.
Then she called, "Cluck, cluck, cluck!" and her thirteen chicks camerunning.
And there they lived until the chicks were grown up.
And they did not scratch up any more gardens that Summer.
And that is the end of the story of the Old Brown Hen.
THE SHEEP WASHING]
IV
One morning in May, Bobby saw the flock of sheep going along the graveldriveway toward the road.
Rover and Bobby's big brother John were driving them. Hobson, the hiredman, went ahead.
"Where are you taking the sheep?" asked Bobby. "Have you sold them?"
"Come and you shall see," answered Father. "Do you want to ride with mein the buggy, or help drive the sheep?"
"I'd like to help," said Bobby.
"Well, here is a long stick for you," said Father.
Bobby was off like the wind and soon caught up with the others.
The leader of the flock, the big bell wether, went ahead. All the othersheep followed. Sometimes they tried to stop and eat grass by theroadside. Bobby was after them with his long stick.
Sometimes they tried to go into a farmer's yard. Rover chased them backinto the road.
Once a big, black dog came from a farmyard, barking savagely. "Bow-wow,bow-wow!" he said. The sheep were dreadfully frightened. Some ran up theroad and some ran down the road.
Rover ran at the big, black dog and drove him back into his yard. Thenhe and John and Hobson and Bobby brought the frightened sheep togetheragain and started them down the road.
"I wonder where we are taking the sheep," thought Bobby.
About ten o'clock, they came to a creek with a bridge over it. Acrossthe bridge they drove the sheep. On the other side, Hobson stopped themand drove them to one side of the road. Farmer Hill tied Prince to thefence.
"Can you guess what we came for?" he asked.
Bobby looked all around. John and Hobson and Rover were driving thesheep into a pen at the edge of the creek. The pen was surrounded by afence of rails, with a gate near the water.
Then the men put on the old clothes which they had brought in thebuggy, and went into the pen among the sheep.
Bobby looked puzzled.
"Let's take the bell wether first," said Mr. Hill; and John grabbed theold sheep in spite of his ugly-looking horns.
They took him through the gate and started to pull him toward the water.
"Oh, Father, I know," shouted Bobby. "You are going to wash the sheep."
When Bobby found that he had guessed right, he danced for joy. Then hesettled down to see how it would be done.
Old Bell Wether was the largest sheep in the flock and had long, curvedhorns. He had been washed every year of his life, but he never liked tobe dragged into the water. Now he held back with all the strength of hisfour stout legs.
John was in front, trying to pull him along. Farmer Hill and Hobson werebehind, trying to push him along.
Suddenly, Old Bell Wether changed his mind. He lowered his head andrushed forward, striking John a tremendous blow.
Into the water went John. Bobby could not see a bit of him.
Into the water, too, went Old Bell Wether. But his head was above waterand was moving out into the creek.
Bobby could not move or speak. He feared that big brother John would bedrowned.
Then he saw John rising out of the water and Father helping him back toland.
"Old Bell Wether played us a sharp trick," said Mr. Hill.
"Oh, Father," shouted Bobby, "he is almost across the creek. He'llsurely get away."
Farmer Hill was watching the pair of horns.
"We'll get him," said he.
He started toward the bridge, catching up a rope as he went. Hobsonfollowed.
Before they could run across the bridge, Old Bell Wether walked up outof the creek and started toward home. But he was tired after his swim,and his wool was heavy with water.
They soon overtook him and drove him into a corner of the rail fence atthe side of the road.
"Now we have you," said Farmer Hill, as he threw the rope over hishorns.
"Before they could run across the bridge, Old Bell Wetherwalked up out of the creek and started for home"]
Old Bell Wether had to submit and be led back over the bridge to thesheep-pen.
"You won't do that again, old boy," said John. "I'll be ready for youthis time."
The men took him out into the water again. Keeping his head up so thathe could breathe, they washed his long wool until it was quite clean.
Then they led him out of the water, into another sheep-pen, which hadbeen built to hold the sheep after they were washed.
After all the sheep had been washed clean and white, they were startedhome again. When they were part way home, they met another flock ofsheep coming down the road.
"Drive ours up next to the fence," said Farmer Hill, "so they will notget mixed with that flock."
So they were driven up by the fence and kept there until the other flockhad passed on their way to be washed.
Bobby rode with Father in the buggy the rest of the way.
"How do they get the wool off the sheep?" he asked.
"That," said Father, "will be something more for you to see, anothertime. You won't have to wait many days."
Bobby had a great story to tell Mother and Sue that night.
THE SHEEP SHEARING]
V
A few days after the sheep had been washed at the creek, a strange mannamed Mr. Price came to Cloverfield Farm one morning.
"If you want to see something interesting," said Father to Bobby, "youmay come along with us."
They all went down to the Old Red Barn, and Bobby noticed that the flockof sheep had been driven into the basement.
On the basement floor, near the gate which shut the sheep in their pen,they put down a platform of boards, about six feet square.
Then Mr. Price took several strange-looking things out of his bag.
"What is that?" asked Bobby, pointing to one of them.
"That is a pair of shears," said Mr. Price.
"They do not look like my Mother's shears," said Bobby.
"No, they don't," said Mr. Price. "But these are sheep-shears."
"Oh, I know," shouted Bobby, jumping up and down; "you are going toshear the sheep."
"Right, my boy," said the man. "Now keep your eyes open."
"You had better look out for Old Bell Wether," said Bobby. "He'll buntyou over, as he did John down at the creek."
"I've sheared thousands of sheep in my time," said Mr. Price, "and nosheep ever bunted me over yet."
The men brought out one of the smaller sheep through the gate, andtipped her over on her side, on the smooth boards. Mr. Price, bendingover the sheep, began shearing off the wool close to the skin.
After he had sheared the wool from the upper side, he turned the sheepover and sheared the other side.
Bobby was watching with all h
is eyes.
When he had finished and the fleece lay flat on the platform, very whiteand clean, Mr. Price let the sheep get up and run out in the barn-yard.
"Ba-a-a--, Ba-a-a!" went the sheep, as she ran out, looking very smalland feeling very strange with her heavy coat of wool gone.
Farmer Hill gathered up the wool and carried it to another part of thebasement, while John and Mr. Price brought out the next sheep.
When Mr. Price had sheared four sheep, he said, "You might as well bringthe big wether next."
"You must lose your wool, Mr. Bell Wether," said Bobby. "We need it tomake our clothes."
"I think John had better help you hold him down," said Farmer Hill. "Heis a cantankerous old fellow."
So John helped hold him, while Mr. Price sheared him.
Old Bell Wether was a wise old sheep. He knew he could not get away fromtwo men. Besides, he was not sorry to lose the heavy coat which made himso warm in the hot Spring days.
Perhaps he knew that when a sheep squirms and kicks, the shearer may cutoff a bit of the skin instead of just taking the wool.
At any rate, he lay very quiet until he was all sheared, and they lethim run out into the yard.
"Oh, Father, Old Bell Wether didn't make a single bunt," shouted Bobby,bounding off to the place where Mr. Hill was taking care of the fleeces.
"Just see what I am doing," said Father.
Farmer Hill had a queer-looking thing made of boards joined togetherwith hinges. It looked flat when he laid a fleece of wool on it. Then hefolded it up until it looked like a box, and the wool was pressedtogether inside of it.
There were pieces of strong wool twine in grooves on the inside of thebox. He tied them around the fleece so as to hold it firmly together.
At last he opened the box and out came a solid fleece of wool, in theshape of a cube about eighteen inches on each side.
"Oh, let me feel of it," said Bobby. He pressed his hands and faceagainst the soft white wool.
"How much do you guess it weighs?" asked Mr. Hill, as he put it on thescales.
"Fifty pounds," said Bobby.
"Too much. Eight and a half," said Father, as he put the number down ina book.
"How do they make the wool into clothes?" asked Bobby.
"It is first spun into yarn," said Father. "Do you remember the oldspinning wheel we have up in the attic?"
"Oh, yes," said Bobby. "That is what I turn my buzz-saw with."
"Well," said Father, "your grandmother used that wheel to spin yarn fromwool like this."
"And then they knit stockings from the yarn," said Bobby.
"Yes," said Father; "but my grandmother used to weave the yarn intocloth on a loom. And she made the cloth into clothes for her children towear."
"I wish Mother would spin yarn and make clothes," said Bobby.
"We find it cheaper to sell the wool and buy our clothes," said Father.
"And perhaps Mother has enough to do," said Bobby.
Then they went back to get another fleece.
When the sheep were all sheared, Rover drove them down the long lane totheir pasture.
And it was not long before the whole flock were once more nibbling grassin the meadow.
RED TOP]
VI
The proudest creature on Cloverfield Farm was Red Top, the big rooster.
He was called Red Top because of his beautiful, big red comb.
Red Top was proud of his big red comb. He was proud of his glossyreddish-brown feathers. He was proud of his crow.
"Just hear those silly hens," he would say. "All they can do is tocackle. But listen to my beautiful song. Cock-a-doodle-doo,cock-a-doodle-doo! Was there ever a grander sound?"
Every morning, on his perch in the hen-house, he would waken and crowbefore the break of day. Then he would go out in front of the hen-houseand crow three or four times.
But the place he liked best for crowing was a little mound near thehouse. Farmer Hill's window was just above the little mound. John'swindow was near by.
Before they were awake, every morning in Summer, Red Top would go thereand crow at the top of his voice.
Farmer Hill would waken and say, "There is Red Top. It is time to getup."
John would waken and say, "I wish Red Top would crow somewhere else."
Then there came a holiday when they did not need to get up so early.The evening before, Farmer Hill said, "I wish some one would keep RedTop from crowing under my window to-morrow morning, so I could sleep."
"I'll keep him away," said Bobby.
"You will have to watch or he will get there in spite of you," saidFather.
"I don't believe you _could_ keep him away," said John.
"You'll see that I can," said Bobby. "Red Top can't get the start ofme."
"If you keep him from crowing there to-morrow morning," said John, "Iwill give you a dime."
"Goody! I'll do it," said Bobby. "I'll put the dime in the box for mynew express wagon."
Bobby put the alarm clock near his bed. It was set to wake him at fouro'clock.
The next morning, after Red Top had crowed in the hen-house, he went outinto the yard and crowed three times. Then he started toward the house.Very proudly he strutted along the path.
He was just going around to the side of the house, when Bobby came outof the back door.
"Shoo, shoo!" said Bobby. "You must not crow near the house thismorning."
And he drove Red Top back toward the corn crib.
"That is too bad," thought Red Top. "They will miss my nice crow. I mustgo again."
So he went up the path again toward the little mound. Bobby was watchingand drove him back.
"I will not let you crow here this morning," he said. "Shoo, shoo!"
Six times Red Top tried to get to the little mound. Six times Bobbydrove him back. Finally, he drove him beyond the horse barn.
"Crow for the walnut tree this morning," he said.
"He won't get to the house again very soon," thought Bobby. So he wentover to the strawberry patch to see whether any strawberries were ripe.
Suddenly, in the apple tree, a robin began to sing. A thrush joined himfrom a near-by thicket. Birds began chirping in all the trees.
The Eastern sky began to turn golden. The fleecy white clouds began tolook rosy.
Bobby forgot all about the rooster.
Soon there were birds singing everywhere--robins in the apple orchard,an oriole in the elm tree, swallows flashing through the farmyard,bluebirds and yellowbirds on every side. Bobolinks skimming over theclover field, joined the chorus.
Then on a low limb of the crab-apple tree, a meadow lark began to sing.Bobby tried to find him, but could not see him among the branches. Sucha wonderful song he had never heard.
The Eastern sky was getting more rosy and more golden.
"It must be the sunrise that makes him so happy," thought Bobby. "I wishI could sing like that."
So there Bobby stood, golden sunrise in the East, singing birds aroundhim.
Meanwhile, Red Top was quietly making his way to the house. As far asthe wood-pile he came, and Bobby did not drive him back. As far as thepump he came.
"I'll soon be there," he thought.
A rooster in the next barn-yard crowed. Then Bobby remembered.
He ran toward the house. There was Red Top on the little mound.
"Oh, I must stop him before he crows," thought Bobby. He shouted, "Shoo,shoo!"
Just then a loud cock-a-doodle-doo rang out on the morning air.
"I beat you, Bobby," it seemed to say.
Father looked out of his window and said, "Red Top was smarter than you,wasn't he?"
"I am sorry I let him wake you," said Bobby.
John put his head out of his window and called, "You have lost thedime, Bobby."
"I don't care," said Bobby. "I heard the birds and saw the sunrise."
Then he chased Red Top down to the Old Red Barn, so Father could finishhis morning nap.
HA
YING TIME]
VII
One of the many pretty sights on the farm in early June, was the cloverfield, all covered with red blossoms.
It was an interesting place, too.
Bobby and Rover loved to romp in it. The honey bees came to it to gethoney. The bobolinks, like flashes of black and white, skimmed over itas they sang. The ground-birds had their nests in it.
Bobby knew of three nests there.
But the time had come for cutting the clover.
One morning, Bobby saw Father and Hobson in the tool-shed andwent to see what they were doing. He found them busy about themowing-machine--oiling it, tightening the screws and sharpening theknives.
"Oh, Father, you aren't going to cut the grass now, are you?" saidBobby.
"Yes," said Father, "the clover is ready."
"I wish it could be left all Summer," said Bobby.
"But we must cut it," said Farmer Hill, "to make hay for the horses andcows to eat next Winter."
When the mower was ready, they hitched Prince and Daisy to it, andFather climbed to the seat and drove to the hayfield.
As the mower went around the field, it cut a wide swath of clover andleft it lying flat on the ground.
A humming sound the mower made, a pleasant sound to a person somedistance away, a very loud sound to one near by.
