THE DISCONTENTED GUINEA HEN
"Well," said the Gobbler, "I should like to know what next! Last springit was the White Pig, when we had never had any but black and brown oneson the place. Next it was Ducks, because one of the farmer's boys wantedthem. Then it was the Peacock, to please the farmer's wife. Now it isGuinea Fowls for the farmer's other son. Society isn't what it used tobe here, and while some of the new people may be very pleasant, I mustsay that I preferred the good old quiet days."
"I think it is lovely," cackled the cheerful little Bantam Hen. "Onehears so much of the world outside, and for people like myself, whostay at home, that is a good thing. Everybody loved the White Pig beforeshe had been here two days, and my children are very fond of theDucklings. I like to have them together, too, for after I had told thempositively that my Chickens could not go in swimming, they stoppedteasing and became most delightful playmates."
"What would you say about the Peacock?" asked the Shanghai Cock, who hadnever been friendly with him, although, to tell the truth, the ShanghaiCock was not so grumpy as he used to be.
"Er--er--well," said the Bantam Hen, who tried not to say unpleasantthings about people unless she really had to, "he--he is certainlybeautiful, although I can't say that I am fond of hearing him sing."
This made all the fowls laugh, even the Gobbler looking a little smilingaround the beak on the side where his hanging wattle did not hide hisface. When the Hen Turkeys on the smiling side saw that he was pleased,they began to smile too; and then the Hen Turkeys on the other side, whohadn't been sure that it was safe for them to do so, smiled also. And itdid them all a great deal of good.
"I didn't see the Guinea Fowls," said one of the Geese. "We wereswimming when they came. How do they look? Are they handsomely dressed?We shall not call upon them unless they are our kind of people." It wassome time since their last plucking for the season, and the Geese weregrowing more airy every day now.
"They are really very peculiar," said the Black Spanish Hen, "and not atall common-looking. I should call them decidedly genteel." Here theGeese looked at each other and nodded. They were always talking aboutbeing genteel, although if you had asked them, they might not have beenable to tell what they meant by the word. "They are shaped quite likesmall Hen Turkeys," added the Black Spanish Hen "and their feathers area dark bluish-gray with round white spots all over them. They do notwear any feathers on top of their heads. When I saw the first one, Ithought she must have lost hers in an accident, but after the otherscame up, I knew it must be the custom in their family."
"And they are shaped like us?" asked the Hen Turkeys all together. Theywere thinking that perhaps the Black Spanish Hen would call themgenteel-looking also, but she didn't.
"Very much like you," she replied. "In fact, I think they said somethingabout being related to your family, although I am not sure. Do youremember, dear?" she said, turning to the Black Spanish Cock.
"Certainly," he answered. "The Guinea Hen with the orange-colored legssaid that their family was related to both the Turkeys and the Peacocks,and that they were pleased to see members of those families here."
"Gobble-gobble-gobble," called the Gobbler to the Hen Turkeys. "You mustcall upon our relatives as soon as you can. I will go later. I alwayswait to find out more about strangers before calling. It is my way." Hedidn't stop to think that if everybody waited as long as he did, thestrangers would be very lonely.
After this, they scattered to feed, and the Hen Turkeys and theirchildren looked for the Guinea Fowls. "Listen," said one, "and we mayhear them talking to each other." They stood still, with their headswell up and turned a little to one side. They heard a harsh voicesaying, "Ca-mac! Ca-mac!" and as none of their old friends ever said"Ca-mac!" they knew at once that it was one of the newcomers. Theywalked around the corner of the Sheep-shed, and there found them, aGuinea Cock and two Guinea Hens. One of the Guinea Hens hadorange-colored legs, while the others had dark grayish-brown ones.
"Good-morning," said the Hen Turkeys. "Are you the Guinea Fowls?"
"We are," said the one with the bright-colored legs, "and you are theTurkeys, are you not?"
"We are the Hen Turkeys," said they, "and these are our children. TheGobbler didn't feel that he could come with us this morning, but he willcome later. He got very tired in Grasshopper season and is hardly overit yet."
"That is too bad," said the Guinea Cock politely. "We hope he will soonbe better. It is a hard time for all Turkeys--so much running to andfro, besides the stretching of the neck whenever a Grasshopper comesnear."
"Perhaps he overate somewhat," said one of the Hen Turkeys. "We werequite worried about him for a time. He slept so poorly and dreamed thathe was being chased. He always has a good appetite, and you know how itis when there is so much food around. One cannot let it alone."
So they chatted on about one thing and another, and walked as theyvisited. The Guinea Fowls were more fussy and restless than the Turkeys,and even when they were speaking would run after some dainty bit of foodthat had just caught their eyes. Of course the Hen Turkeys said how gladthey were to have the Guinea Fowls come there to live, and hoped thatthey would enjoy their new home. All of the farmyard people thought it amost delightful place.
"Oh, yes," cried the Guinea Hen with the bright-colored legs, "it isvery pleasant, of course, but I wish you could see the farm we left."
"Why! Was it better than this?" asked the Turkey Chicks, crowding aroundher. They were so surprised that they forgot their mothers' telling themthat if they came they must be very quiet, and making them all repeattogether, "Little Turkeys should be seen and not heard."
"Better? My dears, it was not to be spoken of in the same breath. Iunderstand that when one has always lived here, this may seem very nice,but when one has known better things, it is hard to be contented."
"Still, we shall be very happy here, I am sure," said the other GuineaHen, the one with the brown legs. "People all seem so bright andpleasant. I like it very much indeed."
"We are glad of that," said the Turkeys all together. "We really must begoing. We fear we have stayed too long already. The Gobbler will wonderif we are never coming back. Good-morning."
As they walked off to look for him, one Hen Turkey said to another, "Itmust be hard to come here after living on that farm."
"Yes," was the answer, "I suppose that we don't really know what comfortis here."
When the Gobbler asked them about the Guinea Fowls, and how they wereenjoying their new home, the Hen Turkeys sighed and answered, "Oh, aswell as they can enjoy this farm, we suppose." The Gobbler was a littlesurprised by this reply, but he said nothing, and as he pecked at thecorn which had just been spilled from the load the Oxen were drawing, hethought, "I wish we could have better corn to eat. This does not tastequite as it should."
When the Geese met the Guinea Fowls, they began to speak of the pleasureof living on such a fine farm. "Ah," said the Guinea Hen with thebright-colored legs, "how I wish you might see the one we left when wecame here. It was so different."
The other Guinea Fowls looked uncomfortable when she spoke in this way,and stood first on one foot and then on the other. Then the Cock saidsomething about the sunshiny fall weather, and the good neighbors,and--and----
The Gander spoke again of the farm. "It is not all that we could wish,"said he; "still there are some good things about it. There are severalswimming places which are fine and cold in winter."
"If it were only better cared for," said the Gray Goose. "I had adreadful time a while ago, when I tried to get through a hole in thefence. I don't remember what was the matter with the hole, and perhaps Inever knew, but the farmer should have such things fixed. My neck waslame for days afterward, and he was wholly to blame."
After this, the Geese found fault with almost everything, and when therewas no one thing to grumble about, they sighed because, "It was sodifferent from what it might be." It was not long before even the springChickens, the Goslings, and the Ducklings were speaking in
the same way,and the poultry-yard was a most doleful place. The Bantam Hen was theonly really cheerful fowl there, and she got so tired of hearing therest sigh and grumble, that she often slipped between the pickets of thefence and went to have a comfortable chat with the Oxen.
One day she fluttered toward them in a most excited manner. "Do I looknearly crazy?" said she. "I feel so. Ever since our last storm, theGuinea Fowls have been shut in with us, and I would give half of mytail-feathers if they had never come here. That one with theorange-colored legs can't see good in anything, and all of our steady,sensible fowls have heard it until they begin to believe that this farmis a wretched place."
"What do they do?" asked the Nigh Ox, who always enjoyed hearing theBantam Hen talk.
"Do?" said she, shaking her dainty little head. "They don't do much ofanything. That is what is the matter, and the young fowls are the worstof all. You know how it used to be at feeding time? We all fluttered andsquabbled for the first chance at the food. Some Hen got the biggestpiece, and then the rest would chase her from one corner to another, andnot give her a chance to break and swallow any of it until she wouldshare with them. It was great fun, and we never left a scrap uneaten.Now, what do you think?"
"Can't imagine," exclaimed the Oxen in one breath.
"Well, they all stand around on one foot for a while, and I am the onlyone eating. Then somebody says, 'I wonder if this is any better thanthe last we had.' Another will groan, 'Oh, is it time to eat again?' or,'Suppose I must eat something to keep up my strength.' Then I hear thebright-legged Guinea Hen say, 'Ca-mac! Ca-mac! This is all so different,so very different from what I have been used to.' The Cock and the otherHen of that family are nice enough if you only get them away from her."
"What nonsense!" exclaimed the Oxen together, and they spoke quitesharply for them.
"I wish," said the Bantam Hen very slowly, and as though she meant everyword--"I wish the bright-legged one were back where it was 'sodifferent.' Perhaps then my friends would begin to act like themselves."
"Where did she come from?" asked the Off Ox. "It seems to me that I sawa bright-legged Guinea Hen somewhere not long ago." He thought veryhard, so hard that he swallowed his cud without knowing he did so.
"Wasn't it at the place where we took that load of stone the other day?"asked the Nigh Ox, trying to help his brother. He knew how disagreeableit is not to be able to recall anything of that sort.
"It was," cried the Off Ox; "and a very poor farm it is. It was the sameHen too. Talk about its being different! I should say it was differentfrom this place, but there are a good many ways of being different.Um-hum! I think I will talk with the discontented Guinea Hen beforelong, and I want you to see that the other fowls are listening when Ido."
Although he would say nothing more, the Bantam Hen saw from the look inhis eyes that he meant to stop the Guinea Hen's complaining, so she wentaway feeling happier. Then the Off Ox unswallowed his cud and began tochew it as though nothing had happened. His brother heard him chuckleonce in a while, and say, "Different!" under his breath.
When the Off Ox awakened from time to time during that night and heardthe Guinea Hens talking in the dark, he chuckled again to himself. TheGuinea Cock was a sound sleeper, but the Hens always talked a great dealbetween sunset and sunrise, and especially if it were about to rain.Other people thought that they might talk more in the daytime and thenkeep quiet when their neighbors wanted to sleep. They declared that theyalways remembered so many things to say as soon as they went to roost,and that if they waited until morning they might forget more than half.
The very next day, the Off Ox had the chance he wanted. He and hisbrother were yoked to the stone-boat and left standing by thepoultry-yard. "Good-afternoon," said he. "Is the bright-legged GuineaHen here?"
"I am," she answered, coming close to the pickets.
"We are just going over to your old home," said he, "with this load ofstone. Have you any messages to send to your friends?"
The Guinea Hen looked rather uncomfortable, and stood first on one footand then the other. "Tell them I am well," said she.
"I will," said the Off Ox, in his hearty way. "I will try to tell themall. I think I can, too, for there did not seem to be many people inthat farmyard. I didn't see Ducks or Geese at all. Are there any livingthere?"
"No," said the Guinea Hen. She did not seem to think of anything else tosay, although nobody spoke for a long time.
"Of course not!" exclaimed the Off Ox. "How stupid of me to ask. Thereis no brook or river on that farm."
Still the Guinea Hen said nothing.
"We are dragging stone for their new barn," said the Off Ox. "Or perhapsI should say for their barn. One could hardly say that they have anyyet, although I suppose they use those loosely built sheds for barns. Iwonder people can spend a winter where there are such drafts; still,home is always home, and people love it for that reason. We are glad tohave your family with us, not only to keep away the Crows (which waspart of the Guinea Fowls' work), but because you will be morecomfortable. I've never yet in all my travels seen so good a farm asthis, and the one you left was so different! Good-bye."
There was not much talking in the poultry-yard the rest of theafternoon, although most of the fowls looked happier than they had formany days. When supper-time came, the Dorking Hen snatched the biggestpieces of food, and the others chased her from corner to corner in quitethe old way. Every scrap was eaten, and nobody laughed when the ShanghaiCock said that the fine weather had given him a better appetite. It wasreally a dark and chilly day, but they had stopped thinking how muchbetter off they would be if they only lived somewhere else. As soon asthey stopped thinking that, they could see how well they were cared forat home. And so, although nobody had really looked at the sky or thoughtabout the weather, everybody had a feeling that the sun must have beenshining.
Perhaps the Guinea Cock and the other Guinea Hen were the happiest ofall, for they had not known what to do or say when the bright-legged onetalked about her old home. It all seemed like a joke now, yet she neverliked the Off Ox after that day. The other fowls were as nice to her asever, for they knew it was a sad thing to be so discontented, and theyknew, also, that if they had not been foolish enough to let her, shecould never have made them unhappy.
Among the Farmyard People Page 20
