Page:A Picture-book without Pictures and Other Stories (1848).djvu/46



It was last evening,—said the Moon,— that I peeped down into a yard inclosed by houses. A hen was there with eleven chickens; a little girl was playing around them; the hen set up a cackling cry, she was frightened, and spread out her wings over her eleven young ones. With that, out came the father of the child and scolded her. This evening (it is only a few minutes since,) the moon looked down again into that yard. Everything was quite still; presently, however, out came the little girl, and stole very softly to the hen-house, lifted the latch, and crept in to the hen and the chickens. The hen and chickens set up a loud cry, and flew here and there, and the little girl ran after them.