Page:The shoemaker's apron (1920).djvu/155



HERE were once a Rooster and a Hen who were very good friends. They always went about together like brother and sister.

The Rooster was headstrong and thoughtless and often did foolish things. The little Hen was very sensible and always looked after the Rooster as well as she could.

Whenever he began doing something foolish, she always said:

“Oh, my dear, you mustn’t do that!”

If the Rooster had always obeyed the little Hen he would be alive to this day. But, as I have told you, he was careless and headstrong and often he refused to take the little Hen’s advice.

One day in the spring he ran into the garden and just gorged and gorged on green gooseberries.

“Oh, my dear!” the little Hen cried. “You mustn’t eat green gooseberries! Don’t you know they’ll give you a pain in your stomach!”

But the Rooster wouldn’t listen. He just kept on eating gooseberry after gooseberry until at last he