Short Story

A Hen and Her Children

        One upon a time there was an old hen who had many children. She loved her children very much.

    Once the hen sat on duck’s eggs, and when the ducklings came out, she was very much pleased. Only she wondered why they had such large funny bills.

     The mother hen said to the ducklings, “I don’t know who your father is, but I love you all the same.”

    One day the mother hen took her ducklings out for a walk. When they came to a pond, the ducklings at once went into the water and swam out.

    The mother hen was very frightened.

    The mother hen was not frightened now. She was very glad to see her children swim over water.

    One day she sat on her own eggs, when her young chickens came out, she was very much pleased, too. After a few days, she also took them to the pond. She wanted to see them swim. But the young ones were afraid of the water and would not go down the pond.

The mother hen was very angry with them.

    “Why don’t you swim, my stupid children?” she cried.

    “You see how beautifully your brothers swim over there.”

    She took two of them and threw them into the pond. Of course they were downed, the poor young things.