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Show MR. ROOSTER'S ADVICE IT WAS raining very fast and all the hens and chickens were sitting under un-der the bushes ut one corner of llie yard waiting for the rain to be over, for 'each knew the worms would then be easier to Dud. Old Mr. Rooster wok watching with the rest of the family. lie had lived at the farm longer than the others and so was considered very wise and was very much respected. The hens taught their chicks to look upon old Mr. Rooster as their protector protec-tor and as one to be listened to in all things. When the rain was over young Mrs. Hen jumped up to scratch for worms WJ4J IM. 1 before the others came from under the bushes. She was lucky enough to get a very large one the first scratch, but before . she had it dragged from the ground out ran all the others and began to tug and pull until in the end no one got the worm. "Now, what a silly family 1 have," thought old Mr. Rooster, who had not run with the others. "All so greedy that not one of them hud a bite. I must talk to them and tell ttem how silly they are." In spite of the worms, when Mr. Rooster called his family they all came running to see whnt he wanted. "I want to give you some advice." he said, "the worms will be very thick after the rain and easy to find, but when one of you gets a very large one I have noticed that all the others run und try to get It and in the end no one has anything to show for the struggle. "Now, my advice Is that each one of you scratch for yourself and let your neighbor alone, even if he or she has a larger worm than you have, for if you drop the one you have found someone will come along and eat it and in the end you will be the loser,' Mr. Rooster strutted away feeling tint he had done his family a great service and looking very important and wise. All the fowl looked after him and no one moved until old Mrs. Hen said : "I wonder if old Mr. Rooster really meant what he said: I never saw any of our family that would not grab a big worm when It had a chance," and off she ran, followed by all the others, for they well knew that old Mrs. Ilen knew just where to look for the. finest worms. Now, It happened the old Mr. Rooster Roost-er saw them all running and he saw-Mrs. saw-Mrs. Hen ahead, so he, too, ran to see what was going on. When they readied Mrs. Hen she was pulling from the wet earth a very fine large worm and every hen and chicken dashed to her side, but before r anyone got a piece old Mr. Rooster flew over their heads with outspread and flapping wings. He landed right In the midst of the struggling fowl and before old Mrs. Hen could collect her wits Mr. Rooster Roost-er had the big worm In his beak and was running away. Of course, no one saw him eat it and later all he said was that every time he saw a struggle he should take the worm, but he did not say what he should do with it. - "He ate it, my dears," said old Mrs. Hen. "I am sure of it, and he will take every one we find If he sees it, so we better be careful." There was no more quarreling among Mr. Rooster's family after that, and as he walked around the yard he said to himself, "You have to use force when they will not listen to reason, rea-son, but that certainly was a fine, plump worm." (Copyright.) |