THE RUN-AWAY ROOSTER

“Roy, go chop that rooster’s head off for me, will you?” Mother said to the hired man, who was little more than a boy. I put him in the crate last night. Kind of old, but he will be all right for chicken and noodles.”

Jenny followed Roy as he took the big gray rooster out of the crate and carried him by the feet toward the tree stump guillotine, The unfortunate creature squawked in protest, as though he knew what was in store for him. Suddenly his feet slipped from the hired man’s grasp and he began his run for freedom. Jenny stood there wide eyed, as the big rooster ran madly, squawking all the while. Mother and the hired man decided that between the two of them, they should be able to catch him. The chase began, a gangly youth and a woman in sun bonnet and apron, trying to capture a frightened rooster. Jenny watched all the excitement.

Suddenly, the dazed rooster plunged blindly toward Jenny, knocking her down. One of his sharp spurs scratched her cheek as she fell. She skinned her nose and scraped her hands on the hard ground as she fell. Jenny was too bewildered to move. She lay on the ground and cried helplessly until Mother got there to assist her to her feet.

As soon as the hired man saw that she was all right, he began to laugh uncontrollably, a free unfettered laugh that may be experienced only in carefree youth. It apparently struck him as an enormous joke that a rooster could knock a little girl off her feet. Even Mother didn’t think it very serious.

As for Jenny, she considered it a bitter and humiliating thing that had happened to her. The end of her nose stung and her hands burned. Most of all, it was insulting to think that a chicken could knock her over. So many things could hurt her; so many things were bigger than she was.