P at grandpa's farm the chicks were very happy since the old fox was killed, and as Toots wanted some more cunning little ones to play with and feed when he went up for a visit, grandpa decided to put some eggs under Mrs. White. Now, Mrs. White was a very fine hen, and although she had never raised any chicks of her own, she seemed so kind and gentle that grandpa was sure she would make a kind mother. He selected the eggs with great care, marking some very choice ones with a blue pencil. Mrs. White sat very quietly upon her nest for many days, until it was time for the little chicks to come out of their shell houses; then grandpa paid her a visit. Three little ones were already toddling about, and Mrs. White seemed to be in great distress concerning some others who were just trying to see what the world was made of. Grandpa helped the little fellows by picking away small bits of the shell, and then he hurried away to make some nice dough for them. When he returned, Mrs. White was nowhere to be seen, so grandpa covered the little new babies with some wool and then looked for the neglectful mother. He soon found her in the yard with Oliver Twist and a large flock of hens.

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Grandpa caught her and carried her back, but Mrs. White hurt the little ones and refused to scratch for them. She covered them with her wings for a few moments while grandpa was there, and then ran away again.

Grandpa tried shutting her up, but still she hurt her little chicks and at last killed one. Then grandpa told her she was a cruel, wicked mother, and he carried the chicks into the kitchen and covered them over in a nice warm basket. There they nestled for several days until they began to hop out and get under grandma's feet. After that they had a little house in the shed and soon grew very fast. Toots called them the orphans, and never again liked Mrs. White, although she was so handsome. Soon after this grandpa put some eggs under a queer old hen which all the family called Mrs. Gummidge, she was so cross and queer. When her chicks came she was a very kind mother and scratched for them all day long. She was very proud of them, too, and seemed to say, "Did you ever see such little darlings?" Mrs. Gummidge went about with her children until they were large enough to take care of themselves, and then she sat quietly on some more eggs and raised another family, but none of them ever seemed quite so precious to Toots as the little neglected chicks of Mrs. White.

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