THE COCK AND THE HEN.
I.
Preparation.
This is a story of a cock and a hen who went to a nut mountain, and of what happened there.
A talk about why they would go there and what they would find.
Narration.
ON THE MOUNTAIN.
A cock once said to a hen, “It is now the time when the nuts are ripe. Let us go to the nut mountain and eat all we can before the squirrels carry them all away.” “Yes,” said the hen; “let us go and enjoy ourselves.”
So they went to the mountain together and, as it was a bright, sunny day, they stayed there until evening. Now, whether it was because they had eaten too much, or whether they were too proud, I do not know; but they did not want to go home on foot. The cock thereupon built a small wagon out of the nut shells lying about.
When the wagon was ready, he seated himself in it and said to the hen, “You be my horse and pull the wagon for me.” “Indeed, I will not,” said the hen; “you be the horse yourself. I will get upon the seat and be driver. I would rather walk home than be your horse and pull the wagon.”
While they were quarreling, a duck came out of the bushes. She was very angry and said, “Who has given you permission to eat nuts on my nut mountain? Wait a minute and it will cost you dearly.” Then she rushed at the cock with outstretched neck to bite him. But the cock flew at the duck and pecked her and struck her with his sharp spurs till she was glad enough to stop fighting. The cock then harnessed the duck to the wagon. He and the hen got in and away they went down the mountain.
Suggestions.
A talk with the children about autumn, and about different kinds of nuts. Animals that eat them. What animals hoard them for winter use? How does the hen differ from the duck? Why? etc. Their food and their homes.
The quarrel. Who was to blame? Who was proud? Who was punished? Who was punished in “Seven Little Goats”? In “Red Riding Hood”? In “Mother Frost”? In “Snow-white and Rose-red”?
II.
Preparation.
On their way home the cock and the hen overtake two travelers.
Test the children’s knowledge of travelers and travel.
Narration.
THE TRAVELERS.
The cock and the hen had not gone far when they heard a voice calling to them to stop. The cock told the duck to stop, and found that they had overtaken a pin and a needle traveling along the road. The cock asked them what they wanted. The needle said, “It is now getting dark and we fear that we shall lose our way. I have but one eye and the pin has none at all. Please be so good as to let us ride with you.”
At first the cock said, “No;” but the travelers begged so hard that he at last consented. “You are so small,” he said, “that you will take up no room. But you must be very careful not to tread on the hen’s toes.”
They promised to be very careful and climbed into the wagon at once. The cock told the duck to go on. “You must be quick, Mrs. Duck,” he said, “or we shall not get home to-night.” So the duck waddled along as fast as she could. She could not go much faster, for she was getting tired.
Suggestions.
Different ways of traveling.
Who was polite? Tell who was polite in the previous stories? Who was kind?
III.
Preparation.
Where they passed the night and what happened. A promise.
The main ideas tested. How did the little girl in “Stardollars” pass the night? Where do travelers usually stay at night?
Explain inn, Innkeeper.
Narration.
AT THE INN.
Late in the evening they came to an inn; and because the duck was tired and the night dark, they drove up to the door.
The cock asked the innkeeper if they might stay over night. The innkeeper did not like their looks and said at first, “No, I have no room, and I think you have no money.” But the cock replied, “You shall have the egg that the hen has laid and the one the duck lays every day.” So the innkeeper consented. They all went in, ate their supper, and lay down to sleep.
The next morning, long before the other people at the hotel were up, the cock and the hen took the egg, broke it, and ate it together. The shell, however, they threw into the ashes in the fireplace. They then waked up the needle and the pin. The needle they stuck into the innkeeper’s chair and the pin into his towel. The duck, who slept in the yard, heard them stirring around and flew to the brook and swam away. The cock and the hen then hurried on to their home.
Suggestions.
Fireplace. How are our houses heated? Stoves, furnaces, steam, etc.
Was the promise kept? Describe the conduct of the cock and the hen.
IV.
Preparation.
This part tells what happened to the innkeeper when he got up next morning. Tell what you think happened.
Narration.
THE INNKEEPER.
In a couple of hours after the duck had taken to the water and the cock and the hen had hurried away, the landlord awoke. He got up, put on his clothes, washed himself, and reached for the towel. As he wiped his face the pin made a deep red scratch across his cheek. This made him angry. Then he went into the kitchen to light his pipe. As he leaned over the fireplace to get a coal, the eggshell burst and scattered the ashes into his face and eyes. This made him more angry.
He went to his chair to sit down, but quickly jumped up again and cried “Ouch!” Now he was very angry and said, “Those ragamuffins that came here so late last night did this.” He went to find them, but they could not be found. Then he said, “Never again will I take such people into my house. They eat and drink and pay nothing, and play tricks on me besides.”
Suggestions.
What made the eggshell burst? Do you know anything that explodes?
Conduct of the cock and the hen at the inn. The broken promise. Did the innkeeper deserve such treatment?