p to Mary's shoulder, where he began to peck at the
cherries. He ate very daintily. Sometimes he would stop eating and
cuddle down on Mary's shoulder. When the ripe red treat was all eaten he
gave another glad crow and flew down.

[Illustration: MARY WHITE AND TOM THUMB]

Betty and Dot and Peggy loved to help feed the chickens. Every morning
after breakfast Mrs. White would come out into the yard with a big pan
of corn-meal mush and Mary would follow with a smaller pan of bread
crumbs. Then both mother and little girl would call, "Chick, chick,
chick! Chick, chick, chick! Chick, chick, chick!" as if they were
singing the same tune over and over. At this, such a hurry and scurry as
there would be!

It seemed as if every fowl on the farm heard the call and was coming.
There were big hens and little hens, brown hens, black hens, white hens,
and speckled hens. There were fluffy baby chicks and long-legged
middle-sized chickens. There were proud roosters with bright combs and
gay, glossy feathers. There were stately turkeys with long necks and
great fan-like tails. There were ducks with long fat bodies and big flat
feet.

Hurry, scurry! Scurry, hurry! "Cluck, cluck." "Peep-peep." "Groo-groo."
"Gobble-gobble." "Quack, quack." Such noise and excitement you never
heard!

Such table manners you never saw! All were talking at once. Everyone was
pecking and pushing and grabbing!

One morning at the farmyard breakfast Mrs. White said, "Where can Brown
Betty be? I haven't seen her for two or three weeks. I am afraid she has
gone off and hidden her nest somewhere. I wish I knew where, for turkey
eggs are scarce this year. If you four children will find her nest I
will pay you ten cents for each egg in it."

The little girls were very much excited.

"Just suppose," said Betty, "that we find a nest with six eggs in it.
That will be sixty cents. What shall we buy with so much money?"

"Wouldn't it be fun to get Father to take us to the store and let us
buy things for a picnic?" said Mary.

"Oh, yes, let's have a picnic," cried Peggy and Betty.

"But first," said wise little Dot, "we must find Brown Betty's nest."

That very day the children began to hunt for the hidden eggs. They
climbed up into the barn loft and looked in the hay. Here they found
Mrs. Nicker on her nest. When they came near she ruffled up her feathers
and gave an angry cluck. "Don't be afraid," laughed Betty; "we are
looking for something worth much more