The sun, shining through the cracks
and knot-holes into the dusky interior, drew lines of dusty light across
the darkness. A hen, that had escaped from the coop and got up into the
hay-loft to lay an egg, set up a strongly-remonstrative cackle against
being disturbed in so interesting a proceeding. Lady Bountiful lowed
argumentatively, and Dolly stamped, wagged her head knowingly up and
down, and then shook it with a whinny. The professor patted her neck and
smoothed down her nose.
"Need some exercise, don't you, old girl?" quoth he, looking pleasantly
upon her. "All right! we'll go down-town after breakfast. Yes! we'll
make a call on Abbie." So saying, he pulled down some fresh hay, and
left her to champ it; then, picking his way across the uneven floor to
where the white and horned countenance of Lady Bountiful was thrust
through the bars of her stall, he slipped her halter and let her out
into the meadow. Having examined the wagon, to make sure it was in
proper order, he concluded his labors by throwing open the hen-coop, out
of which immediately hastened a troop of indignant and astonished fowls,
led by a rooster, who seemed always to be vacillating between
insufferable masculine arrogance and an effeminate curiosity and
avarice.
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