CHICKEN "MEMEE." 229

 sons, no duties, no anything but food, hair was to be turned up." Imagine
 food, food.' No play, like kittens or how frightful that made us,-not that we
 lambs: we were running about continu- thought so then!
 ally, but we never ran after each other "We had also grand steps, though less
 for fun, never after leaves, as a kitten marked and more gradual, in chicken-life.
 would do. We ran after sparrows though, At first we were like very lively powder-
 because they came and took our food. It puffs, all more or less yellow or black or
 seemed strange, too, this being able to brown ; then-I forget now which came
 run all at once. At first we fell over first-but we began to have tips to our
 pretty often, because our legs were weak ; wings, and real beautiful tails. The chil-
 but it was not like our Totty's tumbles. dren, who used to sit before our coop,
 Then how fast we ran, our yellow and and watch us and feed us and talk about
 black legs twinkling. We ran so fast, us half the day, seemed very pleased at
 that I knew, to the eye of a looker-on, this; but I don't think we cared or
 one leg seemed always stretched out in thought about it, or even noticed it.
 front, and one behind; and our little When our fluff had all turned to feath-
 wings set up to help us on faster, just ers-how, I can't imagine-we cleaned
 like a wyvern on a coat-of-arms. It felt and settled them, and scrubbed them in
 so odd to be so small! It took me six the dust, just as if we were experienced
 steps to get over the flat part of a wooden hens,-not at all like the poor attempts
 spade, and two steps to get over the I made to tie and braid my hair up at
 handle first.
 When I was a girl, I remember there What a restless little lot we were !
were several grand steps in growing up. We were from four to seven going to bed,
There was leaving off pinafores, and be- and I can't tell how early we were up in
ginning aprons. That was a very im- the morning; and we ran about all day.
pressive step in those days. In these Aboutfour the sun had got quite away from
times, girls hardly seem to wear either us, and so we all nestled up to mother,
pinafores or aprons, except as a matter and shoved and pushed ourselves in ; and
of ornament, and with as much crochet- perhaps the moment after, two or three,
work and edging as would have trimmed or perhaps all, ran out, and then settled
a best white frock when I was young. in again. Then the coop was moved
There was the first advance of leaving into full sunshine ; and off we all spread
off short hair, and coming out in a row ourselves, for three hours more, catching
of large curls all round the head; and, little flies and ants, and finding the small-
as these became unmanageable, and est little seeds among the grass; yet al-
touched the dress too much, there was ways ready for the boiled rice and barley
that glorious time, and long desired, and scraps that the children or cook
when mother and aunts decided that the brought us at least three times a day.