roost and collect the eggs from each one.

�

Henrietta couldn't believe how willingly the other hens let their eggs be stolen. These were their

children the farmer was taking and the most they could do was let out an indigent squawk when the

farmer lifted them off of their nests. She tried to talk some reasoning into the other hens but they

just said that she was being stupid and what use would it be to fight back? If they did they'd all end

up in the oven or the soup pot. Henrietta finally decided that it was no use trying to talk to the other

hens. They just didn't understand. She would have to take on the humans herself.

�

The next morning, Henrietta was awaken by Franklin, the old rooster, crowing at the sun. He did

this every morning . All the other hens always said how handsome he looked and how brave he

was to be fearlessly crowing at something as powerful as the sun. Henrietta on the other wing ,

thought that Frank looked pretty silly up on top of the hen house with his neck stretched out and

feathers sticking out every-which-way. As for crowing at the sun, she didn't think that bravery had

anything to do with it. Why she knew that she could crow too, if she didn't think it was so stupid.

�

It wasn't long before Farmer Brown came to collect the eggs. "Here's my chance! " thought

Henrietta excitedly. So when Farmer Brown left the chicken coop, Henrietta silently followed him

back towards the farm house.

�

"My eggs!" she squawked. She had followed Farmer Brown into the kitchen where he had handed

the eggs he had collected to his wife, who was leaning over a hot skillet. Henrietta thought nothing

of this until the farmer's wife took one of the eggs and started to crack its shell on the rim of the

pan.

�

Then Farmer Brown and his wife turned in just enough time to see the infuriated hen squawk and

rush straight at them, spewing feathers everywhere.

�

Henrietta fought with every bit of strength she could muster. She looked kind of like a biting,

scratching blur of feathers, flying around the kitchen, attacking Farmer Brown and his wife.

�

"Death to the egg eaters!" she screeched, flying at Mrs. Brown and pecking her on the nose. "Kill

the kidnappers!" she squawked and dug her claws into Farmer Brown's scalp and clucked gleefully

as he ran around the room trying to her off, but all he succeeded in was knocking himself

unconscious on the stove pipe. Henrietta then unhooked her claws and watched for a second at the

blood oozing out of the deep wounds inflicted by her claws. She then turned to Mrs. Brown, who

immediately fainted when she saw the hen coming for her again.

�

Henrietta looked around the kitchen in case there were any more humans lurking in the cabinets or

that big, white cold-box-thing. Finally she was satisfied that there were no more humans, so she

took the basket which contained all but one of the eggs collected this morning and a bag of corn she

found while searching the cabinets, and returned to the hen house where the hens hadn't even

noticed she was missing, but were surprised when she walked in the hen house dragging a basket

carrying about two dozen eggs and a big bag of corn.

�

"Where have you been?" they all wanted to know. But Henrietta just smiled as well as a hen can

and walked past them dragging the basket. She dragged it up to her nest box where she carefully

lifted each egg up into the hay-filled box. When they were all placed in satisfactory position,

according to Henrietta, she fluffed out her feathers and slowly sat down on her nest to keep her

brood safe.

�

Farmer Brown wasn't in the hen coop for three days, but none of the hens seemed to mind too

much.

�

On the morning of the fourth day, Frank began the morning as normal with his piercing

cock-a-doodle doo! Which was followed by the sound of ruffling feathers and a few hens

complaining about their cramps from sleeping on their eggs, but none of these complaints were

truly genuine. Henrietta could tell the hens were happy that they could keep their eggs instead of

having Farmer Brown always taking them.....

�

Henrietta's thoughts were interrupted by a warning squawk from Frank and the familiar sound of

the hen coop door opening. All the hens turned to watch as Farmer Brown's head peeked around

the door and looked at the hens to make sure that they weren't going to attack him. The hens nearest

to the door gasped when they saw the big, white, bandage wrapped around Farmer Brown's head.

They looked over at Henrietta accusingly buy she just sat there chuckling silently to herself.

�

Farmer Brown slowly stepped into the hen house, and to the hen's dismay they saw he was

carrying a basket, He went from nest box, to nest box collecting the eggs from each, but when he

came to Henrietta's box he stopped and looked at her as if he was trying to decide whether their

encounter had been real. Then as quick as he could, Farmer Brown grabbed Henrietta and took the

eggs out of nest. Henrietta could tell he was surprised about how many eggs there.

�

Farmer Brown started to walk out with Henrietta and the eggs but then he set her back down after

remembering how many eggs had been under her.

�

"Humans never learn!" thought Henrietta as she watched Farmer Brown slip back through the door

to the hen house. She looked quickly around to make sure no hens were watching, hopped out of

her box and ran out of the hen house after Farmer Brown.

�

It was about ten minuets later that Henrietta walked into the hen house dragging the basket full of

eggs.

�

"Henrietta!" one hen gasped. " Look at Henrietta!"

�

" There's blood all over her!" cried a second hen.

�

And as the other hens turner to look they saw that it was true. Speckled all over Henrietta's brown

and white feathers and dripping from her beak were bright droplets of dark red blood! Henrietta just

smiled and clucked happily to herself, because nether Farmer Brown nor his wife would ever take

her eggs again. She had taken care of that!

�