us when we moved to Littleton from the ranch. With them, I
was sure I could find plenty of ways to make us a living.

While I was getting dressed the morning after Mother came
home, I planned that I'd go up to see Mr. Cooper right after
breakfast. He had a big cattle and alfalfa ranch up near the
mountains west of Littleton. I had worked for him the whole
summer before. He had paid me twenty dollars a month, and
had told me he'd give me work whenever Father didn't need
me at home.

Mother was lying on the horsehair couch in the parlor when
I came downstairs. She called me in and, before I had a chance
to tell her what I'd been planning, she said, "Gracie will have
to stay home with me for a few days. After you bring the milk
from Lenheart's, I would like you to dress her one of the
fattest hens. You'll have to hurry right along or you'll be late
for school."

I wanted to tell Mother right then about not being able to
go to school any more, but she called to Grace and started
telling her what blouse Philip should wear and which hair
ribbon to put on Muriel. It seemed as though it would be better
to talk to her when there wasn't quite so much of a hurry.

While we were eating breakfast I got an idea for stalling off
going to school. Philip always liked to feed the hens. And twice,
before Father died, he had left the chicken house door open
and let some of the hens out. I thought he might do it again, so
I asked him to feed them while I was gone for the milk. It
worked all right. When I came riding Lady back down the
lane from the highroad, I could see half a dozen of our hens
out in the side yard. Philip and Muriel were chasing them
around with sticks, and King had Benjamin, Mother's big Buff
Orpington rooster, treed on top of the privy. It was after half
past eight before I got them all back into the henyard. Then
I grabbed the first one I could get my hands on, and chopped
her head off before Mother could send word for me to let it
go till after school.

I picked every last, single pinfeather, and it took until nearly

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