“But how did it ever happen?” asked mamma in a puzzled tone.

“Because the engine, running night and day, gave the eggs just as much heat as they would have found under a hen’s wings,” papa replied:  “and they thought that they were put up there to hatch.”

“Oh, aren’t they darlings!” cried Dorothy, clapping her hands as the chickens began to eat the crumbs.  “They are the nicest pets that we ever had in all our lives.”

[Illustration:  “Oh, aren’t they darlings!” cried Dorothy.]

While papa was making a nice coop out of a wooden box, mamma found an empty tin can that had once held a gallon of maple syrup.  She filled this full of boiling water, screwed the cover on tight, and then wrapped it up in pieces of flannel.

“There,” she exclaimed triumphantly, fastening the last strip, “let us see how the chickens like this for a mother!”

Setting the can carefully in the center of the coop, she put the little chickens close by it.  Finding it soft and warm, they cuddled up against the flannel cover, and began to chirp as contentedly as if it were a mother hen.  Then she pinned a square of flannel to the upper side of the can, letting it spread either way like a mother hen’s wings, and leaving the ends open for the chickens to go in and out.

[Illustration:  They cuddled up against the flannel cover.]

“We will fill the can with hot water every night,” said mamma, “and it will keep the chickens warm.”

And here they lived quite happily with their syrup-can mother, until papa declared that they were large enough to go to roost in the barn.

PRINCE GOODHEART’S DAUGHTERS.

By Zelia Margaret Walters.

Prince Goodheart had twin daughters about eight years old, named Myrtle and Violet.  He had a number of other daughters, and sons too, for this was a large family.  But to-day’s story is about the twins.

When the nurse was getting them ready for bed at night she always told a story, and one night her story was about the good-luck plant.  She told how the seeds of it had been scattered about over all the earth, and here and there the good-luck plant came up.  Then she told about a child that had found one, and of all the pleasant things that happened to her.  The little princesses listened with wide open eyes, and hoped they, too, would find a leaf of that marvelous plant some day.

The next morning Myrtle and Violet were out in the garden early.

“I’m going outside of the gate,” said Myrtle.  “I mean to find the good-luck plant to-day.”

“But we haven’t permission to go out,” said Violet.

“I’m not going to ask,” said Myrtle.  “They’ll all be glad when I come back with the plant.  You’d better come with me.”

“But I must get my lessons, and finish the hemming mother gave me to do, and afterward I promised to weed one of the flower beds for mother.  I must do those things first.”