So, there she sat until a tiny little humming-bird, in search of flower honey hummed close to Raggedy Ann’s head and hovered near the tall Hollyhocks.

Raggedy Ann turned her rag head to see the humming-bird and lost her balance—­plump! she went, down amongst the chickens.

The chickens scattered in all directions, all except Old Ironsides, the rooster.

He ruffled his neck feathers and put his head down close to the ground, making a queer whistling noise as he looked fiercely at Raggedy Ann.

But Raggedy Ann only smiled at Old Ironsides, the rooster, and ran her rag hand through her yarn hair for she did not fear him.

And then something strange happened, for when she made this motion the old rooster jumped up in the air and kicked his feet out in front, knocking Raggedy Ann over and over.

When Raggedy Ann stopped rolling she waved her apron at the rooster and cried, “Shoo!” but instead of “shooing,” Old Ironsides upset her again.

Now, two old hens who had been watching the rooster jump at Raggedy ran up and as one old hen placed herself before the rooster, the other old hen caught hold of Raggedy’s apron and dragged her into the chicken-coop.

It was dark inside and Raggedy could not tell what was going on as she felt herself being pulled up over the nests.

But, finally Raggedy could sit up, for the old hen had quit pulling her, and as her shoe-button eyes were very good, she soon made out the shape of the old hen in front of her.

“My! that’s the hardest work I have done in a long time!” said the old hen, when she could catch her breath.  “I was afraid Mr. Rooster would tear your dress and apron!”

“That was a queer game he was playing, Mrs. Hen,” said Raggedy Ann.

The old hen chuckled ’way down in her throat, “Gracious me!  He wasn’t playing a game, he was fighting you!”

“Fighting!” cried Raggedy Ann in surprise.

“Oh yes, indeed!” the old hen answered, “Old Ironsides, the rooster, thought you intended to harm some of the children chickens and he was fighting you!”

“I am sorry that I fell inside the pen, I wouldn’t harm anything,” Raggedy Ann said.

“If we tell you a secret you must promise not to tell your mistress!” said the old hens.

“I promise!  Cross my candy heart!” said Raggedy Ann.

Then the two old hens took Raggedy Ann ’way back in the farthest corner of the chicken coop.  There, in back of a box, they had built two nests and each old hen had ten eggs in her nest.

“If your folks hear of it they will take the eggs!” said the hens, “and then we could not raise our families!”

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Raggedy Ann felt the eggs and they were nice and warm.

“We just left the nests when you fell into the pen!” explained the old hens.

“But how can the eggs grow if you sit upon them?” said Raggedy.  “If Fido sits on any of the garden, the plants will not grow, Mistress says!”