The Little Rooster and the Little Hen

This is the story of the Little Rooster and the Little Hen.

Once upon a time, a Little Rooster and a Little Hen went out to the

wood to look for strawberries. They agreed to divide with each other

all the fruit they found.

First the Little Hen found a strawberry. "Cluck cluck cluck!" she

cried, and when the Rooster came she divided the berry with him.

By and by, the Little Rooster found a strawberry. But he didn't call

"Cluck cluck!" He gobbled the berry whole, to get it all for himself.

And the berry was so big it got stuck in his throat! Try as he might,

he could not swallow it. He flapped his wings. He shook his head.

He hopped about on his two little legs. Then he fell flat on his

back, choking and choking and choking.

The Little Hen came running to see how she could help him. Water was

what he needed. So the Little Hen ran to the Brook, and she cried "O

Brook, good Brook, please give me a drop of water for my little

partner the Rooster! He is lying flat on his back and choking and

choking and choking!" But the Brook said, "I will give you a drop of

water when you bring me a leaf from the Linden Tree."

So the Little Hen ran to the Linden Tree and cried "O Linden Tree,

good Linden Tree, please give me one of your leaves, that I may give

it to the Brook that the Brook may give me some water for my little

partner the Rooster, who is lying flat on his back and choking and

choking and choking!" But the Linden Tree said "I will give you a

leaf when you bring me the kerchief the Peasant Woman is making."

So the Little Hen ran off to the Peasant Woman, and she cried "O

Woman, good Woman, please give me a kerchief, that I may give it to

the Linden Tree that the Linden Tree may give me a leaf, that I may

give it to the Brook that the Brook may give me some water for my

little partner the Rooster, who is lying flat on his back and choking

and choking and choking!" But the Peasant Woman said "I will give you

a kerchief when you bring me some silk from the Queen of Saba."

So the Little Hen ran to the Queen. "O Queen, please give me a bit of

silk, that I may give it to the Woman, that she may give me a

kerchief, that I may give it to the Linden Tree that the Linden Tree

may give me a leaf, that I may give it to the Brook that the Brook may

give me some water for my little partner the Rooster, who is lying

flat on his back and choking and choking and choking!" But the Queen

of Saba said "I'll give you a bit of silk when you bring me a pair of

shoes from the Shoemaker."

"O Shoemaker, please give me a pair of shoes, that I may give them to

the Queen that she may give me a bit of silk, that I may give it to

the Woman that she may give me a kerchief, that I may give it to the

Linden Tree that the Linden Tree may give me a leaf, that I may give

it to the Brook that the Brook may give me some water for my little

partner the Rooster, who is lying flat on his back and choking and

choking and choking!" But the Shoemaker said "I'll give you a pair of

shoes when you bring me some cream from the Farmer's Wife."

"O Farmer's Wife, please give me some cream, that I may give it to the

Shoemaker that he may give me a pair of shoes, that I may give them to

the Queen that she may give me a bit of silk, that I may give it to

the Woman that she may give me a kerchief, that I may give it to the

Linden Tree that the Linden Tree may give me a leaf, that I may give

it to the Brook that the Brook may give me some water for my little

partner the Rooster, who is lying flat on his back and choking and

choking and choking!" But the Farmer's Wife said "I will give you

some cream when you bring me a bag full of grass."

Well, the Little Hen was all tired out. But still she ran out to the

meadow and began to pluck the grass. She filled a whole bag full.

Then she dragged the bag of grass to the Farmer's Wife, and the

Farmer's Wife gave her some cream. So the Little Hen took the cream

to the shoemaker, who gave her a pair of shoes. And she took the

shoes to the Queen of Saba, who gave her a bit of silk. And she took

the silk to the Peasant Woman, who gave her a kerchief. And she took

the kerchief to the Linden Tree, who gave her a leaf. And she took

the leaf to the Brook, and then and there the Brook gave her that drop

of water!

The Little Hen hurried back to the place where she had left the Little

Rooster. He was choking so at that moment he could hardly get his

breath. But the Little Hen dropped the water into his beak, and the

water ran down his throat and washed that big strawberry down! Then

the Little Rooster jumped up and flapped his wings for joy.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock- a-doodle-doo!" he cried.

But after that, when the Little Rooster found something good to eat,

he divided with the Little Hen.