They were so polite, and apologised, and said if they had done anything wrong they wanted to make it right.

They offered to pay for the coop if it was broken, and got off their horses to help him lift it on to the wagon again.

But when they took hold of it three chickens flopped out of the broken side, and went squawking across the fields." "It was _so_ funny!" laughed Lloyd.

"There they went, legs stretching, wings flapping, lickety split! It made me think of Papa Jack's story about the old witch: 'she ran, she flew, she ran, she flew!' We all told the old huckstah we'd help him catch them and that's why we got so dirty." [Illustration: "'BUT WE CAUGHT THE CHICKENS AND BROUGHT THEM BACK.'"] "Oh, such a chase!" added Joyce.

"Through barb-wire fences, over ploughed fields and into blackberry briers.