In winter, when they were kept in the house, my sister and I had these two for our pets.

They let us handle them by the hour, and stayed just where we put them.

The white hen laid her eggs in a linen chest made of bark.

We would take the warm egg to grandmother, who rolled it on our eyes, repeating this charm: "As this egg is fresh, so may your eyes be fresh.

As this egg is sound, so may your eyes be sound." I still like to touch my eyelids with a fresh-laid egg, whenever I am so happy as to possess one.
On the horses in the barn I bestowed the same calm attention as on the cow, speculative rather than affectionate.