pted
to get out by her rightful exit. Finding it stopped up by a wriggling,
squirming body she perched herself on the little boy's neck and flapped
her enraged wings in his face.

"Pull!" yelled the child again, "help me th'oo, Billy, 'fore this fool
chicken pecks all the meat off 'm my bones."

Billy grabbed the sticky limbs and gave a valiant tug, but the body did
not move an inch. Alas, Jimmy with his cargo of broken eggs was fast
imprisoned.

"Pull again!" yelled the scared and angry child, "you 'bout the idjetest
idjet they is if you can't do no better 'n that."

Billy jerked with all his strength, but with no visible result.

"Pull harder! You no-count gump!" screamed the prisoner, beating off the
hen with his hands.

The boy on the outside, who was strong for his years, braced himself
and gave a mighty wrench of the other child's stout extremities. Jimmy
howled in pain and gave his friend an energetic kick.

"Lemme go!" he shrieked, "you old impe'dunt backbiter. I'm going to tell
Miss Minerva you pulled my legs out by the roots."

A small portion of the prisoner's blouse was visible. Billy caught hold
of it and gave a strong jerk. There was a sound of ripping and tearing
and the older boy fell sprawling on his back with a goodly portion of
the younger child's raiment in his hands.

"Now see what you done," yelled the victim of his energy, "you ain't
got the sense of a buffalo gnat. Oh! oh! This hole is 'bout to cut my
stomach open."

"Hush, Jimmy!" warned the other child. "Don't make so much noise. Aunt
Minerva'll hear you."

"I want her to hear me," screamed Jimmy. "You'd like me to stay stuck in
a chicken hole all night. Oh! oh! oh!"

The noise did indeed bring Billy's aunt out on a tour of investigation.
She had to knock a plank off the hen-house with an axe before Jimmy's
release could be accomplished. He was lifted down, red, angry, sticky,
and perspiring, and was indeed a sight to behold.

"Billy got to all time perpose something to get little boys in
trouble," he growled, "and got to all time get 'em stuck in a hole in a
chicken-house."

"My nephew's name is William," corrected she.

"You perposed this here yo'self!" cried an indignant Billy. "Me an'
Wilkes Booth Lincoln don' know nothin' 't all 'bout no rabbit's eggs
sence we's born."

"It doesn't matter who proposed it," said his aunt firmly. "You
are going to be punished, William. I have just finished one of your
night-shirts. Come