e screamed
too, had she not thought first of her dear patient.

In a moment, all the household had left their beds to learn the cause
of the horrid noise. Every one ran to the sick man's door, to listen if
it was from there that the frightful noise came. When the door was
opened, there stood all the terrified family, and, among the rest, poor
Ned with the culprit in his arms.

"It's only my new fancy rooster in my closet," said he; "I never
thought of his crowing. Poor father and mother, I am so sorry! O, dear!
dear! what shall I do? I'll carry him right down, this minute; and I
never, dear father, will do such a thing again. Who'd a' thought of his
crowing so early? and then he's such an awful buster when he crows. Do
look at him."

Ned's father was the best tempered man that ever lived, and he was
really getting well; so, after a minute or two, he burst into a fit of
laughter at the droll group assembled in his room, with poor Ned in the
midst of them in his night shirt. As soon as Ned heard his father
laugh, he scampered off on his bare feet, with his fancy rooster in his
arms, covering its head with his shirt to keep down the crowing. He
shut the creature up in the cellar, where it shouted and screeched till
morning."

Some of my most amusing recollections are of the queer scenes and
conversations at which I was present, when my kind mistress lent me to
a farmer's wife. This woman was in the habit of depending, as far as
possible, upon her neighbors for any little conveniences she fancied,
and did not like to pay the cost of. Usually she managed to do without
such a nice tea-kettle as I really was; but, when she had company, she
regularly came in for me. This was her usual way of asking for me,
after saying good morning: "All your folks pretty well?"

"Yes, we are all very well," was the answer usually.

"Well, then, I spose you've nothin' agin my havin' your kittle this
arternoon. I expect Deacon Fish and his wife, and tew darters to an
arely tea; and I'm kind o' used to that ere kittle o' yourn, and can't
somehow git along without it; and I han't yet got none of my own, you
see."

She, of course, always had me to entertain her company; she knew she
should get me; and, as she went away, she always said something about
how pleasant and right it was to be neighborly.

After a few years, some one of her relations gave her a nice
tea-kettle. She brought it in to show to my mistress. I was hissing
away at the