He put out
a cautious hand and the hen promptly gave it a vicious peck.
"Billy," he called angrily, "you got to come in here and hold
this old chicken; she's 'bout the terriblest pecker they is."
Billy stuck his head in the little square hole. "Go at her from
behind," he suggested; "put yo' hand under her easy like, an'
don' let her know what you's up to."
Jimmy tried to follow these instructions, but received another
peck for his pains. He promptly mutinied.
"If you want any eggs," he declared, scowling at the face framed
in the aperture, "you can come get 'em yourself. I done monkeyed
with this chicken all I'm going to."
So Billy climbed up and easily got his lean little body through
the opening. He dexterously caught the hen by the nape of the
neck, as he had seen Aunt Cindy do, while Jimmy reached for the
eggs.
"If we ain't done lef' my cap outside on the groun'," said Billy.
"What we goin' to put the eggs in?"
"Well, that's just like you, Billy, you all time got to leave
your cap on the ground.
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