ANOTHER LITTLE RED HEN[1]

　　At last, one day he was in such a hurry  that he turned the key before the door was quite latched, which, of course, didn't lock it at all.  He went away without noticing, --he was in such a hurry.

　　The little Field Mouse knew that his chance had come to run away home.  But he didn't want to go without the pretty, shiny acorn.  Where it was he didn't know, so he looked everywhere.  He opened every little drawer and looked in, but it wasn't in any of the drawers; he peeped on every shelf, but it wasn't on a shelf; he hunted in every closet, but it wasn't in there. Finally, he climbed up on a chair and opened a wee, wee door in the chimney- piece,--and there it was!

　　He took it quickly in his forepaws, and then he took it in his mouth, and then he ran away.  He pushed open the little door; he climbed up, up, up the little stairs; he came out through the hole under the root; he ran and ran through the fields; and at last he came to his own house.

　　When he was in his own house he set the shiny acorn on the table.  I guess he set it down hard, for all at once, with a little snap, it opened!--exactly like a little box.

　　And what do you think!  There was a tiny necklace inside!  It was a most beautiful tiny necklace, all made of jewels, and it was just big enough for a lady mouse. So the little Field Mouse gave the tiny necklace to his little Mouse-sister.  She thought it was perfectly lovely.  And when she wasn't wearing it she kept it in the shiny acorn box.

　　And the little Red Man never knew what had become of it, because he didn't know where the little Field Mouse lived.

　　ANOTHER LITTLE RED HEN[1]

　　[1] Adapted from the verse version, which is given here as an alternative.

　　Once upon a time there was a little Red Hen, who lived on a farm all by herself. An old Fox, crafty and sly, had a den in the rocks, on a hill near her house.  Many and many a night this old Fox used to lie awake and think to himself how good that little Red Hen would taste if he could once get her in his big kettle and boil her for dinner. But he couldn't catch the little Red Hen, because she was too wise for him.  Every  time she went out to market she locked the door of the house behind her, and as soon as she came in again she locked the door behind her and put the key in her apron pocket, where she kept her scissors and a sugar cooky.