It is ridiculous to suppose that each hen will bring up but five chickens.

The chickens that will live, out of those I consider as dead, will more than pay for the feed." "That is not what I was going to ask you, although of course it ought to be considered.

But you know you are only going to set common hens, and you do not intend to raise any.

Now, are those four hens to do all the setting and mother-work for five years, and eventually bring up over sixty-four thousand chickens ?" "Well, I DID make a mistake there," she said, coloring a little.

"I'll tell you what I'll do; I'll set every one of my hens every year." "But all those chickens may not be hens.