BETTY-LOU   AND 

HER   LITTLE   CHICKS
 
 

Betty Lou's grandpa gave her some little chicks
for her Birthday when she turned four years
old.  She was so happy and excited about her
present that she decided to name each one of
them !  Betty named one of her new chicks
'Wobbles' because he always wobbled when he 
walked.  She named another of her chicks
'Charlie', after her big brother.  Another one
she named 'Goofy' because she thought he had 
sort of a goofy look on his face !  And one she
named 'Stumbles' because that little chick
sometimes toppled over
when it walked. 
 

One of her little chicks she decided to name 
'Little Yellow'; well because it was such a little
thing and of course it was yellow all over. The 
sixth and last chick she named 'Quacker' because
it liked to make cute little noises and almost 
sounded like a duck sometimes !
 

Betty would sometimes fill up a wooden barrel 
full of water so her chicks could go for a swim.
Her chicks really enjoyed playing in that barrel.
One beautiful Spring day she decided to put all 
six of her chicks in the barrel at one time so 
she could sit and watch them play and swim 
around.  She loved watching her little friends
play.
 

There was Wobbles, Charlie, Goofy, Stumbles,
Little Yellow, and Quacker, all swimming around in
the barrel, just having a grand ole' time in their
'swimming pool'.
 

Goofy looked so cute, and of course he had that
funny look on his face as usual.  Little Yellow was
splashing water on Charlie.  Oh, Betty Lou
thought that was so funny !  She began to laugh
as she watched her little chicks playing in the
water. 
 

She could tell they were having a good time.
Quacker was swimming around and Stumbles
was busy watching the other chicks.  Wobbles
was wobbling back and forth in the water.
 

Betty Lou watched them play for about half an
hour and then she decided it was time for them
to be getting on home.  But as began taking the
chicks out of the barrel, she noticed that Stumbles
was gone !  He was not in the barrel ! 
 

'Oh my goodness' !  Betty Lou exclaimed aloud. 
'Stumbles, Stumbles, where are you ?! 'Where
have you gone ?!' she cried. She began looking all
around the barrel for Stumbles but she saw no sign 
of him anywhere.  Betty quickly gathered her other
five chicks together and put them into her basket.
She always carried them in her little straw 
basket that her mother had given her to carry
her chicks around in.
 

After she had carefully and gently put
Wobbles, Charlie, Goofy, Little Yellow, and
Quacker into the basket, she began to look for 
Stumbles again.  'Oh where, oh where can you be
Stumbles ?'  Betty said aloud.  She looked again 
in the barrel of water, just to be sure she 
hadn't missed him.
 

No, he wasn't in the barrel.  Could he have 
possibly hopped into the basket when she wasn't
looking?  No, Stumbles wasn't in the basket 
either. 
 

Suddenly, she saw him !  He was walking
around in the grass, just a few feet from the
barrel of water.  'Oh, Stumbles, you look so
funny right now, stumbling around in that grass,
all by yourself !'  Betty Lou laughed and laughed,
as she watched Stumbles 'stumbling' around
in the meadow.  He looked a little clumsy, the
way he was walking around and toppling over,
ever other step.  She gently picked him up and 
put him in the basket with the other chicks.
Quacker began 'quacking' loudly when he saw
Stumbles being put into the basket.  It was as
if he was really happy to see his little friend
again.  Goofy got his usual silly look on his face
again.  Charlie and Little Yellow didn't do
anything.  They just sat quietly in the basket,
watching Goofy and Quacker act so silly.  Betty
Lou sure did love her little chicks.  When she 
got back home that day, she told her grandpa
about Stumbles and how he had jumped out of
the barrel to go wandering off and stumbling 
around in the grass, all by himself.  Betty Lou 
and her grandpa had a good laugh about it 
together.  She thanked her grandpa again for
her wonderful Birthday present. 
 

Short Story written by:
Tammy Boatman-Young
2004