Unbob walked slowly home in the purple Montana twilight. He kicked at a rock in his path and watched it skitter out of sight into some bushes alongside the road. He sighed. This was usually his favorite time of day, even on Mondays like this one.
You see, the problem with Mondays was that Unbob's work stacked up -- quite literally -- over the weekend. The cowboys in town always got real likkered up on Saturday nights, drinkin' and carryin' on somethin' turrible. Unbob always made himself scarce on Saturday nights. He had better things to do than dodge the bottles and curses and fists those fellers threw around. But unfortunately, fisticuffs often led to gunplay, and by Monday morning, his slabs at the undertaking shop were sometimes piled two deep with bodies. Mattie wouldn't let him do anything about them on Sunday, it bein' the Lord's Day and all. This Monday had been no exception. Stiffs everywhere. But that still wasn't the problem.
The problem was Mathilda. And Unbob was very concerned about her. She was the prettiest of all the girls, and it just wasn't right the way the others treated her. Why, they walked all over her. He had been sneaking her treats for weeks now, trying to bolster her self confidence. But nothing seemed to help. He had one last thing to try, and tomorrow was the day. He only hoped Mathilda would accept his help.
Early next morning, Unbob crept out of his house and opened the door to the chicken coop. Sure enough, there was Mathilda sitting dejectedly in one corner, all alone. None of the other girls liked her enough to roost near her. He wished Mathilda was a bit higher in the pecking order. The other girls were probably just jealous, he thought. Not only was Mathilda prettier than they were, they knew she was his favorite.
Unbob crept to Mathilda's side. The bird fixed one beady eye on him, but she didn't squawk as he gently lifted her out of the straw and peeked beneath her. Nope. Not one egg. Mathilda was so unhappy, she couldn't even lay an egg. Well, this was where his help came in. Unbob looked around at the other birds in the coop, and his eye fell on Blackie. Now, Blackie was Unbob's very best layer, and she always gave him at least an egg a day. He was sure she wouldn't miss just one. Carefully, he lifted her and placed her outside the coop. "Go on; there's feed right outside on the ground for you," he told her. Then he gently picked up one of her eggs and quick as a wink, slipped it under Mathilda. Then he went to work.
That night Unbob checked on Mathilda again. Nothing had happened. She hadn't laid any eggs yet, but she was still setting on the one he'd given her, and he thought she seemed a bit happier than she'd been that morning. Well, he'd just have to wait and see.
Next morning, Unbob again crept out to the coop. Slowly, he eased open the door. He was almost afraid to look, but there sat Mathilda looking, could it be, somewhat pleased with herself? Unbob crossed the coop and gently eased Mathilda off her nest. He almost dropped her in his excitement. There were two eggs under her now! One of them just had to be hers! He carefully replaced her on her nest and crept back out.
Unbob was wild with excitement as he went about his chores. He scattered feed about the yard and called, "Here, chick, chick, chick, and who should come popping out the door to feed, but Mathilda. She chased the other chickens away from the largest pile of feed and enjoyed it at her leisure. None of the other girls dared come near her. Unbob watched her, fascinated. When she was finished, she went back and hopped up on her nest.
Well, Mathilda laid an egg a day for the next week and they all hatched! And soon there was a fuzzy, yellow brood pecking around her feet in the yard. There wasn't a happier chicken in Curtis Wells.
And that made Unbob happy too.
The End 7/03
