| Show always after risking his life to cross the highway he would turn around and talk in rooster talk to the fast disappearing car or truck peck atfew pebbles or blades of grass and then start for home Each morning from our kitchen window we would watch his death-defying antics Sometimes if we had to leave before Petejourney was complete Betty our daughter kept us informed as to his travels Finally she would announce Hecomin for home just as fast as he can put one foot in front of the other Pete wasvery light sleeper and we learned to love him because of his cheerful crow which could be heard almost anytime especially at night when all was dark and quiet with most everyone in the neighborhood asleep Then if we were wakeful we could be cheered by his cock-a-doodle-do Sometimes we wondered if he crowed because of his dreaming or perhaps he had been awakened by falling off his roost Nevertheless he always put much vigor and loudness into his nighttime broadcasts Finally he became suchfavorite pet that we spoiled him dreadfully feeding him crumbs or grain when we knew such largesse was not for his best good When our kitchen door opened he would begin to talk to us with his own peculiar cluck-a-cluck sounds and we would try to talk back to him to intimidate him even though we did not know what we were saying We grew to love our cheerful rooster and all family members felt he was their friend One morning near Thanksgiving time my husband Ernest said Therejust no sense feeding that bird any longer He is so fat and if we donsoon do something about eating him he ll grow s0 old and tough that we ll never be able to cook him tender We knew Ernest was just teasing but the thought of our roosterplump brown goodness on our Thanksgiving dinner table was too revolting to even think about Consternation showed on all 119 |
