Chapter Five Synopsis of Discussion
Week of August 5, 2007
Chapter 5 – Miss Hickory’s Good Deed
Miss Hickory is making many friends in the forest. She and Hen-Pheasant are
headed for the blueberry fields. Hen-Pheasant is bemoaning the fact that Cock-Pheasant
has left her and moved to the other side of the brush pile for the winter season.
He does not let her have any breakfast. He leaves her every autumn and neglects
her. That is the custom. Miss Hickory is disgusted by his behavior and wants
to know what Hen-Pheasant is going to do about it. She replies that she does
nothing. They walk along in silence. Miss Hickory is thinking about Squirrel.
She has stayed away from her nest as much as possible. He has not bothered her,
but she values her head too highly to take any risks. Squirrel appeared at her
nest one night and peeked over the edge but “just wanted to be neighborly”
and wished her pleasant dreams. She kept her hat on that night and did not sleep
a wink. She kept her hat on every night thereafter.
Back to Hen-Pheasant -- it was November and she was out enjoying the fall weather and all the beautiful leaves. She thought it silly that Hen-Pheasant should feel sorry for herself at so bright a season of the year. She thinks Hen-Pheasant should teach Cock-Pheasant to be a gentleman. Hen-Pheasant asked her for some advice on how to make this happen, but Miss Hickory had no idea. Suddenly they came upon a shelter for wintering birds. There were tall grasses for a windbreak and ears of corn left standing. It was a better winter home for Hen-Pheasant than the rough brush pile in the woods. Miss Hickory had an idea. As they stepped into the shelter, Miss Hickory told Hen-Pheasant to hold her head high and be thankful. She was standing in her new winter shelter with seeds and corn on the doorstep. Hen-Pheasant sighed and said she would not be allowed to stay because Cock-Pheasant would cluck her out. Miss Hickory knew he would do exactly that with his high strutting ways. She thought hard and asked if there were other hens in the same difficultly. It seems all of the hens were. Miss Hickory tells Hen-Pheasant that she and the other hens must take a stand in their new found shelter and no cock will dare to drive them out. They must form a Ladies’ Aid Society. Strength in numbers! They can work on a beautiful bed quilts to use during the winter.
Miss Hickory hurried over to the edge of the woods and returned with some sharp green pine needles and four straight and slender branches for a quilting frame. She gathered fallen leaves and laid them together in a pattern of patchwork and taught Hen-Pheasant to sew with a thread of dried grass. Sewing seemed to come to Hen-Pheasant naturally. She told Hen-Pheasant to look to the hills for inspiration for colors and patterns for their quilts.
Miss Hickory went on to tell Hen-Pheasant that the other thing the
Ladies’ Aid Society liked to do was eat, but Hen-Pheasant scarcely heard
her. She had gathered some corn, was singing a little tune of happiness, stitching
a patch of leaves and pecking a kernel or two now and then. Miss Hickory went
softly away knowing that Hen-Pheasant would be safe for the winter. She would
stop by the brush pile and tell the other hens where to find Hen-Pheasant and
explain to them about the Ladies’ Aid Society.
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This chapter shows the caring side of Miss Hickory, as she tries to help Hen-Pheasant. Her solution was quite inventive I think.