The Little Hen and Her Little Purse And What Does

Marina Horte
Translated from Russian by Irene W. Galaktionova

Mom bought us a hen: a little hen who had a little purse.
Mom asked the hen:
"Tell me, little hen, what have you got in that little purse of yours?"
"I won't," said the hen. "If you take me home with you, then I might tell you."
Mom took the hen home with her and asked her again:
"Tell me, little hen, what have you got in that little purse of yours?"
"I won't," said the hen. "If you ask your kids to come here, then I might tell you."
Mom called the kids, then asked her again:
 "Tell me, litle hen, what have you got in that little purse of yours?"
"I won't," said the hen. "If you promise not to cook and eat me, then I might tell you."
"That I promise you," said Mom.
"And so do I," said Stasie.
"Me too," said Nikita.
"An' me," baby Tim cooed.
"Do you promise not to eat my babies, either?"
"We won't, we promise."
"Then you can have a look," the hen said.
She took a pair of roller skates out of her purse and put them on. "Would you like to have a ride?"
Oh yes, they did!
"Nikita, you'll be the first: you're the biggest and the heaviest."
So she gave Nikita a ride.
"Now you, Stasie: you're smaller and lighter."
And she gave Stasie a ride, too.
"Now you, baby Tim: you're the smallest and lightest of the three."
And she gave baby Tim a ride, too.
"Oh," the little hen said, "I'm so tired! Get off my back, baby Tim!"
Baby Tim got off. The hen took off her roller skates and hung them on the wall. Then she sat down for a break.
As she was resting, Stasie asked her,
"Little hen, little hen, what else have you got in that little purse of yours?"
"You'll see now," the hen said. She opened her little purse and took out a pretty dress for Mom and a pair of roller skates for Nikita. And for Stasie, a second pair of roller skates and a sun dress.
Then she looked at baby Tim's feet. His feet were teeny tiny. The hen didn't have a pair of roller skates that small.
"Very well," she said. "Here's a rocking horse for our baby Tim!"