
An elderly woodsman sets out for a simple stroll, his trusty, oversized bag slung over his shoulder. Along the way he discovers a wandering hen, and with a cheerful “Chuck, chuck!” he captures the bird and stuffs it into the roomy sack. The scene is painted with gentle humor, as the old man’s harmless trick quickly draws the attention of an unusually dressed red‑uniformed policeman.
The officer, suspicious of the bulging bag, gives chase, forcing the old man to abandon his load in a frantic sprint. When the policeman finally retrieves the bag, the hen has slipped away through a hidden hole, leaving the sack empty. The bewildered constable lets the weary traveler go, and the old man returns home, chuckling at his own cleverness. This light‑hearted tale captures the playful spirit of countryside mischief and the simple joys of a day’s adventure.
Language
en
Duration
~22 minutes (22K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2007-11-15
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1865–1924
Known for sharp-edged satire and a gift for stirring argument, this English writer built a reputation as both poet and polemicist. His work captures the restless, combative energy of literary London around the turn of the twentieth century.
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