They Almost Got Away!
The farmer’s young son was returning from the market with the crate of chickens his father had placed in his care, when all of a sudden he tripped and the box fell and broke wide open.
Chickens took off in all directions, but the responsible young fella walked all over the neighborhood scooping up the wayward birds and returning them to the repaired crate.
Hoping he had found them all, the boy trudged home, expecting the worst from a demanding dad.
“Pa, them chickens got a-loose when the crate broked open,” the boy dutifully confessed, “but I done managed to find all twelve of them.”
“Well, you done real good, son,” his Pa beamed. “You left that there market with seven.”