The Eagle

	One day a farmer walked through the woods. He saw an eagle's nest high in a tree. He decided to climb the tree and in doing so found an eaglet. He took the eaglet home and put it among his chickens. For five years the eagle grew up among the chickens and behaved as a chicken. One day a man who knew birds came by to visit the farmer. As they stood in the barnyard, the chickens came to feed. Among them was the eagle. The man said, "That is an eagle!" The farmer said, "Not so, it is a chicken. It was an eagle but now it is a chicken." The man who knew birds said that it was an eagle and to prove it, he would make it fly. The farmer laughed. The man lifted the eagle and said, "You are an eagle, fly!" The eagle looked at the man. It looked at the chickens feeding on the ground. It jumped down and commenced to feed with the chickens. The farmer said, "See, I told you it was a chicken." The man said it was not a chicken, but an eagle. "I will try again." The man took the eagle to the roof of the house. "You are an eagle and not a chicken. Fly!" The eagle looked down from the roof and saw the chickens feeding. It jumped down to join them. As the man who knew birds descended from the roof, the farmer laughed. "You see, it is a chicken now." "No, let us take it to the mountains where it belongs. I wish to try again." They put the eagle in the truck and drove to the base of the mountains. The man who knew birds took the eagle out and set it on the ground. "Eagle, you are an eagle and not a chicken, fly!" The eagle trembled as if new life was coming into its body, but it did not fly. The farmer gloated, "I told you it was not an eagle!" The man who knew birds turned the eagle's face to the sun. Suddenly, with the screech of an eagle, the great bird lifted into the sky and soared ever higher. It disappeared into the sky and never returned. Though it was raised as a chicken, it had the heart of an eagle.

One day a farmer walked through the woods. He saw an eagle's nest high in a tree. He decided to climb the tree and in doing so found an eaglet. He took the eaglet home and put it among his chickens. For five years the eagle grew up among the chickens and behaved as a chicken.

One day a man who knew birds came by to visit the farmer. As they stood in the barnyard, the chickens came to feed. Among them was the eagle. The man said, "That is an eagle!" The farmer said, "Not so, it is a chicken. It was an eagle but now it is a chicken." The man who knew birds said that it was an eagle and to prove it, he would make it fly. The farmer laughed.

The man lifted the eagle and said, "You are an eagle, fly!" The eagle looked at the man. It looked at the chickens feeding on the ground. It jumped down and commenced to feed with the chickens. The farmer said, "See, I told you it was a chicken." The man said it was not a chicken, but an eagle. "I will try again."

The man took the eagle to the roof of the house. "You are an eagle and not a chicken. Fly!" The eagle looked down from the roof and saw the chickens feeding. It jumped down to join them. As the man who knew birds descended from the roof, the farmer laughed. "You see, it is a chicken now." "No, let us take it to the mountains where it belongs. I wish to try again." They put the eagle in the truck and drove to the base of the mountains. The man who knew birds took the eagle out and set it on the ground.

"Eagle, you are an eagle and not a chicken, fly!" The eagle trembled as if new life was coming into its body, but it did not fly. The farmer gloated, "I told you it was not an eagle!" The man who knew birds turned the eagle's face to the sun. Suddenly, with the screech of an eagle, the great bird lifted into the sky and soared ever higher. It disappeared into the sky and never returned.

Though it was raised as a chicken, it had the heart of an eagle.