Katharine Pyle

“ Then there was no place to swim but in a muddy little duck-pond that almost dried up in the heat of summer.
But the worst thing of all at the farmhouse was the way the farmer’s wife used to steal the duck’s eggs. No matter how carefully Mrs. Duck hid her eggs, Mrs. Farmer always found them and took them away. Once she put a number of them in a hen’s nest, and allowed a hen to set on them. After a while the hen hatched out eleven of the cunningest, fuzziest, yellowest ducklings that ever were seen. The hen was just as pleased and proud as though she had laid the eggs herself. ”

“ Their mother tried to tell them, but they could not understand very well.
“I wouldn’t like a hen for a mother,” cried Squdge; “but I would like to see a farmyard, and to hear a dog bark, and a cow moo. Do they make as big a noise as thunder? Will you take me there some time, mother?”
But Mother Duck told him, no indeed. It would be very dangerous to go back to the farmyard. If the farmer and his wife saw the ducklings they might catch them and shut them up in a coop, and never let them get away again. ”

“ IV THE rain rained itself out in the night, and the next morning, when the little ducklings awoke, they found, to their glee, that the sun was shining bright and clear. That meant they could go down to the river for a swim as usual.
Very soon after breakfast the whole family started for the river. The ducklings ran ahead, while Mother Duck waddled after them. Only Curly-Tail stayed by her mother’s side, walking beside her, and holding to a fold of her skirt. She always liked to be close to mother. ”

“ Sometimes she gives us a dish of curds, too; or a meat bone to pick. Though mostly we have to [84] share our meat bones with the watch-dog. He’s a great friend of mine, old Mr. Tige is. He’d let me have his bones any time if I wanted them.”
“Mr. Tige!” cried Squdge. “Why, that’s the name of the watch-dog at the farm where our mother used to live. Where is your farmyard?”
“Oh, over there,” said the chicken, pointing with his wing. “Who is your mother, anyway?”
The ducklings told him who their mother was, and where they lived, and all about themselves. ”

“ VI “I’LL race you down to the big burdock, Queek,” said Squdge one day, as he and the others started out for the river with Mother Duck.
“All right.”
“Let’s all race,” cried Buff, who could run almost as fast as her brothers.
“Very well,” said Queek; “only we’ll have to give Fluffy and Curly-Tail a start, because they can’t run as fast as we can.”
So Fluffy and Curly-Tail went some distance down the path, and then Squdge shouted “Go!” and away they all raced. ”

“ Ducklings I do believe.” Then as Squdge seemed about to come toward her she ruffled her feathers angrily. “Don’t you come any nearer,” she cried, “if you do I’ll peck you. I don’t allow any strange animals to come near my children.”
The ducklings were quite frightened at her angry looks. They were about to turn and run away, when to their joy they saw their mother coming around a bend in the path. ”

“ The thought of that frightened the other ducklings—only Squdge said stoutly, “She couldn’t catch me! I can peck too hard and run too fast, [14] and I wish you would take me there some time, mother, just to see it all.”
Mother Duck made no answer, for looking up she saw that rain-clouds were gathering over head. ”

“ One day it began to rain and rain and rain around Wiggle-Waggle-Wisk-Tail’s house.
“His mother was very busy that day. She did not have time to watch over the children, but she never thought any of them would be foolish enough to go out in the rain. She had told them too often about the danger of it. ”

“ She pointed with her wing to a farmhouse in the distance
After that Mrs. Duck made up her mind she would not stay at the farm any longer. She [3]
[4]
[5] started off into the wide world early one morning without saying anything to any one, and waddled on and on and on until after a while she came to the hollow tree beside the river.
Here she made a nest and hatched out a little brood for herself, and brought them up the way young ducklings should be brought up, and was very happy. ”

“ Any one of those great feet, if it happened to tread on them would crush them as easily as though they were beetles or tadpoles.
“And where’s your friend, Mr. Tige?”
“Old Tige?” said the chicken, hesitatingly. “Well, you see he may be asleep. If he is I [89] wouldn’t like to waken him. He has to bark so much in the night that sometimes he’s very tired in the day-time.”
“But can’t we just see what he looks like?”
“Well—come on; maybe I can show you. He lives in that dog house over there.”
The chicken led the way toward the dog house, and the ducklings followed him. ”

“ She could go more quickly and safely that way than by land. She had on a calico dress and a white apron, and a pair of big spectacles were on her nose. (All her clothes were waterproof, and shed off the water just the way a duck’s feathers do.) ”

“ When they got back to the tree, and the others saw the beautiful presents Mrs. Muskrat had given them they wished they hadn’t laughed at her either; then perhaps she would have given them dolls too. But it was too late for wishing that now. ”