THE DUCKLING WHO DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
"Quack! Quack!" called the Duck who had been sitting on her nest solong. "My first egg is cracked, and I can see the broad yellow bill ofmy eldest child. Ah! Now I can see his downy white head." The Drakeheard her and quacked the news to every one around, and flapped hiswings, and preened his feathers, for was not this the first Ducklingever hatched on the farm?
The Drake had not been there long himself. It was only a few days beforethe Duck began sitting that she and her five sisters had come with himto this place. It had not taken them long to become acquainted with theother farmyard people, and all had been kind to them. The Geese hadrather put on airs, at first, because they were bigger and had longerlegs, but the Ducks and Drake were too wise to notice this in any way,and before long the Geese were as friendly as possible. They would haveshown the Ducks the way to the water if it had been necessary, but itwas not, for Ducks always know without being told just where to find it.They know, and they do not know why they know. It is one of the thingsthat are.
Now that the first Duckling had chipped the shell, everybody wanted tosee him, and there was soon a crowd of fowls around the nest watchinghim free himself from it. The Drake stood by, as proud as a Peacock. "Ithink he looks much like his mother," said he.
"Yes, yes," cackled all the Hens. "The same broad yellow bill, the sameshort yellow legs, and the same webbed feet."
The mother Duck smiled. "He looks more like me now than he will by andby," she said, "for when his feathers grow and cover the down, he willhave a stiff little one curled up on his back like the Drake's. Andreally, except for the curled feather, his father and I look very muchalike."
"That is so," said the Black Spanish Cock. "You do look alike; the samewhite feathers, the same broad breast, the same strong wings, the samepointed tail, the same long neck, the same sweet expression around thebill!" That was just like the Black Spanish Cock. He always saidsomething pleasant about people when he could, and it was much betterthan saying unpleasant things. Indeed, he was the most polite fowl inthe poultry-yard, and the Black Spanish Hen thought his manners quiteperfect.
Then the Duckling's five aunts pushed their way through the crowd to thenest under the edge of the strawstack. "Have you noticed what finelarge feet he has?" said one of them. "That is like his mother's people.See what a strong web is between the three long toes on each foot! Hewill be a good swimmer. The one toe that points backward is small, to besure, but he does not need that in swimming. That is only to makewaddling easier."
"Yes, yes," "A fine web," and "Very large feet," cried the fowls aroundthe nest, but most of them didn't care so much about the size of hisfeet as the Ducks did. Large feet are always useful, you know, yetnobody needs them so badly as Geese and Ducks. The Geese were offswimming, and so could not see the Duckling when first he came out ofthe shell.
"Tap-tap, tap-tap," sounded inside another shell, and they knew thatthere would soon be a second damp little Duckling beside the first. Thevisitors could not stay to see this one come out, and they went awayfor a time. The eldest Duckling had supposed that this was life, to havepeople around saying, "How bright he is!" "What fine legs!" or "He has abeautiful bill!" And now that they all walked away and his mother waslooking after the Duckling who was just breaking her shell, he didn'tlike it--he didn't like it at all.
Still, it was much better so. If he had had no brothers and sisters, hewould have been a lonely little fellow; besides, he would have had hisown way nearly all the time, and that is likely to make any Ducklingselfish. Then, too, if all the other fowls had petted him and given himthe best of everything, he would have become vain. Truly, it was a goodthing for him not to be the only child, and he soon learned to think so.
After there were two Ducklings, a third one came, and a fourth, and afifth, and so on until, when the broken shells were cleared away andthe mother had counted bills, she could call to the Drake and hersisters, "Nine Ducklings hatched, and there were only nine eggs in thenest."
"Then come to the brook," said the Drake, "and let the children have abath. I have been swimming a great many times to-day, and they have noteven set foot in water yet. Why, our eldest son was out of his shellbefore the Horses were harnessed this morning, and here it is nearlytime for their supper."
"I couldn't help it," said the mother Duck. "I couldn't leave the nestto take him swimming until the rest were ready to go. I am doing thebest I can."
"I didn't mean to find fault," said the Drake, "and I suppose youcouldn't get away, but we know that Ducklings should be taught to batheoften, and there is nothing like beginning in time."
"I might have taken some of them to the brook," said one of the aunts.The mother straightened her neck and held her head very high, while sheanswered, "You? You are very kind, but what do you know about bringingup Ducklings?"
Now the aunt might have said, "I know just as much as you do," for itwas the young mother's first brood, yet she kept still. She thought, "Imay hatch Ducklings of my own some day, and then I suppose I shall wantto care for them myself."
"Wait," said the Drake, as they reached the brook. "Let us wait and seewhat the children will do." The words were hardly out of his billwhen--flutter--splash--splash!--there were nine yellow-white Ducklingsfloating on the brook and murmuring happily to each other as though theyhad never done anything else.
The Dorking Cock stood on the bank. "Who taught them to swim?" said he.
"Nobody," answered their mother proudly. "They knew without being told.That is the way a Duck takes to water." And she gave a dainty lurch andwas among her brood.
THEY HAD A GOOD SWIM.]
"Well!" exclaimed the Dorking Cock. "I thought the little Dorkings wereas bright as children could be, but they didn't know as much as that. Imust tell them." He stalked off, talking under his breath.
"They know more than that," said the Drake. "Did you see how they ranahead of us when we stopped to talk? They knew where to find water assoon as they were out of the shell. Still, the Cock might not havebelieved that if I had told him."
They had a good swim, and then all stood on the bank and driedthemselves. This they did by squeezing the water out of their down withtheir bills. The Drake, the mother Duck, the five aunts, and the nineDucklings all stood as tall and straight as they could, and turned andtwisted their long necks, and flapped their wings, and squeezed theirdown, and murmured to each other. And their father didn't tell thelittle ones how, and their mother didn't tell them how, and their fiveaunts didn't tell them how, but they knew without being told.
The Ducklings grew fast, and made friends of all the farmyard people.Early every morning they went to the brook. They learned to follow thebrook to the river, and here were wonderful things to be seen. There wasplenty to eat, too, in the soft mud under the water, and it was easyenough to dive to it, or to reach down their long necks while only theirpointed tails and part of their body could be seen above the water. Notthat they ate the mud. They kept only the food that they found in it,and then let the mud slip out between the rough edges of their bills.They swam and ate all day, and slept all night, and were dutifulDucklings who minded their mother, so it was not strange that they wereplump and happy.
At last there came a morning when the eldest Duckling could not go tothe brook with the others. A Weasel had bitten him in the night, and ifit had not been for his mother and the Drake, would have carried himaway. The rest had to go in swimming, and his lame leg would not let himwaddle as far as the brook, or swim after he got there.
"I don't know what to do," he said to his mother. "I can't swim and Ican't waddle far, and I've eaten so much already that I can't eatanything more for a long, long time."
"You might play with the little Shanghais," said his mother.
"They run around too much," he replied. "I can't keep up with them."
"Then why not lie near the corn crib and visit with the Mice?"
"Oh, they don't like the things that I like, and it isn't any fun."
/>
"How would it suit you to watch the Peacock for a while?"
"I'm tired of watching the Peacock."
"Then," said the mother, "you must help somebody else. You are oldenough to think of such things now, and you must remember this wisesaying: 'When you don't know what to do, help somebody.'"
"Whom can I help?" said the lame Duckling. "People can all do things forthemselves."
"There is the Blind Horse," answered his mother. "He is alone to-day,and I'm sure he would like somebody to visit him."
"Quack!" said the Duckling. "I will go to see him." He waddled slowlyaway, stopping now and then to rest, and shaking his little pointed tailfrom side to side as Ducks do. The Blind Horse was grazing in thepasture alone.
"I've come to see you, sir," said the Duckling. "Shall I be in yourway?"
The Blind Horse looked much pleased. "I think from your voice that youmust be one of the young Ducks," said he. "I shall be very glad to haveyou visit me, only you must be careful to keep away from my feet, for Ican't see, and I might step on you."
"I'll be careful," said the Duckling. "I can't waddle much anyway thismorning, because my leg hurts me so."
"Why, I'm sorry you are lame," said the Horse. "What is the matter?"
"A Weasel bit me in the night, sir. But it doesn't hurt so much as itdid before I came to see you. Perhaps the pasture is a better place forlame legs than the farmyard." He didn't know that it was because he wastrying to make somebody else happy that he felt so much better, yet thatwas the reason.
The Blind Horse and the Duckling became very fond of each other and hada fine time. The Horse told stories of his Colthood, and of the thingshe had seen in his travels before he became blind. And the Duckling toldhim what the other farmyard people were doing, and about the soft,fleecy clouds that drifted across the blue sky. When the mother Duckcame to look for him, the little fellow was much surprised. "Didn't yougo to the brook?" he asked.
"Yes," said his mother, with a smile. "We have been there all themorning. Don't you see how high the sun is?"
"Why-ee!" said the Duckling. "I didn't think I had been here long atall. We've been having the nicest time. And I'm coming again, am I not?"He asked this question of the Blind Horse.
"I wish you would come often," answered the Blind Horse. "You have givenme a very pleasant morning. Good-bye!"
The mother Duck and her son waddled off together. "How is your leg?"said she.
"I forgot all about it until I began to walk," answered the Duckling."Isn't that queer?"
"Not at all," said his mother. "It was because you were making somebodyelse happy. 'When you don't know what to do, help somebody.'"