Favorite Fairy Tales | Page 5

meadows, and the stork paraded about on his long red legs, talking in
Egyptian, which language he had learnt from his mother.
The fields and meadows were skirted by thick woods, and a deep lake
lay in the midst of the woods. Yes; it was indeed beautiful in the
country! The sunshine fell warmly on an old mansion, surrounded by
deep canals, and from the walls down to the water's edge there grew
large burdock leaves, so high that children could stand upright among
them without being seen.
This place was as wild as the thickest part of the wood, and on that
account a Duck had chosen to make her nest there. She was sitting on
her eggs; but the pleasure she had felt at first was now almost gone,
because she had been there so long, and had so few visitors, for the

other Ducks preferred swimming on the canals to sitting among the
burdock leaves gossiping with her.
At last the eggs cracked one after another, "Chick, chick!" All the eggs
were alive, and one little head after another peered forth. "Quack,
quack!" said the Duck, and all got up as well as they could. They
peeped about from under the green leaves; and as green is good for the
eyes, their mother let them look as long as they pleased.
"How large the world is!" said the little ones, for they found their new
abode very different from their former narrow one in the egg-shells.
"Do you imagine this to be the whole of the world?" said the mother.
"It extends far beyond the other side of the garden in the pastor's field;
but I have never been there. Are you all here?" And then she got up.
"No, not all, for the largest egg is still here. How long will this last? I
am so weary of it!" And then she sat down again.
"Well, and how are you getting on?" asked an old Duck, who had come
to pay her a visit.
"This one egg keeps me so long," said the mother. "It will not break.
But you should see the others! They are the prettiest little Ducklings I
have seen in all my days. They are all like their father--the
good-for-nothing fellow, he has not been to visit me once!"
"Let me see the egg that will not break," said the old Duck. "Depend
upon it, it is a turkey's egg. I was cheated in the same way once myself,
and I had such trouble with the young ones; for they were afraid of the
water, and I could not get them there. I called and scolded, but it was
all of no use. But let me see the egg--ah, yes! to be sure, that is a
turkey's egg. Leave it, and teach the other little ones to swim."
[Illustration: The Ugly Duckling "What is the Matter?" asked the Old
Woman]
"I will sit on it a little longer," said the Duck. "I have been sitting so
long, that I may as well spend the harvest here."

"It is no business of mine," said the old Duck, and away she waddled.
The great egg burst at last. "Chick! chick!" said the little one, and out it
tumbled--but, oh! how large and ugly it was! The Duck looked at it.
"That is a great, strong creature," said she. "None of the others are at all
like it. Can it be a young turkey-cock? Well, we shall soon find out. It
must go into the water, though I push it in myself."
The next day there was delightful weather, and the sun shone warmly
upon the green leaves when Mother Duck with all her family went
down to the canal. Plump she went into the water. "Quack! quack!"
cried she, and one duckling after another jumped in. The water closed
over their heads, but all came up again, and swam together quite easily.
Their legs moved without effort. All were there, even the ugly grey
one.
"No; it is not a turkey," said the old Duck; "only see how prettily it
moves its legs, how upright it holds itself! It is my own child. It is also
really very pretty, when you look more closely at it. Quack! quack!
now come with me, I will take you into the world and introduce you in
the duck-yards. But keep close to me, or someone may tread on you;
and beware of the Cat."
So they came into the duck-yard. There was a horrid noise; two
families were quarreling about the head of an eel, which in the end was
carried off by the Cat.
"See, my children, such is the way of the world," said the Mother Duck,
wiping her beak, for she, too, was fond of eels.