Favorite Fairy Tales | Page 6

"Now use your legs,"
said she, "keep together, and bow to the old Duck you see yonder. She
is the most distinguished of all the fowls present, and is of Spanish
blood, which accounts for her dignified appearance and manners. And
look, she has a red rag on her leg! That is considered extremely
handsome, and is the greatest honor a Duck can have. Don't turn your
feet inwards; a well-educated Duckling always keeps his legs far apart,
like his father and mother, just so--look! Now bow your necks, and say,
'Quack.'"

And they did as they were told. But the other Ducks, who were in the
yard, looked at them and said aloud, "Just see! Now we have another
brood, as if there were not enough of us already. And fie! how ugly that
one is. We will not endure it." And immediately one of the Ducks flew
at him, and bit him in the neck.
[Illustration]
"Leave him alone," said the mother. "He is doing no one any harm."
"Yes, but he is so large and so strange-looking, and therefore he shall
be teased," said the others.
"Those are fine children that our good mother has," said the old Duck
with the red rag on her leg. "All are pretty except one, and that has not
turned out well; I almost wish it could be hatched over again."
"That cannot be, please your Highness," said the mother. "Certainly he
is not handsome, but he is a very good child, and swims as well as the
others, indeed, rather better. I think he will grow like the others all in
good time, and perhaps will look smaller. He stayed so long in the
egg-shell, that is the cause of the difference." And she scratched the
Duckling's neck, and stroked his whole body. "Besides," added she, "he
is a Drake. I think he will be very strong, so it does not matter so much.
He will fight his way through."
[Illustration]
"The other Ducks are very pretty," said the old Duck. "Pray make
yourselves at home, and if you find an eel's head you can bring it to
me."
So they made themselves at home.
But the poor little Duckling, who had come last out of its egg-shell, and
who was so ugly, was bitten, pecked, and teased by both Ducks and
Hens. "It is so large!" said they all. And the Turkey-cock, who had
come into the world with spurs on, and therefore fancied he was an

emperor, puffed himself up like a ship in full sail, and marched up to
the Duckling quite red with passion. The poor little thing scarcely knew
what to do. He was quite distressed, because he was so ugly, and
because he was the jest of the poultry-yard.
So passed the first day, and afterwards matters grew worse and
worse--the poor Duckling was scorned by all. Even his brothers and
sisters behaved unkindly, and were constantly saying, "May the Cat
take you, you nasty creature!" The mother said, "Ah, if you were only
far away!" The Ducks bit him, the Hens pecked him, and the girl who
fed the poultry kicked him.
He ran through the hedge, and the little birds in the bushes were
terrified. "That is because I am so ugly," thought the Duckling, shutting
his eyes, but he ran on. At last he came to a wide moor, where lived
some Wild Ducks; here he lay the whole night, very tired and
comfortless. In the morning the Wild Ducks flew up, and saw their new
companion. "Pray who are you?" asked they; and our little Duckling
turned himself in all directions, and greeted them as politely as
possible.
"You are really uncommonly ugly!" said the Wild Ducks. "However,
that does not matter to us, provided you do not marry into our
families." Poor thing! he had never thought of marrying; he only
begged permission to lie among the reeds, and drink the water of the
moor.
[Illustration]
There he lay for two whole days. On the third day there came two Wild
Geese, or rather Ganders, who had not been long out of their egg-shells,
which accounts for their impertinence.
"Hark ye," said they; "you are so ugly that we like you very well. Will
you come with us and be a bird of passage? On another moor, not far
from this, are some dear, sweet Wild Geese, as lovely creatures as have
ever said 'Hiss, hiss.' You are truly in the way to make your fortune,
ugly as you are."

Bang! a gun went off all at once, and both Wild Geese were stretched
dead among the reeds; the water became red with blood. Bang! a gun
went off again. Whole flocks of Wild Geese flew up from among the
reeds, and