The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-02-05
For the Girls and Boys,
From BIaciSwood's Magazine.
MTHE UGLY DUCK

she has just hatchGd. She has had n deal of
trouble with one egg, much larger than
The rest, and which, after all, produced n
very "ugIy duck" WHO gives the name, and
IS the hero of the story.l
$50 we are TO hive this tribe too" said the
other ducks" as if there were not enough of
rs already! And only loot; how ugly one isl!
wo WON'T suffer thar one here" Aud inmc-
diutely n duck flew ut il, and bit it in the
neck
."Let it alone said the mothcG 81; does no
ono any harm,"
"Yes. but it is so large aud strange looking,
and therefore it must he leased"
These are fine children Tint The mother
has" said an old duck who belonged TO the
uoblesSe, ANA wore Il red rag round its leg.
"'Nll handsome, except one; it has not turned
ont well. wish she could change IT,"
THAT can't be done, your grace said the
1nothcr; "besdes, if is not exactly pretty,
it is n sweet child, and swms MS well us the
others, even II little better. ! think in grow
iug il will improve. 1t was long in the egg,
aud that's the reason it is II liulc awkward"
"Ihc others are nice litlle things" said
the old duck; ''noW make yourself quite at
home here"
And so they did Bun tho poor young duck
that had come last oul of the SHE'LL aud look
al so ugly, was bitten, aud pecked, and teas
I'D by ducks and fowls. otis so largG"
said they all; and the turkey-cock that had
spurs on when he came into the world, and
therefore Ihncicd himself an emperor, strut
ted about like ship under full sail, went
straight up to it, gobbled, aud got quite red.
The poor little duck hardly knew where to
20, or where TO stand, it was so sorrowlul be-
cause it was so ugly and the ridcuIo Of the
whole poultry yard.
Thus passed the first day, and afterwards
it grew worse and worse. The poor duck
was hunted about by every one: its brothers
and sisters were cross 10 it, and always said,
Il wish the cat would get you, you iriGhtiuI
creature" and even its mother said, "Would
yoH were far from here!" And the ducks
bit It, aud the hens peCked at it, and the girl
Tll0t fed the poultry kicked it with her foot.
80 i, ran and flew over the hedge.
o. il ran. At last it came to great moor
where wild ducks lived; here it lay the whole
might, aud was so tired and melancholy. In
abe morning up flew the wild dncks and saw
their new comradc ''Who are you?" asked
they: and our little duck turned on every
side, and bowed as well as it could. "Bu,
you are tremendously ugly" said the Wild
>LIcks. "llowever,that is ONO consequence
'o.ns, II you don't marry into our family"
The poor thing! 1t certainly never thought
ofmarying; it only wanted permission to lie
among the reeds, and to drink the water of
lie marsh.
Bang! bang" was heard at this moment,
and several wild ducks lay dead amongst the
reeds, and the water was as red us blood.
There was great shooting excursion The
sportsmen lay all around The moor; and the
blue smoke fl0atcd like cloud through the
dark trees and sank down to the very water;
and the dogs spattered about in the marsh
splash! splash. reeds and rushes were waving
on all sides: it was Il terrible fright for the
poor duck.
AT last all was quiel but the poor little
thing did not yet dare to lift up its head; it
waited many hours before it looked round
and then hastened away from the moor as
quickly as possible. 1t ran over the fields
and meadows and there was such wind
that it could hardly get along.
Towards evening,the duck reached n little
hut. Here dwelt an old woman with her
tom cat and her hen; and the cat could put
up its back and purr, and the hen could lay
eggs, and the old woman loved them both rs
her very children. For certain reasons of
her own,she let the duck in to live with them
Now the tom cat was master in the house,
and the hen was mistress; and they always
said, awe and the world" That the duck
should have any opinion offs n,they new
or would allow.
"Canyou lay eggs?" asked the hen,
''No."
"WelI, then, hold your tongue"
"Can you putup your back and purr? said
tie tom cat.
F'Non
.'Well, then you ought 10 have no opinion
ofyour own,where sensible people are speak
ing"
And the duck sat in the corner, and was
very sad; when suddenly it took it into its
head to think ofthe fresh air and the sum
shine; and it had such an inordinata longing
to swim on the water, that it could not help
telling the hen Oft.
''What next, wonder' said the hen, "you
have nothing to do, and so you sit broodng
over such fancies. Loy eggs, or purr, and
you'll forget them"
'But it is so delightful 10 swim on the wa
teri" said the duck-"so delightful when it
hashes over ones head, and one dives down
TO the very bottom"
"Wel, that must be fine peasurc!" said
the hen. "You are crazy think. Ask the
cat, who is the clevorest man know, if he
would like to swim on the water or perhaps
10 dive, to say nothing of myself Ask our
mistress, the old lady, and there is no one in
the world cleverer than she is do you think
that she would much like to swim on the wa
Ter, and for the water 10 dash over her head?''
''You don't understand me-" said the duck.
''Understand, indeed! five don't under
stand you, who should? Isuppose you won't
pretend to be cleverer than the tom cat, or
our mistress, to say nothing ofmyself? DON'T
behave in that way, child; but be thankful for
all the kindness that has been shown you.
Have you not got into warm room, and
- have you not the society of persons from
whom something is 10 be learnt? But you
are blockhead, and it is tiresomo TO have to
do with you. You may believe what say:
am well disposed towards you; l tell you
L. L Il. -