The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1856-03-21
The Duck,


them received instruction. After playing
on the water little while, one little duck
got mad. He Went up to his mate and
sa'd' or seemed to say, Now, my lad,
am going to drown you" So he took him
by his cap and pulled his head down un.
der the-water. But perceived that in or
der to drown his little brother, he was lust
as likely to drown himself. He seemed so
intent on drowning his brother, that he
was actually choking himself When these
two ducks could stand it no longer nnder
the water they came up. But the Quarrel
was not yet settled. Both were in a com.
plete rage. They went at each other with
mouths open, trying to get grip at each
others cap. One seized the other, and a
third seized him; and then three heads
were under the water at once. And it was
not long before the whole family were drawn
INTO the quarrel. They gripped, and tit,
and Jerked, and cl,oked, and strangled each
other, till the whole pond was in foam.
and sent out its circles to its utmost extent.
Silly birds! thought I. In order to
drown Others yon srangle yourselves. You
VIII hold yonr own heads under the water
till You arc half dead. hoping to drown
your own brothers. Poor birds Ye were
made innocent. But here is whole family
in a quarrel.
Two things more I have against the duck.
she never feeds any other duck, not even
iier own little ones. All she cares for ia to
MI her own dear crop. She has not a parti
Gle OF 6encvolencc. She will eat when she
Is !. not hungry, for the sake of keeping away
from even her ducklings. Shame on her
Tor that And when sho can't eat apv
more, she will walk over her food, and soil
1t so nothing else can eat it. -,
The other thing I complain of is. that
the mud.
Wicked children are too much like the
ducks. John strikes his brother. His mo.
ther shames him, and his father whips him.
Tell me which gets the worse ducked, John
or his brothers Henry steals Mary's apple.
Now Mary only looses good apple, while
Henry koses good conscience, aa.sccd
name, and good friend. Now, my chill
dren, tell me which gets the worse ducked,
Henry or his sister Maryg
Pharaoh pursued the Hebrews. He cor
nered them up at the Red Sea. He drove
them into the sea. God helped the He
brews all ont on dry ground. Pharaoh and
his hosts we're all overthrown, and sunk like
stone in the cold waters. But while they
were sinking and dying in the Red Sea,
the Hebrews stood on hc-opposite banks
singing the song Of Moses: Tell inc. little
children, who were the worst ducked, PIN
raol Or Afoscsf =
As it is with ducks, so it IS with wicked
people. Every one for himself. A careless
wicked man will keep his money, all he can
get. Ills children like little ducks. must
get their living if they can. He buys no
books against lying, no books against steal.
ing, no books teacling love to one another.
They live in the mud. Their minds are all
muddy. Every duck is for himself. If he
gets his own crop full, it is all he cares for.
There is not one good bird among them
all. They fight at nothing. One duck will
often draw the whole family into a quarrel.
Not good teacher among the whole tribe.
SURGERY IN ILLINoIs.-Mr. Brown, Of
Big Muddy, had his leg crushed by log.
and had all the doctors of Richmond, Clay
and Jaspar, in attendance. ssNotsa set Of
surgical instruments could be found-and
amPntation wasimperative. A rusty butch
er knife and butchers saw were obtained
The saw rusty and greasy, was good enough.
The incision was made, and the f1esh cut in
professional style, the arteries taken up with
q crooked fork, and tied with bas,ine thread
from one Of the NJ. DIS Jackets; the end
OF the bone was scraped with a casa tnisa