The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-04-11


but it was done, and it couldn't be
undone, like many another thing in
this world, so full of mistakes, that
once done can only be made the best
of; and they waited then patiently
and eagerly for the solitary duckling.
And at the end of the week the hen
came off the nest, and there was a
little downy duckling half gray and
half yellow, and with great deal of
bill and big webbed feet-much too
large for his size, Eddy said. From
the very first the hen did not like
him. She, perhaps, saw that he was
quite different from any children that
she had ever Matched before; but
whatever the reason was, it is certain
that she pecked at him and pushed
him about with her beak, and, finally,
when the poor, cold, little thing tried
to nestle under her wings to keep
warm-she beat at him with her
wings and would have pecked him to
deate if Olga had not rescued him.
"Poor little ducky," she said, 81
shall be kinder to you"
So she took him into the house and
made a soft bed for him in a box,
and put the box itself into the very
sunniest window in the warm kitch-
en-; for it was early in May, and still
cold out of-doors. There. cuddled
up in excelsior, and with bit of
cotton batting over him, he lived, and
was content and happy, and soon be-
gan to grow. He should have grown
indeed; for never was there little
duck that had better care, or half so
good. Such nice messes of bread
and milk at first, and then the incest
of scraps from the table. Almost
from the time that Olga brought him
in, he seemed to know her, and would
turn his head from side to side with
quite knowing look in his eyes, SO
like black beads, but that proved to
see much. Then his feathers came
out and the down fell off, or was
covered up, and soon he was a jet
black duck except for white ring
all around his neck, and tiny patch
of white on his breast.
In the box in the window Olga
kept bit of wire netting securely
fastened down, lest the cat, Kaiser,
should get at him and kill him.
When he got too big for the box it
was a problem what to do with him;
for Olga declared that he could not
go outdoors where the cat would pay
no attention to him, because she had
an idea that he would run off or that
something would hapren to him
she could not tell exactly what. So
they put him in larger box on the
floor, and Olga put bit of netting
over the top, and went away to get
some string to fasten it down, when
the duck solved the problem for him
self by pushing up the netting with
his head, and then tumbled and
scrambled out in a very awkward
fashion, and waddled directly up to
Kaiser, who lay in front of the stove,
and stood still looking at him as if to
say, II have come to call"
What Kaiser thought no one
knows, but it is possible that he felt
the obligations of host, as he was
there first; for he just raised his head
and looked at him, and as Olga came
back and was about to snatch her
dear duck out of harms way, he
quietly put his head down again, took
an added comfortable curl of himself
and his big tail, and from that day
on they were good friends. AS for
Jack, the dog, he never paid any at
tention to the duck at all, either one
way or the other. And very soon it
was at first a curious and then ia
miliar sight to see the duck closely
nestled to the shaggy coat of the big,
good natured Newfoundland.
Olga said, one day: "What shall
we call him? He must have real
name like the rest of us"
II should name him Patrick" said
Eddy, "for he is so big and awkward;
and, besides, he walks just like a
man in the shop whose name is Pat
rick"
Olga protested, and to tease her
they called him Patrick; and then
before they knew it he answered to
his name instead of "ducky-ducky,"
as before.
Never was there such duck. From
the time he was Matched he objected
violently to water, except for drinking
purposes. At first they put him into
a pan; but he scrambled out and tip
ped the pan over. Then they put
him in a big wash tub that he could
not tin over: and he was so fright