The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-06-30
STORIES FOR CHILDREN FROM DIXIE,
The Ducks Victory.

|
81 should be the king, said the owl,
because men have always call ed me
the bird of wisdom. Being the wisest,
| would rule best.
"Humphp said the eagle, "you
might make night king, but you
would not be worth anything in day
light, for you can't see when the sun
shines. Now, / should be king, for
men call me the king Of birds and they
know best. Besides, l can whip all
other birds, and could protect my sub
jects better than any one else"
"Pshaw!" said the bee-martin, 81
can whip the eagle any day in the
week. Men call me the king bird and
have natural crown on my head,
therefore, I should be king"
"What a little braggart," said the
buzzard. "He can't whip anything,
but can worry large birds while they
are flying, though he is afraid to come
ia reach of their bills or claws. I
should be king, for | can fly longer and
see farther than any other bird, so l
could fly over my kingdom and be look
ing after my people almost all the
time"
"Ha-ha-ha!" laughed the parrot"
"lhe bugEard flies mighty high and
puts on lots of airs, but just give him a
chance and he will soon forget his pao-
Pile and stuff himself with all the dead
hogs and dogs that he can find. Now.
1 should be king for l can talk like
man."
$50 can we," said the startling and
the magpie, and then all the birds be-
gan to talk AZ once ard there never was
such chatteriag, screaming, screeching,
quacking and chirping heard in the
world before or since. At last, how
ever, il was agreed, that the bird
should be chosen which could fly the
highest.
Well, then all the birds, little and
big, started up into the air and kept
going up and mp, higher and higher as
long as they could, H9weyer, it was
not long before all had to come back,
except the eagle and buzzard, who
kept flying up and up until they looked
like little specks in the sky and then
disappeared:
These two did not break themselves
down in the start, as Mest Of the 9th
ers did, by flying straight up; but few
around In great circles, all the while
going higher and higher.
At last the buzzard got so tired that
he had TO urn paek, put the eagle kept
going on, IpFil be was also obliged to
stop. When he had gone as high as he
could, be held hiaselF pp foF little
while, locked around to see if any 9th
bird was as high as himself and start
ed back to the earth. Just then little
wren jumped off his back, flew up il
the air above him anI cried: Il an
the highest! / am kingla
The eagle was SO tired that he could
! not fly any higher, though ne coult
. still hold himself where he was by flap
ping his wings. He wos the maddes
eagle that ever lived, because he hat
fown higher than any bird had eve
{ done betore and had Wep the race, bu
a cheating little wren had ridden OF
his back, without his knowing it, hat
Jumped up little higher than b
could fly and was claiming to be tn
king.
As the wren came down, he got to-
u close to onS of The eagiela wings AM
the big birk knqcked him clear to tn
ground and into fence corner. Eve
since that the wFeps haye spent almos
all of their time in the fence corners, o
running along the rails, or in the WOO,
and brush piles, or uuder the caves 0
houses, keeping themselves where th
eagles never get chance to hit ther
with their wings apYmore.
Well, me birds said that the wre
had not won fairly, and that they di
moi want o king who was always hidip
under fenee-rails, w6od.piles and cave
of houses.
The next plan they adopted was this
that, in the evening, all the bird
should meet ON the edge of the fOres
Oh lIs eastern SIDE, fopst there a
night, and the one who should fir
|. see daylight the next morning and to
5, the other birds about it, should be IL
% king. Then all the birds flew off
: the edge Of the forest and roasted
. the trees or on the ground, with the
St faces turned toward the east, each OF
t. determined to wake first in the NOR
v ipg ., l., !. :,
: Now the duck knew thal tue ouH+al
a. had the sharpest eyes Of all birds, $
= = yhen he saw him roost in the very tt
!, Of the highest Tree in the feFeqtl he, II
n dack, went and sat down at the foot
9 that very tree; For" he said, 81
pa bugzard will see daylight FIRST, but
y y has very weak voice and no one W
ch hear him call but me, Then I'll CT
gh day as loud as l can, and all the Dir
will think saw it-first.