The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-05-02
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
Happy Days for Mr.. and Mrs Quack
tcopyrisht Burgess,
ev THORNTON w. DURoGss.

~ THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Whose heart IL true and brave and
Who ne'er gives up TO grim despair.
Will ind some day that skies are
And All the world is bright and
fair.
II you don't believe II Just ask Mr..
and Mrs. Quack They know. Ger
tainly the world never looked dark.
er for any one than II did for them
when the terrible gun Of u hunter
broke Mr.. Quack's wing on the Big
River and ended all their dreams OF
Q home In the far Northland. Then
through the help Of Jerry Muskrat
they had found the lonely pond Of
Paddy the Beaver deep In the Green
Forest, and there because their
secret had been well kept,
presently they found peace and
hope and then happiness. You
see the heart Of Mrs. Qusck was
the kind to make the best of things.
and she at once decided that II they
couldn't have their home where they
wanted II they would have It where
they could nave II. Sho was deter
mined that they should have home
anyway, and Paddy the Beavers
little pond WAS not such bad place
after all.
So she wasted no time. She exam
ined every Inch Of the shore OF that
little pond. Al last little back
from the water she found place TO
suit her, place so well hidden by
bushes that only tho sharpest eyes
ever would find II. And a little later
II would be still harder to ind. as
she well knew. for all about clumps
of tall ferns were sprlr eiIg up. and
even the keen eyes OF Sammy Jay
looking down FROM nearby tree
would be able TO discover her secret.
There she made Il nest on the
ground. a nest Of dried grass aud
leaves. ard, lined II With the softest
and most beautiful of Innings, down
plucked from her own breast. In Il
she said len eggs. Then came long
weeks Of patient sitting on them,
watching the wonder of growing
things about hcr. The bursting into
bloom Of shy wood flowers. The un-
! folding o. leaves on uush and tree,
the springinS Up in a night OF queer
mushrooms. which people call toad
/ al fraa min %
b"eutiiul dnck dreams Of the babies
mich would one day hatch from
these precious eggs. She Eever lef
them save Ia get little food. and
just enough exercise &c keep
well and strong. and when she did
leave them she always carefully pull
ed soft down over them to keep
them warm while she wns away.
Mr.. Quack knew all about that
nsst though he had taken no part
in building IL and had no share in
the care of those eggs. He was
very willing that she should do all
tho work, and thought II quite sufii-
cient that lie should be on guard 10
give warning IL danger should APP
pear. So he spent the long beau
thu, days laziIy swimming about In
the little pond, gossiping with Paddy
the Beaver. and taking the best care
OF himself The broken wing healed
and grew strong again, for 1t had not
been so badly broken after all. II
he missed the company Of others of
his kind which he would have had
during thcse long days Of waiting
had they been able to reach their
usual nesting place in the far North
land ne never mentioned II.
After that first visit, Of which Mr..
and Mrs. Quack knew nothing. Farm.
er Browns Boy came often TO the
Pond Of Paddy and WAS content to
sit quietly on the shore and watch
Mr.. Quack so that Mr.. Quack grew
quite used to him and did not fear
him at all. In fact, after the FIRST
few times he made no attempt to
hide. for he discovered that Farmer
Browns Boy was q friend. Always
after he had left there was some.
thing good to eat near where he had
been sitting, for Farmer Browns
Boy brought corn and oats and some
times a handful Of wheat.
He knew. and Mrs. Quack knew
that he knew. that somewhere near
there was q nest. but he did not try
to find II. much as be longed to. for
he knew that that would brighten
and worry Mrs. Quack. So the dear