The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-05-03
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
Happy Days for Mr.. and Mrs. Quack.
Copyright 1915. Z. W. Burssssj
az THORNTON w. BURGESS.


Whose heart Is true and brave and
strong.
Who ne'er gives up To grim despair.
WIN find some day that skies are
And all the world Is bright and
IL you don't believe II just ask Mr..
and Mrs. Quack. They know. Ger
tainly the world never looked dark
or for any one than 1t did for them
when the terrible gun OF a hunter
broke Mr.. Quacks wing on the Big
River and ended all their dreams OF
"A 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 lad been well kept.
presently they found peace and
hope and then happiness. You
see the heart Of Mis-. Quack was
the kind TO make the best Of things.
and she at once decided that II they
wanted 1t they would have II where
they could nave II. She 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
lned every inch OF the shore of that
little pond At last little back
| l.. 81. Ill ar
| suit her. place so well hidden by
| bushes that only the sharpest eyes
ever world fird IL. And little later
il would be still harder TO find, as
she well knew. for all about clumps
OF tall ferns were sprlr ging up, and
when they had fully unfolded not
! even the keen eyes OF Sammy Jay
| looking down froI, a nearby tree
would be able 10 discover her secret.
There she made nest on the
| ground, nest of dried grass and
| leaves, ard lined Il with the softest
and most beautiful OF Innings, down
plucked from her own breast In H.
| she said ten eggs. Then came long
weeks of patient sitting on them.
watching the wonder Of growing
things about her. The bursting into
| bloom OF shy wood flowers. the UNI
| folding Of leaves on push and tree,
the springing mp in night of queer
mushrooms. which people call toad
stools. and all the time dreaming
/ beautiful duck dreams of the babies
which would one day hatch from
those precious eggs. She never left
them save To get little food, and
just enough exercise 10 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 was away.
Mr.. Quack knew all about that
neat though he had taken no part
in building II and had no share In
the care of those eggs. He was
very willing that she should do all
the work. and thought 1t quite sufii-
cient that lie should be on guard 10
give warning IL danger should APP
pear. So he spent the long beau
tisui days lazily swimming about In
the little pond. eossiping with Paddy
the Beaver, and taking the best care
OF himself The broken wing healed
and grew strong again, for II had not
been 80 badly broken after all. II
he missed the company Of others OF
his kind which he would have had
during these long days Of waiting
had they been able to reach their
usual nesting place In the far North
land he 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 ard watch
| Mr. Quack so that Mr.. Quack grew
quite used to him and aid 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 a friend. Always
after he had left there. was some
thing good to eat near where he had
been sitting, for Farmer Browns
hoy brought corn and oats and some
times handful Of wheat
He knew, and Mrs. Qusck knew
that lie knew. that somewhere near
there was nest, hut he did not try
TO find II, much as he longed to. for
he knew that that would brighten
and worry Mrs. Quack SO the dear