The Detroit times., 1916-05-02
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
Happy Days for Mr.. and Mrs. Quack.
Copyright T. Burgess, a
Bv THORNTON w. 0URoGos.
Copyright 1915. ~ T. W. Burgess,

~ THORNTON w. DURoGes.
Whose heart 10 true and brave and
Who n:'sr gives up e grim despair.
And All tn. world Is bright and
II 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 = hunter
broke Mr.. Quack's wing on the Big
River and ended all their dreams OF
. 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 we'll kept,
presently they found peace and
hope and then happiness. You
zee the heart Of Mrs. Quack was
the kind to make the best Of things.
and she at once decided that II they
couldn't have their homo where they
wanted II they would have II where
they could have H. Shc 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 SHIRE OF that
little pond. At last . little back
from the water. she found place &c
suit her. q place SO well hidden by
bushes that only the sharpest eyes
ever would fird It, And little later
IL would be still harder to find, as
she we'll knew. for all about clumps
OF tall ferns were sprir sing up. and
when they had fully unfolded not
even the keen eyes OF Sammy Jay
looking down from a nearby tree
would be abls 10 discover her secret.
There she made q nest on the
ground. q nest OF dried grass and
leaves, ard lined II with the softest
and most beautiful of linings, down
plucked from her own breast. In It
she said ten eggs. Then came long
weeks oil patient sitting on them,
watching the wonder 81 growing
things about her. The bursting into
blooms Of shy wood flowers, the un-
folding Of leaves on oush and tree,
the springing W 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
these precious eggs. She never left
them save To get a little food. and
Just enough exercise 10 keep
well and strong, ard 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
nest though he had taken no part
in building IL md had no share. In
The care OF those eggs. He was
very willing that she should do all
The work. and thought II quite sufii.
cient that lie should be on guard 10
give warning IL dagger should ap.
pear. So he spent the long beau
ti.u' days lazly swimming Aoout in
The little pond. cossiplng with Paddy
the Beaver, and taking the best care
Of himself The broken wing healed
and grew strong again. for Il had not
been so badly broken after all. n
he missed the company VI others Of
his kind which he would have had
during these long days OF waiting
had they been able to reach their
usual nestin place In the far North
land he never mentioned It,
After that first visit, OF which Mr..
and Mrs. Quack knew nothing, Farm
er Browns boy came often 10 the
Pond Of Paddy and was content to
sit quietly on the shore and watch
Mr.. Qusck 60 that Mr.. Quack grew
quite used to him and did not fear
him at all In fact, after the hrst
few times he made no attempt to
hide, for he discovered that Farmer
Browns Boy was . 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 . handful Of wheat. r
He knew, and Mrs. Quack knew
that he knew, that somewhere near
there was q nest, but he did not try
to find 1t. much ~ he longed to, for
he knew that that would brighten
and worry Mrs. Quack. So the dear