Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-25
Dicky Chick ries to
Swirn

Mother Hen looked down at mel
youngest chick with frown. "lf you
don't stop sulking, you shall not &c
with us to the wheatfied this after
Inoon," she said firmly.
The sulky chicken wiggled his little
yellow feet in the warm, brown SAND
and ruffled up his feathers, which was
his way Of pouting.
Whats the matter with you noW"'
asked one of his sisters. "You always
make things so unpleasant with your
grumbling and pouting! Here's a TAT
worm, If you're hungry" and she tos'
sed him big, juicy worm.
But the sulky chick was not hungry.
He let the worm twist itself along I'M
til it almost got away into a mole IN
the earth; but just then old DADDY
Roster. with a loud crow, jumped from
the barnyard fence and gulped the
worm down himself
whats the matter down here" ne
demanded in loud voice. which maze
the little chickens shake, for DADDY
Rooster, with his shining red comb and
great, curling tail feathers, seemed
very grand to them.
ooh, Dicky Chick is sulky!" said
Mother Hen. HE wants to go with
the duck family on their picnic today
to the old red bridge"
"He does, does he?" Daddy Rooster
said after moments pause. "Weu,
we'll let him go this time"
WHAT" cried Mother Hen. I'VE
are going to the wheatfields."
Daddy Rooster chuckled to himself.
"Well," he said at last, "ever since
Dicky Chick was little bit of Eel.
low he has always wanted to go round
with Neighbor Ducks family; so this
: time we'll let him go. Run along
chick. You'll catch them before they
get very far; they are slow walkers.
The little chicken, no longer sulky,
was so excited that he forgot to thank
Daddy Rooster and to say good-by to
the others, but ran off with a gay
chirping.
The little ducks made a great quack-
ing when they saw him coming. Moth
er Duck seemed astonished to see
him; but he told her that Daddy Roos-
ter had said he could 60, and so she
let them all run on ahead, while she
waddled slowly along in the rear.
Under the old red bridge ran deep,
slow-moving stream of cooi water :
1t was beautiful day, and the young
ducks felt happy. AS soon as they
reached the brook they made great
clatter, and waded HI and began to
swim downstream, where the water
was deep.
Little Dicky Chick did not hesitate.
He was among the first that waded in.
The oozy, moist mud felt pleasant to
his feet at first; but as he went far
Their in, and the water wet his sort
little leg feathers and then his body
and tail, and he finally felt himself
being carried along by the flow of the
water, he began to be little fright
ened.
But he was a plueky little fellow.
He saw the little ducks round him
diving and having a fine time. One
of them in sport dived so close to him
that the water covered him up entlre-
". He felt his breath going, and the
next he knew, a flat bill snapped his
little bunch of tail feathers and lifted
him out of the water. The next min
ute he was on Mrs. Ducks smooth,
broad white back He dug his little
toes into her feathers and hung on
with all his might.
Mrs. Duck scolded her family sound
Nv for the little DUCKS we're ludhu6 Oil
sorts of fun of their little playmate;
then she steered for the edge of the
brook.
Right beyond that fence" she said
as she reached the bank and the little
chick slid down. els the wheatfield,
where your family are Good-by!"
Little Dicky Chick, very much
ashamed, thanked her, and made his
way quickly to the wheatfield. AS he
crawled through hole in the stone
wall, the whole chicken family seemed
to be looking for him, for they were
all standing near him with their heads
in the air.
Daddy Rooster made believe that he
was much astonished. Back so soon,
Dicky Chick?"
Flows swimming?" asked one Of
Dicky's brothers teasingly.
But Dicky Chick only ran to his
mother and wiggled his wet little body
into her warm feathers, with just his
feet peeping out. He had learned that
he was a walking chicken, and not a
swimming duck, and he never forgot
the lesson of that spring morning.
IS,,,,o, n Mills in VOuth'S Communion.