Evening star., 1936-06-07
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

more than year ago The
Easter bunny heard about her long
ings, brough her one himself. and
then stayed on to look after his
charge, now a large and handsome
white drake with curly tail. HIS
proud owner thinks him the hand
soonest duck that ever was" and VINO
are we to challenge this assertion,
even though until you make his ac-
uuaintance ne may seem as other
ducks to YOU "Wimpie" is his name.
Its comical applicability is Immediately
apparent, for his chin is an exceed
ingly embonpoint one, and was, from
the very moment that he arrived IN
the Kause household with the Easter
bunny.
Both were purchased in pet store
In Brookiand by Charlotte's father
who doesn't remember what he paid
for the bunny, but does recollect that
'Wimpie" cost a quarter and that he
thought he was getting a great oea4
of overstuffed craw for his money.
No note was made of pedigree which
might have set him apart from any
of his fellows. or of the intelligence
ouotient which he seems to have de-
Veloped.
During his first weeks in the ca
pacity of a pet, he was mothered.
kept warm and generally free from
harm by the bunny, who has since
died. Wherever the, rabbit hoped.
Wimpie was close behind with his
funny, little waddling steps. At night
they occupied the same pen, near the
woods which adjoin the Kause home.
When the rabbit died, Wimpie's dis
treSs and loneliness without his
friend and protector was so great,
that Charlctte's aunt constructed
headquarters for him in box in the
N Kause's built-in garage, underneath
4 their home. If by chance. the doors
4 are closed at dusk, before Wlmple
has established himself for the night,
he pecks impatiently at them with his
A bill and "onks" lmperiouSly until a
Il member of the family admits him.
f Wimpie is apparently as punctual
about reporting to his garage home
at sundown as a soldier is for SUM-
set duty
Wimpie Is Self Taught.
Charlottes mother who. as Helen
Rollow, was a graduate of the Wilson
Teachers College and taught for one
year in our public school system be-
fore her marriage insists that she
and her family have applied no edu-
cational theories to Wimpie's rearing.
His development has been entirely
along natural or unnatural lines as
YOU prefer to consider it. Certainly,
Wimpie seems to be a striking ex-
ample of complete adaptability to
his environment.
In lieu of duck companions, Wimpie
has adopted his little owner and her
chums particularly Anna Marie
Emery and Anna Marie's little brother.
Francis.
Believe it or not, he holds his own
with these children in their bicycle
races down the incline of Thirtieth
place. On the start, he waddleS at
fast tempo, apparently enjoying the
game as much as they. Just as vic
tory or an even tie, seems to be within
the children's grasp, he spreads his
wings with an awkard flop into the
air. and flies to the streets end with
a victorious "onk, onk," that seems
to say, "humph, you thought you
could beat me didn't you?"
Amazingly enough, although VIM
pie roams entirely according to the
instincts of his own will, he has never
made any effort to make his way to
the water in the branch at the end
of the streets incline. Does it prove
that a duck doesn't find his way to
water unless directed by maternal in
fluence?
He Delights to Battle.
But when it rains, Wimpie is in
q typical ducks glory. He not only
waddles around and enjoys the magic
of each rain-drop, but for days after
wards rocks himself to and fro in
each puddle no matter how small or
how muddy. How he loves bath,
too, in his iron wash-tub which is
always kept full of water and near
at hand. With his bill he dries him.
self thoroughly according to an ap-
arrangement of one group of feathers
after another.
Another favored diversion is dig
ging for worms either during and
after showers, or when the neighbors
are digging in their garden beds and
borders. He is always along to help
by thrusting his long bill in, too, but
not a single neighbor will tell you
that Wimpie is a flower menace I
asked them to make sure, to be told
that "he just seems to know when he
is an agreeable digger and when he
isn't"
Wimpie is pointed to as a model
to little children by the Thirtieth |
place mothers He doesn't cross
streets unaccompanied. One of his
delights, though, is to station himself
at the corner of Ellicott street and
Thirtieth place to greet the heads of
families returning from their daily
professional duties. Each invariably
slows down for a word with Wimpie
as to how his day has gone, with
Wimpie answering in turn with his
"onk, onk," which he manages to
vary in such a way that it seems to
constitute sort of conversation. Ice
and snow were no great deterrents
to tWimpie's activities last Winter
He slipped and slid along as if they
were a great bother but must be en-
dured as tolerantly as possible.
Knows Sound Of Car.
1t would appear that he Identifies
the sound of Mrs. Krause's old car,
for he always appears whenever he
hears her coming or going in it, to
give an "onk" of salutation or fare
well, although he pays no attention
to a new car recently purchased by
the family.
Whether, like the elephants child,
Wimpie is possessed of Unsuitable
curiosity" or lust likes the sound of