"He is no turkey after all, and will not disgrace my family," said the old duck. "Really, if one examines him closely, he is good-looking enough after all. Quack, quack! now come all with me, and I will show you the world, and introduce you to the farm-yard.”

They soon reached the yard, but the other ducks viewed them with a sneering air, saying, "Here comes another brood; as if we were not plenty enough already. But see, what a fright that duckling is; he is not to be suffered among us." At these words an impudent drake bit the poor duckling in the neck.

"Leave him alone," exclaimed his mother; "he doesn't harm any one."

"Perhaps not," replied the offending drake, "but he is much too big for his age, and a beating will do him good."

The mother smoothed his ruffled feathers, but the poor ugly-looking duckling was pecked at, pushed, and made fun of by both ducks and chickens. So the poor thing, knowing not where to stand or where to go, was quite cast down.

THE UGLY DUCKLING LEAVES HIS HOME.

alighted terrible

sorrowful

runaway

spokesman discovered

Thus the first day passed; but every succeeding one was more and more full of trouble and annoyance. The duckling was hunted by all like a wild animal; even his brothers and sisters behaved very badly to him;

the hens pecked him, and the girl who fed the fowls pushed him roughly away.

Then he ran and flew over the palings, and away across the fields, until he at last alighted on a hedge. The little singing birds in the bushes flew away in dismay: "That is because I am so ugly," thought the young duck, shutting his eyes. Nevertheless, he continued his flight onwards, till he reached a large marsh, where wild ducks flocked together. There he remained the whole night, sorrowful and tired to death. Early in the morning the wild ducks noticed their new comrade:

"You are ugly enough, certainly," said they; "but that is no matter, if you do not marry into our family."

The poor outcast was safe enough on that score: he only wanted to be let alone; that was all.'

"Bang, bang!" sounded at this moment over them, and the spokesman lay dead on the water. "Bang, bang!" it went again, and whole flocks of wild geese rose out of the reeds. The sportsman beat about the marsh on all sides, and the dog dashed through the thick reeds.

It was a terrible fright for the poor ugly duckling when the fearful dog opened his jaws and showed his teeth; but, splash, splash, he darted off, without troubling himself about the little duck, who sighed, "I am so ugly that even the dog won't touch me!" It was late in the afternoon before the noise was over, and only then the poor duckling dared to come out of

his hiding-place; and you may be sure he made off from the terrible marsh as fast as he could.

Towards evening our runaway reached a poor peasant's hut, the rotten door of which had dropped from its hinges, so that a very welcome chink was left, through which he could slip into the room.

An old woman with her cat and hen were the only inhabitants; and they next morning discovered their strange unbidden guest.

"What is that?" said the dame, who, not seeing well, took the poor lean bird for a fat duck who had mistaken his way in the dark. "Here is, indeed, a piece of good luck!" exclaimed she, overjoyed. "Now I can have a nice duck's egg for my breakfast. But," added she, "perhaps it is a drake, after all! However, we shall see that in good time." Well, there the youngster remained three weeks; but without laying

any eggs.

At last, one morning, after a sleepless night, he felt himself seized with a longing to swim once more in the clear water. He could bear it no longer, and he spoke his wish to the hen.

"You

"A mighty pleasure, truly!" scolded she. are certainly crazy; ask the cat, who is wiser than I, if he likes swimming in the water?"

"You do not understand me!" sighed the duck. "Not understand you, indeed! if we don't, who should, you ugly yellow beak!" exclaimed Madam Hen. "I am determined I will wander out into the world,". said the little drake, taking courage.

"That you certainly should," answered the hen, uncivilly. And the poor duckling set off again on his travels; but no sooner did any animal see him, than he was sure to be twitted with his ugliness.

THE DUCKLING'S TROUBLES END AT LAST.

unhappy miseries

housewife
impudence

piercingly surrounded

Autumn was now approaching; the leaves in the wood became yellow and brown; and, driven by the wind, danced about in mournful eddies. The weather was bleak and raw; and on the hedge sat the crow, and cried "Caw, caw," from sheer cold and want. The poor forsaken duckling was even worse off than he.

Then winter came on apace. In fact, it was so piercingly cold, that our duckling was forced to keep swimming about in the water for fear of being frozen. But every night the ring in which he swam became smaller and smaller; the top of the ice kept growing thicker and thicker. At last, be became so weary, that he was forced to remain fast frozen in the ice.

Early in the morning a peasant passed by; and seeing the unhappy bird, ventured on the ice, which he broke with his wooden shoe. He saved the halfdead creature, and carried him home to a warm fireside, where he quickly recovered. The children wished to play with him, but the young duckling, thinking they were bent on mischief, flew in his terror into an earthern milk-can, and splashed the milk all over the

room.

The housewife shrieked and wrung her hands, so that the poor bird became more and more stupid, and flew into the churn, and thence into the meal barrel. The housewife tried to hit him with the tongs, while the children tumbled over one another in their haste to catch him.

Happily for our duckling, the door stood open, and he escaped into the open air, and flying with difficulty to the nearest bushes, he sank down on the snow, where he lay quite done up. It would, indeed, be very mournful to tell all the miseries that the poor duckling went through until the sun again shone warmly on the earth, and the larks once more welcomed spring with their songs.

Then the young duckling raised his wings, which were much stronger than before, and carried him far away to a lake in a large garden, where the apple-trees were in full bloom. And now there came from out of the thicket, three noble white swans, who began to swim lightly on the water. The ugly duckling, on seeing the stately birds, said to himself, "I will fly towards these royal birds. They may kill me for my impudence in daring to go near them-I, who am so ugly. But it matters not; better is it to be killed by them than to be bitten by the ducks, pecked at by the hens, and chased about by the children." With these thoughts he flew into the middle of the water, and swam towards the three beautiful swans, who, noticing the little stranger, came to welcome him.

"Oh, just kill me outright," said the poor bird,