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The Black and White Kitty, the adventures of Freddy and his Sister
The Mouse and the Lion Stories |
.......You Remember that Freddie's Father built a dam across the brook down back of the barn? And I told you how that made a nice pond to sail boats on. That's where Freddie and Sister learned to swim. In the winter it was a place to skate. It was a wonderful place--that pond. After a while there were fish and some muskrats that came there to live. But the story tonight is about something else that happened on the pond
This happened one spring when the snow was melted and the ice all gone and it was getting warm out-doors. It's lovely on the farm in the springtime.......
And while they looked they heard faint and high and far away "Honk---Honk---Honk." They watched and watched until the geese were gone, getting smaller and smaller, and then they couldn't see them any more.
Back at Breakfast Father told them about the geese, where they were going and, where they came from. And he told them about wild duck too.
And, do you know! It was only a few days after that, that Freddie came running into the house just before supper time.
They all hurried out to the barn and then peeked, oh, so carefully out the other door down into the pond.
nine--ten--eleven--twelve--thirteen--fourteen--fifteen--sixteen--seventeen--eighteen--nineteen--twenty there now. That's twelve wild ducks."
Next morning Freddie went out early to see,
"There's one left" he said "and I think he's hurt. He can't fly."
Just as Freddie had said! There were nine ducks--the eight tame ones and one wild one that kept trying to fly but couldn't.
"Can't we do something for the poor thing," asked Mother. They all felt sorry because the wild duck acted so frightened and hurt.
"All right, we'll try" said Father and went back to the house and got his high rubber boots and a net on a pole. Then he chased the hurt duck up where the water wasn't deep and caught it in the net. Very carefully he took it out and carried it up to the house.
Mother got some bandages and water and things. Father showed them the duck's wing, they could see a hole and a bone that was broken.
I think some Hunter shot him with his gun," answered Father.
"I'm never going to shoot and hurt things" said Freddie.
Then Father and Mother worked together fixing the duck's wing. First they washed the sore place--then they straightened the broken bone and put a bandage on to hold the wing. Most of the time the duck lay quietly.
They saw he had such pretty feathers. His head was shiny green.
When he was all fixed they put him in a box and kept him at the house for a few days.
Soon he felt better and they took him down to the pond with the tame ducks.
At first he was frightened and strange but every day he became friendlier. Soon he would walk around with the other ducks and come for food.
All the time his wing got better and better until he didn't need the bandage. But he didn't try to fly away.
Freddie and Sister like the wild duck. By summer time he was so friendly, he would come right up and eat food out of their hands. Sister gave him the name "Pat" and he used to come when she called.
After a while he got so he could fly, a little at first, and then better and better. The tame ducks couldn't fly very well. But Pat would fly all the way from the pond up to the house.
Sister and Freddie thought their duck would stay at the farm all the time. He did all summer and part of the fall until something happened. This is what it was.
Father said one evening, "We have visitors down at the pond. The wild ducks are back."
They ran out to see. There were twenty wild ducks this time. They stayed all night but next morning just as Freddie and Sister went to see them they flew away!
And he was. Their wild duck, Pat, when he saw the others going, went flying away with them too.
"Our duck is gone and we'll never see him again."
"Perhaps we will, next spring," said Father and he told them how the wild ducks in the fall fly away to the warm southland and in the springtime come North again.
But they felt very sad to lose their pet. They were glad though that his wing was strong and that he could fly again.
But that isn't the end. As I said, their duck Pat went away in the fall. Well, winter came. Then the snow melted and the ice was gone and it was springtime again.
One nice shiny morning, early, Mother went onto the back porch when suddenly she called.
Freddie and Sister rushed to the door. Who do you think was there? Yes--there on the back porch railing was Pat: their wild duck! And he was glad to see them too. He quacked and quacked, and asked for food.
Pat stayed with them five days then he went away, when some other wild ducks went by.
But that isn't the end either, the next fall he stopped in again. This time with another duck, Father said it was Mrs. Pat and there were two young ducks which perhaps were their babies, grown big.
And every spring and every fall for a long time they had visits from Pat. Other ducks came too because they learned the pond was a safe place, but Freddie and Sister always loved Pat best.