THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG STORKS.
When the seven young Storks set out, they walked or flew for fourteen weeks
in a straight line, and for six weeks more in a crooked one; and after that
they ran as hard as they could for one hundred and eight miles; and after
that they stood still, and made a himmeltanious chatter-clatter-blattery
noise with their bills.
About the same time they perceived a large frog, spotted with green, and
with a sky-blue stripe under each ear.
So, being hungry, they immediately flew at him, and were going to divide
him into seven pieces, when they began to quarrel as to which of his legs
should be taken off first. One said this, and another said that; and while
they were all quarrelling, the frog hopped away. And when they saw that he
was gone, they began to
chatter-clatter,
blatter-platter,
patter-blatter,
matter-clatter,
flatter-quatter,
more violently than ever; and after they
had fought for a week, they pecked each other all to little pieces, so that
at last nothing was left of any of them except their bills.
And that was the end of the seven young Storks.
[Illustration]