under broke does
keep only turkey
warm ugly water
A duck made her nest under some leaves.
[Illustration: THE DUCK'S NEST.]
She sat on the eggs to keep them warm.
At last the eggs broke, one after the other. Little ducks came out.
Only one egg was left. It was a very large one.
At last it broke, and out came a big, ugly duckling.
"What a big duckling!" said the old duck. "He does not look like
us. Can he be a turkey?--We will see. If he does not like the water,
he is not a duck."
* * * * * * *
mother jumped duckling
splash swim bigger
called began little
The next day the mother duck took her ducklings to the pond.
[Illustration: THE DUCK TAKES HER DUCKLINGS TO SWIM.]
Splash! Splash! The mother duck was in the water. Then she called
the ducklings to come in. They all jumped in and began to swim. The
big, ugly duckling swam, too.
The mother duck said, "He is not a turkey. He is my own little duck.
He will not be so ugly when he is bigger."
* * * * * * *
yard alone while
noise hurt that
eating know want
Then she said to the ducklings, "Come with me. I want you to see the
other ducks. Stay by me and look out for the cat."
They all went into the duck yard. What a noise the ducks made!
While the mother duck was eating a big bug, an old duck bit the ugly
duckling.
"Let him alone," said the mother duck. "He did not hurt you."
[Illustration: "HE DID NOT HURT YOU," SAID THE MOTHER DUCK.]
"I know that," said the duck, "but he is so ugly, I bit him."
* * * * * * *
lovely help there
walked bushes afraid
The next duck they met, said, "You have lovely ducklings. They
are all pretty but one. He is very ugly."
[Illustration: "YOUR CHILDREN ARE ALL PRETTY EXCEPT ONE."]