The Graduated Series of Reading-Lesson Books

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE UGLY LITTLE DUCK. One fine summer's day in the country, a duck was sitting in her nest hatching her eggs; but of this important task she was almost tired, for scarcely a friend had paid her a visit. The other ducks were all swimming about in the pond, minding their own business, and did not want to gossip. At last, one egg cracked, then a second, then a third, and so on. Piep ! piep ! went one, Piep ! piep ! went another, until a dozen had cracked, and the little, downy brood popped their heads out of their narrow, brittle dwelling, as out of a window. Quack! quack! said the mother, as the little ducklings bustled out as fast as they could, looking about them in great wonder. How big the world is! said the little ones. Do you think that this is the whole world? said the mother; oh, no; it stretches far away beyond the garden. But are you all here ? continued she, with true motherly care. No, they are not all hatched yet, added she; the biggest egg lies there still! How long will this last ? I begin really to be quite tired. However, she sat down on the nest again. Well! how are you to-day ! quacked a fussy old duck, who came to pay her respects. Oh there is no end to hatching this one egg, grumbled the mother; the shell must be too hard for the duckling to break. But now you shall see the others. There is my pretty little family! Show me the egg that will not break, chimed in the old duck; it's a turkey's egg, I'll be bound. The samething happened to me once, and I had a precious trouble with it, let me tell you. Yes, I am quite right, it is a turkey's egg! So, get off your nest, and mind the others, as soon as you like. I shall sit a little longer, said the mother. Oh ! very well! that's none of my busine...