me. Duke is insinuating his nose under my 

 arm ; Soo-ti is scratching my leg with his ab- 

 surd forepaws. "Come out," they say; "come 

 out into the open air." Well, well, let us go, 

 then, and enjoy the day while there is yet time. 



III. THE FRIENDLY DUCKLING 



^s I PLACE the story of the duckling here 

 because there is something curiously dog-like 

 about it. As to the precise origin of this duck- 

 ling I am a little vague, but I incline to think 

 that it was one of four or five who found on 

 shaking off their shell that they had obtained 

 a hen as a mother and a poultry yard as a 

 nursery. I seem to remember that we first 

 saw it in the poultry yard a day or two after 

 it had come to light. There was something 

 peculiarly engaging about it, a spirit of for- 

 ward and confiding boldness that prompted 

 it rather to court than to avoid the tendered 

 hand of a boy. At any rate, it was selected 

 from the little flock and was carried, quite 

 fearless, in a pocket to the house to be admired. 

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