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The Tale Of Jemima Puddle-Duck
By
Beatrix Potter
&=
nbsp;
A FARMYARD TALE FOR RALPH AND BETSY
What a funny sight it is to see a brood of
ducklings with a hen!
--Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-duck, w=
ho
was annoyed because the farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs.=
Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Rebeccah Puddle-duck, =
was
perfectly willing to leave the hatching to some one else--"I have not =
the
patience to sit on a nest for twenty-eight days; and no more have you, Jemi=
ma.
You would let them go cold; you know you would!"
"I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch
them all by myself," quacked Jemima Puddle-duck.
She tried to hide her eggs; but they were alwa=
ys
found and carried off.
Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She
determined to make a nest right away from the farm.
She set off on a fine spring afternoon along t=
he
cart-road that leads over the hill.
She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.
When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a
wood in the distance.
She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot.<= o:p>
Jemima Puddle-duck was not much in the habit of
flying. She ran downhill a few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped
off into the air.
She flew beautifully when she had got a good
start.
She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she=
saw
an open place in the middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had =
been
cleared.
Jemima alighted rather heavily, and began to
waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting-place. She rather fancie=
d a
tree-stump amongst some tall fox-gloves.
But--seated upon the stump, she was startled to
find an elegantly dressed gentleman reading a newspaper.
He had black prick ears and sandy coloured
whiskers.
"Quack?" said Jemima Puddle-duck, wi=
th
her head and her bonnet on one side--"Quack?"
The gentleman raised his eyes above his newspa=
per
and looked curiously at Jemima--
"Madam, have you lost your way?" said
he. He had a long bushy tail which he was sitting upon, as the stump was
somewhat damp.
Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome. =
She
explained that she had not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a
convenient dry nesting-place.
"Ah! is that so? indeed!" said the
gentleman with sandy whiskers, looking curiously at Jemima. He folded up the
newspaper, and put it in his coat-tail pocket.
Jemima complained of the superfluous hen.
"Indeed! how interesting! I wish I could =
meet
with that fowl. I would teach it to mind its own business!"
"But as to a nest--there is no difficulty=
: I
have a sackful of feathers in my wood-shed. No, my dear madam, you will be =
in
nobody's way. You may sit there as long as you like," said the bushy
long-tailed gentleman.
He led the way to a very retired, dismal-looki=
ng
house amongst the fox-gloves.
It was built of faggots and turf, and there we=
re
two broken pails, one on top of another, by way of a chimney.
"This is my summer residence; you would n=
ot
find my earth--my winter house--so convenient," said the hospitable
gentleman.
There was a tumble-down shed at the back of the
house, made of old soap-boxes. The gentleman opened the door, and showed Je=
mima
in.
The shed was almost quite full of feathers--it=
was
almost suffocating; but it was comfortable and very soft.
Jemima Puddle-duck was rather surprised to find
such a vast quantity of feathers. But it was very comfortable; and she made=
a
nest without any trouble at all.
When she came out, the sandy whiskered gentlem=
an
was sitting on a log reading the newspaper--at least he had it spread out, =
but
he was looking over the top of it.
He was so polite, that he seemed almost sorry =
to
let Jemima go home for the night. He promised to take great care of her nest
until she came back again next day.
He said he loved eggs and ducklings; he should=
be
proud to see a fine nestful in his wood-shed.
Jemima Puddle-duck came every afternoon; she l=
aid
nine eggs in the nest. They were greeny white and very large. The foxy
gentleman admired them immensely. He used to turn them over and count them =
when
Jemima was not there.
At last Jemima told him that she intended to b=
egin
to sit next day--"and I will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I ne=
ed
never leave my nest until the eggs are hatched. They might catch cold,"
said the conscientious Jemima.
"Madam, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag; I will provide oats. But before you commence your tedious sitti= ng, I intend to give you a treat. Let us have a dinner-party all to ourselves!<= o:p>
"May I ask you to bring up some herbs from
the farm-garden to make a savoury omelette? Sage and thyme, and mint and two
onions, and some parsley. I will provide lard for the stuff--lard for the
omelette," said the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers.
Jemima Puddle-duck was a simpleton: not even t=
he
mention of sage and onions made her suspicious.
She went round the farm-garden, nibbling off
snippets of all the different sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roa=
st
duck.
And she waddled into the kitchen, and got two
onions out of a basket.
The collie-dog Kep met her coming out, "W=
hat
are you doing with those onions? Where do you go every afternoon by yoursel=
f,
Jemima Puddle-duck?"
Jemima was rather in awe of the collie; she to=
ld
him the whole story.
The collie listened, with his wise head on one
side; he grinned when she described the polite gentleman with sandy whisker=
s.
He asked several questions about the wood, and
about the exact position of the house and shed.
Then he went out, and trotted down the village=
. He
went to look for two fox-hound puppies who were out at walk with the butche=
r.
Jemima Puddle-duck went up the cart-road for t=
he
last time, on a sunny afternoon. She was rather burdened with bunches of he=
rbs
and two onions in a bag.
She flew over the wood, and alighted opposite =
the
house of the bushy long-tailed gentleman.
He was sitting on a log; he sniffed the air, a=
nd
kept glancing uneasily round the wood. When Jemima alighted he quite jumped=
.
"Come into the house as soon as you have
looked at your eggs. Give me the herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!"
He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-duck had n=
ever
heard him speak like that.
She felt surprised, and uncomfortable.
While she was inside she heard pattering feet
round the back of the shed. Some one with a black nose sniffed at the botto=
m of
the door, and then locked it.
Jemima became much alarmed.
A moment afterwards there were most awful
noises--barking, baying, growls and howls, squealing and groans.
And nothing more was ever seen of that
foxy-whiskered gentleman.
Presently Kep opened the door of the shed, and=
let
out Jemima Puddle-duck.
Unfortunately the puppies rushed in and gobble=
d up
all the eggs before he could stop them.
He had a bite on his ear and both the puppies =
were
limping.
Jemima Puddle-duck was escorted home in tears =
on
account of those eggs.
She laid some more in June, and she was permit=
ted
to keep them herself: but only four of them hatched.
Jemima Puddle-duck said that it was because of=
her
nerves; but she had always been a bad sitter.