T was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up in the

meadows

looked beautiful. The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language, which he had learnt from

his mother. The corn-fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests, in the midst of which were deep pools. It was,

indeed, delightful to walk about in the country. In a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farm-house close by a deep river, and

from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves, so high, that under the tallest of them a little child could

stand upright. The spot was as wild as the centre of a thick wood. In this snug retreat sat a duck on her nest, watching for

her young brood to hatch; she was beginning to get tired of her task, for the little ones were a long time coming out of

their shells, and she seldom had any visitors. The other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river than to climb the

slippery banks, and sit under a burdock leaf, to have a gossip with her. At length one shell cracked, and then another, and

from each egg came a living creature that lifted its head and cried, “Peep, peep.” “Quack, quack,” said the mother, and

then they all quacked as well as they could, and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves. Their mother

allowed them to look as much as they liked, because green is good for the eyes. “How large the world is,” said the young

ducks, when they found how much more room they now had than while they were inside the egg-shell. “Do you imagine this is

the whole world?” asked the mother; “Wait till you have seen the garden; it stretches far beyond that to the parson’s

field, but I have never ventured to such a distance. Are you all out?” she continued, rising; “No, I declare, the largest

egg lies there still. I wonder how long this is to last, I am quite tired of it;” and she seated herself again on the nest. 
　　“Well, how are you getting on?” asked an old duck, who paid her a visit.
　　“One egg is not hatched yet,” said the duck, “it will not break. But just look at all the others, are they not the

prettiest little ducklings you ever saw? They are the image of their father, who is so unkind, he never comes to see.”
　　“Let me see the egg that will not break,” said the duck; “I have no doubt it is a turkey’s egg. I was persuaded to

hatch some once, and after all my care and trouble with the young ones, they were afraid of the water. I quacked and clucked,

but all to no purpose. I could not get them to venture in. Let me look at the egg. Yes, that is a turkey’s egg; take my

advice, leave it where it is and teach the other children to swim.”
　　“I think I will sit on it a little while longer,” said the duck; “as I have sat so long already, a few days will be

nothing.”
　　“Please yourself,” said the old duck, and she went away.
　　At last the large egg broke, and a young one crept forth crying, “Peep, peep.” It was very large and ugly. The duck

stared at it and exclaimed, “It is very large and not at all like the others. I wonder if it really is a turkey. We shall

soon find it out, however when we go to the water. It must go in, if I have to push it myself.”
　　On the next day the weather was delightful, and the sun shone brightly on the green burdock leaves, so the mother duck

took her young brood down to the water, and jumped in with a splash. “Quack, quack,” cried she, and one after another the

little ducklings jumped in. The water closed over their heads, but they came up again in an instant, and swam about quite

prettily with their legs paddling under them as easily as possible, and the ugly duckling was also in the water swimming with

them.
　　“Oh,” said the mother, “that is not a turkey; how well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! He is my

own child, and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly. Quack, quack! come with me now, I will take you

into grand society, and introduce you to the farmyard, but you must keep close to me or you may be trodden upon; and, above

all, beware of the cat.”
　　When they reached the farmyard, there was a great disturbance, two families were fighting for an eel’s head, which,

after all, was carried off by the cat. “See, children, that is the way of the world,” said the mother duck, whetting her

beak, for she would have liked the eel’s head herself. “Come, now, use your legs, and let me see how well you can behave.

You must bow your heads prettily to that old duck yonder; she is the highest born of them all, and has Spanish blood,

therefore, she is well off. Don’t you see she has a red flag tied to her leg, which is something very grand, and a great

honor for a duck; it shows that every one is anxious not to lose her, as she can be recognized both by man and beast. Come,

now, don’t turn your toes, a well-bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart, just like his father and mother, in this way;

now bend your neck, and say ‘quack.’”
　　The ducklings did as they were bid, but the other duck stared, and said, “Look, here comes another brood, as if there

were not enough of us already! and what a queer looking object one of them is; we don’t want him here,” and then one flew

out and bit him in the neck.
　　“Let him alone,” said the mother; “he is not doing any harm.”
　　“Yes, but he is so big and ugly,” said the spiteful duck “and therefore he must be turned out.”
　　“The others are very pretty children,” said the old duck, with the rag on her leg, “all but that one; I wish his

mother could improve him a little.”
　　“That is impossible, your grace,” replied the mother; “he is not pretty; but he has a very good disposition, and swims

as well or even better than the others. I think he will grow up pretty, and perhaps be smaller; he has remained too long in

the egg, and therefore his figure is not properly formed;” and then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers, saying,

“It is a drake, and therefore not of so much consequence. I think he will grow up strong, and able to take care of himself.

”
　“The other ducklings are graceful enough,” said the old duck. “Now make yourself at home, and if you can find an eel’s

head, you can bring it to me.”
And so they made themselves comfortable; but the poor duckling, who had crept out of his shell last of all, and looked so

ugly, was bitten and pushed and made fun of, not only by the ducks, but by all the poultry. “He is too big,” they all said,

and the turkey cock, who had been born into the world with spurs, and fancied himself really an emperor, puffed himself out

like a vessel in full sail, and flew at the duckling, and became quite red in the head with passion, so that the poor little

thing did not know where to go, and was quite miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at by the whole farmyard. So it

went on from day to day till it got worse and worse. The poor duckling was driven about by every one; even his brothers and

sisters were unkind to him, and would say, “Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would get you,” and his mother said she

wished he had never been born. The ducks pecked him, the chickens beat him, and the girl who fed the poultry kicked him with

her feet. So at last he ran away, frightening the little birds in the hedge as he flew over the palings.